International Record Review
'Thomas Allen's Forester is beautifully phrased, with a directness of utterance that also embodies a warmth of feeling, and his companions provide neat character sketches, especially Gwynne Howell's touching Parson, a little rueful as he recalls a muddled youthful flirtation, and Robert Tear's pedantic Schoolmaster, forgoing some of his precision as the beer takes hold... Watson is enchanting: she has the fox's charm and dexterity, her cheekiness but also her shy, burgeoning emotions in the courtship with her handsome Fox... it is good to hear the work in our own tongue.'
The Adventures of Fox Sharp-Ears
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Leoš Janá?ek
English translation by Yveta Synek Graff &
Robert T. Jones
The Cast
Thomas Allen, baritone - Forester
Robert Tear, tenor - Mosquito/Schoolmaster
Gillian Knight, soprano - Forester's Wife/Owl
Lillian Watson, soprano - Vixen Sharp-Ears
Gwynne Howell, bass - Priest/Badger
John Dobson, tenor - Pásek
Nicholas Folwell, baritone - Harašta
Diana Montague, mezzo-soprano - Fox
Elizabeth Bainbridge, mezzo-soprano - Innkeeper's Wife
Royal Opera House Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Simon Rattle – Conductor
Recorded in No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London - June 1990
Producer - David R. Murray and Sound engineer - Mark Vigars
Gramophone
'Each member of the large cast has plainly gained from having so recently performed the same music on stage, adding to the dramatic bite of the story. They make an outstanding team, with Lillian Watson in the name part delightfully bright and fresh and Thomas Allen commanding both musically and dramatically in the key role of the Forester. How rarely have we had such a firm, full-toned baritone voice so ideal for recording. The other characterisations are all strongly individual, of both humans and animals, with outstanding contributions from Robert Tear as the schoolmaster and Gnat and Gwynne Howell as the Badger and Priest.'
