Houston Grand Opera - Massenet: Werther - SUPER-AUDIO CD [Super Audio CD (SACD)]

Houston Grand Opera is a driving force in American opera, cultivating a spirit of innovation with premieres of important 20th-century works like Leonard Bernstein's A Quiet Place and John Adams' Nixon in China. This tradition continues with the debut recording on their own record tag-Jake Heggie's Intelligence. This epic work was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera and is the company's 75th premiere, building on it's legacy and commitment to the future of opera with a thrilling new recording. Intelligence explores the little-known story of two heroic women spies during the American Civil War Elizabeth Van Lew, a privileged white woman; and Mary Jane Bowser, a black woman born into slavery in the Van Lew household. Composer Jake Heggie, librettist Gene Scheer and director/choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar join creative forces to transform this unique true story into a musical masterpiece. The opera features an all-star cast led by soprano Janai Brugger as Mary Jane Bowser, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Elizabeth Van Lew and mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges as Lucinda. These awardwinning artists create a riveting performance, capturing the nuance and suspense of Heggie's acclaimed new opera in this exciting launch of Houston Grand Opera's record tag. Details 1. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 1. The Van Lew Mansion 2. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 1. Help me! 3. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 1. Round and Round 4. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 1. Intelligence 5. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 1. Aria. Just one step 6. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 2. The Confederate White House 7. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 2. Pantomime 8. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 3. What did I marry into? 9. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 3. Aria. Look me in the eye 10. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 4. In Town 11. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 5. The Journal 12. Intelligence~Act 1. Scene 5. Aria. Why risk everything

Marking the tenth anniversary of it's 2016 premiere, Houston Grand Opera unveils the first commercial recording of Breaking the Waves, Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's landmark opera. Long acclaimed as one of the most important American operas of the past decade, this brings the work's searing emotional world to a global audience, making it accessible beyond the stage for the first time. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1970s, Breaking the Waves tells the story of Bess McNeill, a religious young woman with a deep love for her husband Jan, a handsome oil rig worker. When Jan becomes paralyzed in an off-shore accident, Bess's marital vows are put to the test as he encourages her to seek other lovers and return to his bedside to tell him of her sexual activities. He insists that the stories will feel like they are making love together and keep him alive. Bess's increasing selflessness leads to a finale of divine grace, but at great cost. Led by conductor Patrick Summers, the new recording features some of today's most compelling operatic voices, including Lauren Snouffer as Bess McNeill and Ryan McKinny as Jan Nyman. Hailed by The New Yorker as a Inchonce-in-a-generation magician of the orchestraInch, Mazzoli brings a distinctive musical voice that has established Breaking the Waves as a modern classic. Details 1. Prologue, His Name Is Jan 2. Prologue, We Do Not Favor Matrimony with Outsiders 3. Scene 1, Wedding 4. Scene 2, Ring the Bells 5. Scene 2, Golden Heart 6. Scene 2, We Two People Are Joined in God 7. Scene 3, the Gift of Jan 8. Scene 3, Your Body Is a Map 9. Scene 4, I Wish That the Church Had Bells 10. Scene 4, We Endure 11. Scene 4, I Thank You for Your Love 12. Scene 5, Prayer of a Selfish Girl 13. Interlude, Drill Deep, Men 14. Scene 6, Phone Booth 15. Scene 6, Prayer for Jan to Come Home 16. Scene 7, Accident

Album Tracks 1. The Song of Manjun Scene 1 2. The Song of Manjun Scene 2 3. The Song of Manjun Scene 3 4. The Song of Manjun Scene 4 5. The Song of Manjun Scene 5 6. The Song of Manjun Scene 6 7. The Song of Manjun Scene 7 8. The Song of Manjun Interlude Manjun's Dream 9. The Song of Manjun Scene 8 10. The Song of Manjun Composer Bright Sheng and Librettist Andrew Porter