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Dacapo - The National Music Anthology of Denmark
The Danish National Label

Poul Ruders

The Handmaid's Tale


Anne Margrethe Dahl, soprano
Poul Elming, tenor
Hanne Fischer, mezzo soprano
Elisabeth Halling, mezzo soprano
Kari Hamnøy, alto saxophone
Pia Hansen, mezzo soprano
Aage Haugland, bass
Gert Henning-Jensen, tenor
Ulla Kudsk Jensen, mezzo soprano
John Laursen, tenor
Elsebeth Lund, soprano
Djina Mai-Mai, soprano
Bengt-Ola Morgny, tenor
Lise-Lotte Nielsen, soprano
Minna Nyhus, soprano
Camilla Nylund, soprano
Susanne Resmark, alto saxophone
Marianne Rørholm, mezzo soprano
Royal Danish Opera Choir
Royal Danish Orchestra
Michael Schønwandt, conductor
Annita Wadsholt, alto saxophone

Poul Ruders, composer

About:
The Handmaid's Tale is based on one of the most exciting and disturbing novels of modern times, A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The Handmaid's Tale is a grim futuristic story of a fundamentalist, misogynist society where few people are fertile, and a story of love, power and escape from am extremist right-wing regime. The libretto was written by after the novel and translated into Danish by Poul Ruders. The opera was composed for a large orchestra and organ, with a full opera chorus.

The Handmaid's Tale has been recorded in a collaboration of the three state institutions dacapo, Danmarks Radio and the Royal Danish Theatre, Copenhagen. This is the first time ever that the institutions have cooperated in this way. The Handmaid's Tale was recorded live over a series of evening performances in the spring of 2000, and this is also the first time in recent years that an opera from the Royal Danish Theatre has been recorded in this way.
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Tjenerindens Fortælling (The Handmaid's Tale)
An opera in a prologue, a prelude, two acts and an epilogue
Based on a novel by Margaret Atwood
Libretto by Paul Bentley
International Historical Association Convention
1

Symposium Prologue (2195 AD)

 5:12 Play $3.00
The Red Centre Prelude
2

Scene 1: The Classroom

 4:30 Play $1.50
3

Scene 2: The Dormitory

 4:08 Play $1.50
4

Scene 3: The Classroom

 3:23 Play $1.50
5

Scene 4: The Washroom

 2:11 Play $1.50
6

Scene 5: Graduation in the Assembly Hall

 3:18 Play $1.50
Act One
7

Scene 1: The Wall

 1:47 Play $1.50
8

Scene 2: The House in the day

 1:47 Play $1.50
9

Scene 3: Offred's Bedroom

 4:29 Play $1.50
10

Scene 4a: The Kitchen

 1:35 Play $1.50
11

Scene 4b: The Walk to the shops

 4:13 Play $1.50
12

Scene 5: The Wall

 4:04 Play $1.50
13

Scene 6: The Doctor

 8:21 Play $3.00
14

Scene 7: The House in the day

 6:21 Play $3.00
15

Scene 8: Offred's Bedroom

 3:42 Play $1.50
16

Scene 9: Joy's Sitting Room

 5:13 Play $3.00
17

Scene 10: Joy's Bedroom

 0:41 Play $1.50
18

Scene 11: Offred's Bedroom

 1:18 Play $1.50
19

Scene 12: The Red Centre Assembly Hall

 8:28 Play $3.00
20

Scene 13: The Commander's Study

 2:09 Play $1.50
21

Scene 14: Offred's Bedroom

 0:46 Play $1.50
Act Two
1

Scene 1: Offred's Bedroom

 1:29 Play $1.50
2

Scene 2: The Study at the Commander

 2:29 Play $1.50
3

Scene 3:Joy's Sitting Room

 1:04 Play $1.50
4

Scene 4a: The Kitchen

 1:39 Play $1.50
5

Scene 4b: The Walk to the Shops

 6:13 Play $3.00
6

Scene 5: The Wall

 1:56 Play $1.50
7

Scene 6: The House at Night

 5:30 Play $3.00
8

Scene 7: The Wall

 4:55 Play $1.50
9

Scene 8: The House

 1:26 Play $1.50
10

Scene 9: Offred's Bedroom

 6:55 Play $3.00
11

Scene 10: The Study

 2:39 Play $1.50
12

Scene 11: Jezebel's

 2:24 Play $1.50
13

Scene 12: Jezebel's Restroom

 1:49 Play $1.50
14

Scene 13: Jezebel's Bedroom

 1:52 Play $1.50
15

Scene 14: Joy's Sitting Room

 0:31 Play $1.50
16

Scene 15: Offred's Bedroom

 1:21 Play $1.50
17

(Offred and Nick)

 4:52 Play $1.50
18

Scene 16: The Salvaging

 5:43 Play $3.00
19

Scene 17: The Wall

 2:34 Play $1.50
20

Scene 18: The House

 1:26 Play $1.50
21

Scene 19: Quartet. The House

 4:38 Play $1.50
22

Postlude: Symposium Epilogue (2195 AD)

 2:30 Play $1.50
Total playing time  144 minutes
Total download file size  330.2MB Download entire release now:   $29.00

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Recorded live at the Royal Danish Theatre on 6, 8, 9 and 11 March 2000

Recording producer: Henrik Sleiborg
Sound engineer: Peter Bo Nielsen

Publisher: Edition Wilhelm Hansen A/S

Cover picture: Martin Mydtskov: "The Handmaid's Tale"

This CD has been recorded in cooperation with Danmarks Radio and the Royal Danish Theatre

dacapo acknowledges, with gratitude, the financial support of KODA's Collective Blank Tape Remuneration

Physical Format: Compact Disc

Catalogue Number: 8.224165-66

Barcode: 730099986526

Release Date: January 2001

Genre: Late 20th Century

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Reviews

Best Vocal Recording & Recording of the Year (Danish Music Award 2001)

10 de Répertoire

Editor's Choice (Opera News)


Should keep even people who say they do not like modern opera of the edge of their seats (Critic's Choice Gramophone)

Gramophone Award Nominee 2001

Gramophone Critics' Choice

The cast, among whom there is not a weak link, sing their hearts out, and Michael Schønwandt conveys the kaleidoscopic colours of Ruder's score with remarkable clarity; the recording is first-class (Gramophone)

The Handmaid's Tale is a work of genius(The Guardian)

I suppose it is not a good thing for a reviewer to be at a loss for words-or at least to admit it. Yet that is exactly how I felt after first listening to The Handmaid's Tale. It is a profoundly disturbing, profoundly moving story - and now a profoundly disturbing, profoundly moving opera. By its effect on the listener the opera must be counted a success. The recording is first-rate. Rørholm sings solidly, expressively, eliciting our deepest compassions. High marks go to Haugland and Henning-Jensen for their strongly sung characterizations. The large cast is of consistent quality. Schønwandt controls the immense forces with power and sensitivity." (American Record Guide)

This riveting, kaleidoscopic score can now be heard in a Dacapo recording, taken from the premiere performances in Copenhagen … The music is a triumph of stylistic pluralism … The lavish scoring deftly mingles electronic and standard instruments…From the opening moments, when sustained soft, misty, strangely astringent orchestral chords hover in the background while bits and pieces of themes in solo instruments struggle to break out, the music is haunting … But what gives it dramatic richness and rescues the story from Ms. Atwood's weighty symbolism is Mr. Ruders's use of musical parody … Mr. Ruders felt that The Handmaid's Tale was begging for operatic treatment. And in providing one, he freed the story from its sermonizing, something even a 1990 Natasha Richardson could not do." (The New York Times)

"The performers are simply stunning" 10/10 (Classics Today) [Read full review]

The Danes may have created a masterpiece of our time (The Daily Telegraph)

"The engineering captures the fright and power in Ruder's music…There's no better way to be introduced to this provocative opera, short of a DVD, or seeing the actual performance, than this release(Classical Net)

"Uundvælig opera-CD" (Jyllands-Posten)

"This is an example of astounding compositional technique, with a remarkable central performance from Marianne Rørholm as Offred" (The Independent on Sunday)

"Succesen er hjemme Et kvalitetsprodukt fra lydkvalitet til layout. Sådan et selskab skal bevares" (Berlingske Tidende)

"Conductor Michael Schønwandt leads a magnetic performance. The Danish singers cope with the extremes of range and dynamics in Ruders' music. They perform this difficult score with deep commitment." (Courier-Post)

"The recording is first-rate" (American Record Guide)


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