Search - John [1] McCabe, Barry Wordsworth, Royal Ballet Sinfonia :: McCabe: Edward II

Commissioned by the Stuttgart ballet and premiered in 1995, John McCabe's ambitious score follows the storyline of the Christopher Marlowe play, telescoping Edward's disastrous reign into a shorter span. It is quasi-symphonically argued, as well as eminently tuneful and danceable, displaying the germs of almost all its thematic material in the opening funeral cortege for Edward I. The ballet is full of extended, wistful love duets for Edward II and his lovers Gaveston and Despenser and his executioner Lighthorn, as well as more aggressive ones for his estranged queen, Isabella, and her lover-accomplice, Mortimer. It contains scenes of virtuosic burlesque in which players parody the main action, and there are deliberately charming formal dances overlaying the introduction of the child Edward III to his future queen. This excellent recording brings out the delicate writing for woodwind choir and the score's occasional explosions of violent energy. Barry Wordsworth gets an impressively thoughtful performance from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. --Roz Kaveney