Maurice Ravel - L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges/L'Heure Espagnole DVD

Maurice Ravel's one-act operas L'Enfant et les Sortil''ges and L'Heure Espagnole are often performed as a double bill. These two productions for Glyndebourne Festival Opera were first recorded and seen on BBC TV in 1987 and are both designed by the great American children's book writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak and directed by Frank Corsaro. L'Enfant et les Sortil''ges or 'The bewitched child' is an enchanting fantasy which tells the tale of a boy who is angry because he does not want to learn his lessons. He destroys his books and vandalises the room he is in.... But the room comes to life - chairs grandfather clock teapot and teacup - and seeks revenge... The staging of this production featured film projection and this has been brilliantly reflected in the electronically-edited television recording. Cynthia Buchan sings the role of the boy and the cast also includes Fiona Kimm Malcolm Walker Fran''ois Loup Hyacinth Nicholls Thierry Dran Louise Winter Nan Christie Jady Pearl Carol Smith Harolyn Blackwell Anna Steiger and Alison Hagley. Simon Rattle conducts The London Philharmonic. L'Heure Espagnole means not only 'the Spanish clock' but also 'the Spanish hour'; every Thursday at the same time the clockmaker Torquemada has an appointment to wind and regulate the town clocks thus leaving his wife alone in the house for an hour... The Spanish adventure is set in a Toledo square over which towers the baroque fa''ade of the town hall where Torquemada winds and minds the clocks. Maurice Sendak's delightfully animated set comprises a huge baroque fa''ade complete with working clocks and carved emblems. The cast includes Anna Steiger Fran''ois Le Roux R''my Corazza Thierry Dran and Fran''ois Loup. Sian Edwards conducts The London Philharmonic. [show more]

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