Harrison Birtwistle Gawain Marie Angel, soprano ~ Anne Howells, mezzo soprano Francois Le Roux, baritone ~ John Tomlinson, bass baritone The Royal Opera Chorus ~ Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Elgar Howarth, conductor NMC D200 • Celebrating 25 years of NMC Recordings. Discover — Connect — Challenge — Inspire • This production of Gawain for the Royal Opera House, recorded by BBC Radio 3, was supported by the Arts Council of England, The Friends of Covent Garden, The John S Cohen Foundation and The Po-Shing Woo Charitable Foundation.   It was originally released on Collins Classics. • The re-issue of this recording was made possible thanks to the generosity of trusts, foundations and individuals who donated to our 2013 Opera Appeal.   The other two releases being Judith Weir's The Vanishing Bridegroom and Gerald Barry's The Importance of Being Earnest, to be issued autumn 2014. • Gawain was performed at London's Barbican as part of the 'Birtwistle at 80' series on 16 May, 2014. 'An opera of compelling power and grandeur … John Tomlinson is in outstandingly noble voice' Gramophone Gawain is perhaps the work that we are most frequently asked to release and it is great to fi nally get this modern classic into the NMC catalogue. Birtwistle's fascination with myth and ritual has influenced many of his works and this opera — with libretto by David Harsent, who also collaborated with the composer on The Minotaur — is based on the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, with a plot featuring castles, eerie nocturnal apparitions, evil magical powers, amorous entanglements and a singing decapitated head! Marie Angel, soprano, Morgan le Fay Anne Howells, mezzo soprano, Lady de Hautdesert Richard Greagor, tenor, Arthur Penelope Walmsley-Clark, soprano, Guinevere Omar Ebrahim, baritone, The Fool Alan Ewlng, bass, Agravain John Marsden, tenor, Ywin Francois Le Roux, baritone, Gawain Kevin Smith, countertenor, Bishop Baldwin John Tomlinson, bass baritone, The Green Knight/Bertiltak de Hautdesert Royal Opera Chorus Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Elgar Howarth, conductor CD 1 Act One       61'25 CD 2 Act Two       71'54 NMC Recordings are distributed in Australia by Rockian Trading, P.O.Box 44, Briar Hill, Vic, 3088, Australia Telephone (03) 9432 4149 ~ Facsimile (03) 9444 6879