"This little record has been in my mind for many years. During my student days in London in the '50s, I collected many nineteenth century programmes, many piano scores and hordes of songs from popular operas with their illustrated music covers, so that the operas of Balfe and Wallace have long been familiar friends. Many of these operas were exceedingly popular in the nineteenth century and were sung by very famous singers. Changing taste and new works have pushed these old warhorses into the background, so that today they are little more than a curiosity. But they were once the popular music of the day.

"Trying to find complete orchestral scores and parts proved to be somewhat of a headache, but I am fortunate to have good friends who helped me. Most of the orchestrations are original. I thank Courtney Kenny, the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society of Great Britain, the Balfe archive and the Carl Rosa Trust for generously lending me scores and parts from their archives.

"Thanks also to Brian Castles-Onion for his splendid recreation of the 'Night Winds' from Wallace's Lurline. The library in Brussels that houses the full score was closed for several months and the Carl Rosa parts were incomplete.

"I am also grateful to Richard Burgess-Ellis for reconstructing the aria from Amber Witch as well as the Waltz from Faraday's Amasis for both of which I found no score or parts. He provided invaluable assistance and was responsible for magically producing eminently readable scores and parts from very old and fairly illegible manuscripts."
British Opera Arias: An introduction by Richard Bonynge.

Deborah Riedel Biography
Richard Bonynge Biography

Review excerpts

Track listing:

1. The Night Winds, Lurline (Wallace) (4'30")
2. Che Calmo Asil (Recit); Placida Notte, Il Talismano (Balfe) (7'42")
3. 'Tis The Harp In The Air, Maritana (Wallace) (3'44")
4. 'Twas In that Garden Beautiful, The Seige Of Rochell (Balfe) (3'13")
5. Nella Dolce Trepidanza (Recit & Caballetta), Il Talismano (Balfe) (3'34")
6. Lord Of Our Chosen Race, Ivanhoe (Sullivan) (4'04")
7. Neath My Lattice, The Rose Of Persia (Sullivan) (2'43")
8. Scenes That Are Brightest, Maritana (Wallace) (6'07")
9. Little Princess, Look Up!, Amasis (Faraday) (2'16") Listen now (MP3 409K)
10. The Convent Cell, The Rose of Castille (Balfe) (2'55")
11. There's A Power Whose Sway, Satanella (Balfe) (3'32")
12. The Rapture Dwelling Within My Heart, The Maid of Artois (Balfe) (2'51")
13. The Maid of Artois, Yon Moon O'er The Mountain (Balfe) (2'52")
14. Oh! Could I But His Heart Enslave, Satanella (Balfe) (4'16")
15. Bliss For Ever Past, The Puritan's Daughter (Balfe) (3'26")
16. The Naiad's Spell, Lurline (Wallace) (3'43")
17. These Withered Flowers, Love's Triumph (Wallace) (3'12")
18. My Long Hair Is Braided, The Amber Witch (Wallace) (3'51")
Total time: 69'49"