Edward Loder stands at the height of the development of English Romantic opera in the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Loder, who called himself ‘a German Student in music’, drew on the example of Carl Maria von Weber in his crowning achievement, the three-act opera Raymond and Agnes of 1855. Set long ago in a Germany of forest and castle, Loder’s Raymond and Agnes is a passionate love story involving Raymond, Agnes, and the Baron of Lindenberg, who, as Agnes’s guardian, believes he must marry her to lift a curse bestowed on his family some generations earlier. When Raymond sets out to rescue Agnes, dark secrets are revealed, setting in motion a train of startling events. Recorded under the baton of acclaimed conductor Richard Bonynge AC CBE, this release features, in his words, a cast of ‘singers of true musicality and intelligence’ together with an ‘orchestra of great willingness and expertise’. The revival of Raymond and Agnes at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge in 1966 prompted leading critics to describe it as a magnificent work of genius, one that ‘would not disgrace middle‑period Verdi’ and had ‘the undeniable, unmistakable touch ... of a real composer’. Following the tantalising glimpses of the 1966 production, Retrospect Opera’s pioneering recording allows the whole opera to be heard at last in all its Gothic glory. Finally - please remember we sell worldwide - contact Retrospect Opera if you have any difficulty completing your purchase.
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