Margaret Catchpole (1762-1819) is a historical individual perhaps better known in England than elsewhere: a servant girl who fell in love with a smuggler and stole a horse to be with him, throwing over the honest farmer who loves her. After a courtroom drama, she is transported to Australia. Composer Stephen Dodgson's opera about Margaret was composed in 1979 and had later performances, but here, it is recorded for the first time. University and local opera companies should take note of the recording, for the small size of ...
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Margaret Catchpole (1762-1819) is a historical individual perhaps better known in England than elsewhere: a servant girl who fell in love with a smuggler and stole a horse to be with him, throwing over the honest farmer who loves her. After a courtroom drama, she is transported to Australia. Composer Stephen Dodgson's opera about Margaret was composed in 1979 and had later performances, but here, it is recorded for the first time. University and local opera companies should take note of the recording, for the small size of the orchestra makes the work appropriate for them. Dodgson is known mostly for chamber works and songs, and his background shows here in a positive way. The colors of his small orchestra are impressively varied, and a unique feature of the opera's structure is that instrumental interludes are heard throughout, appearing regularly after every few vocal numbers. They carry the action forward rather than interrupting it as set pieces, and they're critical in sustaining the momentum in a...
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