Gramophone
‘Yvonne Kenny, ENO’s much loved Marschallin, sings of the joys and sorrows of love with beautiful tone and shapely phrasing, her voice of an ideal weight for the part. By her side is Diana Montague’s eager, ardent Octavian, the two singers matching each other in evincing strong emotions... one would have liked more of Tomlinson’s Ochs... using a translation he has sensibly tailored to his own needs and projects with enormous relish in a role that suits his vocal acting to perfection.'
The Knight of the Rose
Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal
English version by Alfred Kalisch
Act 1 opening and conclusion
Act 2 opening and conclusion
Act 3 conclusion
The Cast
Yvonne Kenny, soprano - The Feldmarschallin
John Tomlinson, bass - Baron Ochs of Lerchenau
Diana Montague, mezzo-soprano - Octavian
Andrew Shore, baritone - Herr von Faninal
Rosemary Joshua, soprano - Sophie
Jennifer Rhys-Davies, soprano - Marianne
Elizabeth Vaughan, contralto - Annina
Eugene Ginty, tenor - Major-Domo/Landlord
Gareth Roberts, tenor - Valzacchi
Paul Parfitt, bass-baritone - Boots
The Peter Kay Children`s Choir
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra
David Parry - conductor
Recorded in Blackheath Halls, London, 14-16 & 18 December 1998
Producer - Brian Couzens, Sound engineer - Ralph Couzens and Jonathan Cooper, Assistant engineer - Richard Smoker
The Guardian
'The voices of Yvonne Kenny's luscious, wistful Marschallin and Diana Montague's coolly beautiful Octavian twine round each other in exhausted, post-coital delirium. Rosemary Joshua's Sophie is a shimmering creature, exquisite in the vocal stratospheres.'
The Times
'Kenny suggests delicately that the Marschallin knows her pleasures are fleeting, from the start to the final sigh of resignation.'
