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Kurt Weill: The Firebrand of Florence
Broadway operetta in two acts.
Music and lyrics by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin.
Book by Edwin Justus Mayer, based on his play The Firebrand.
Script adaptation and narration by Sam Kenyon.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Symphony Orchestra assembled an all-star cast for this landmark recreation at London's Barbican Centre in 2000 of the work with which Kurt Weill hoped to lead American musical theatre in a new direction. Although The Firebrand was, in Weill's words,' killed by its production,' it contains sumptuous music on a scale not seen on Broadway before. It's based on scenes from the life of the Renaissance sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini who has been sentenced to hang for the attempted murder of Count Maffio. It opens with a memorable scene in Florence's public square where Cellini awaits his fate and it ends with jugglers and dancers in faraway Fontainebleau. But, in between, there are twists and turns of love, betrayal and adventure with numbers like, 'You're Far Too Near Me,' 'When the Duchess is Away,' The Little Naked Boy,' 'Love is Enemy' and finally a reprise of 'Life, Love and Laughter.'
Presented by Penny Gore.

Benvenuto Cellini..... Rodney Gilfry (baritone)
Angel, his model and paramour..... Lori Ann Fuller (soprano)
Alessandro de Medici..... George Dvorsky..... (bass)
The Duchess of Florence..... Felicity Palmer.... (mezzo)
Emilia, Cellini's servant..... Lucy Schauffer..... (mezzo)
Ascanio, Cellini's apprentice..... Stephen Charlesworth..... (baritone)
Ottaviano de Medici, the Duke's treacherous cousin..... Roger Heath..... (bass)
Marquis Pierre, the French Ambassador..... Robert Johnston.... (tenor)
A Hangman..... Henry Waddington..... (bass)
Maffio, a villainous Florentine count..... Stuart MacIntyre ..... (baritone)
Simon Russell Beale..... (narrator)

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Singers [Chorus Master: Stephen Betteridge]
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Davis (conductor)

Followed at c. 4pm by another work in this week's series exploring Music from the Frozen North. Today a short work which charts the no man's land between acoustic and electronic music from a composer who works regularly with artists such as his fellow Icelander, Bjork.

Valgeir Sigurðsson: Eighteen hundred and seventy-five for orchestra and electronics
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba (conductor)

Anna Clyne: