Ambrosian Singers
The Ambrosian Singers are one of the best-known London choral groups, particularly appreciated for its great variety of recorded repertory.
They were founded after World War II in England. One of their co-founders was Denis Stevens (1922–2004), a British musicologist and viola player who joined the BBC Music Department in 1949 and developed programs of Renaissance and early Baroque music. The other was John McCarthy (1919–2009), a professional tenor soloist.
They organized and created the Ambrosian Singers as a small professional chorus in 1951. Ambrosian Singers has participated in numerous Christmas albums, appeared in albums with such pop and rock artists as Neil Diamond, Grace Jones, Julie Andrews, etc., and sung in several studio cast albums of Broadway musicals.
They have participated in various film soundtrack scores such as Brainstorm, Krull, Chariots of Fire, Children of the stones and The Secret of NIMH, and in some albums of Italian films: Film Scores of Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota (conducted by Henry Mancini, collections of Miklos Rozsa scores, and original scores from MGM classic musicals. They did the introduction vocals for the song "Inside" by Stiltskin in 1994.
Involvement in opera
Ambrosian Singers is also called Ambrosian Opera Chorus (or Ambrosian Chorus or Ambrosian Choir). The ensemble has made numerous recordings of full length operas under various noted conductors including Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, Claudio Abbado, Lamberto Gardelli, Nello Santi, Julius Rudel, Georges Prêtre and many more. From 1961 to 1966, when McCarthy was a choral director of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Ambrosian Singers were known as the London Symphony Orchestra Chorus.[1]
Under various names (Ambrosian Singers, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Ambrosian Chorus, Ambrosian Choir, London Symphony Orchestra Chorus or The John McCarthy Singers), the ensemble has appeared in various type of recording albums with many renowned operatic singers such as recording recitals, sacred music, selected arias and complete operas with Montserrat Caballé, Joan Sutherland, Kiri Te Kanawa, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and many more.
Selected operatic discography
| Year | Composer, Opera |
Cast | Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Bellini: Beatrice di Tenda | Joan Sutherland, Cornelius Opthof, Luciano Pavarotti, et al. |
Richard Bonynge, London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Decca Cat: |
| 1966 | Rossini: Semiramide | Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Joseph Rouleau, et al. |
Richard Bonynge, London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Decca Cat: |
| 1966 | Gounod: Faust | Joan Sutherland, Franco Corelli, Nicolai Ghiaurov, et al. |
Richard Bonynge, London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Decca Cat: |
| 1969 | Verdi: La forza del destino | Martina Arroyo, Carlo Bergonzi, Piero Cappuccilli, et al. |
Lamberto Gardelli, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Cat: |
| Donizetti: Roberto Devereux | Beverly Sills, Róbert Ilosfalvy, Peter Glossop, Beverly Wolff |
Charles Mackerras Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Westminster Cat: | |
| Verdi: Il trovatore | Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Leontyne Price, et al. |
Zubin Mehta New Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Chorus |
Audio CD: RCA Cat: 6194-2 Cat: 86194 | |
| 1970 | Verdi: Don Carlos | Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, Sherill Milnes, et al. |
Carlo Maria Giulini Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Ambrosian Chorus |
Audio CD: Angel Records Cat: 47701 |
| Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore | Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Spiro Malas, et al. |
Richard Bonynge English Chamber Orchestra Ambrosian Chorus |
Audio CD: Angel Records Cat: 47701 | |
| Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor | Beverly Sills, Carlo Bergonzi, Piero Cappuccilli, Justino Diaz |
Thomas Schippers London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Westminster Cat: | |
| Massenet: Manon | Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda, Gérard Souzay, Gabriel Bacquier |
Julius Rudel New Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Cat: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: | |
| 1971 | Verdi: I Lombardi | Plácido Domingo, Cristina Deutekom, Ruggero Raimondi, et al. |
Lamberto Gardelli Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Philips Cat: 422 420-2 |
| Puccini: Manon Lescaut | Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Vincente Sardinero, et al. |
Bruno Bartoletti (Studio) New Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Classic Cat: 7 47736-8 | |
| Verdi: Rigoletto | Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Joan Sutherland, et al. |
Richard Bonynge, London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Decca Cat: 414-269-2 | |
| Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia | Hermann Prey, Teresa Berganza, Luigi Alva, Enzo Dara, Paolo Montarsolo |
Claudio Abbado London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: | |
| 1972 | Bellini: Norma | Plácido Domingo, Montserrat Caballé, Fiorenza Cossotto, et al. |
Carlo Felice Cillario London Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: RCA Cat: 6502-2 Cat: 8650 |
| Verdi: Atila | Ruggero Raimondi, Carlo Bergonzi, Christina Deutekom, et al. |
Lamberto Gardelli, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Philips Cat: 412-875-2 | |
| Verdi: Giovanna d'Arco | Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, et al. |
James Levine London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Classics Cat: 63226-2 Angel Records Cat: 63226 | |
| 1973 | Boito: Mefistofele | Plácido Domingo, Norman Treigle, Montserrat Caballé, et al. |
Julius Rudel (Studio) London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Angel Cat: 49522 EMI Cat: 49522-2 |
| Bellini: I Puritani | Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda, Louis Quilico, Paul Plishka |
Julius Rudel London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Westminster The Legacy Cat: 471 207-2 | |
| 1975 | Massenet: La Navarraise | Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Marilyn Horne, et al. |
Henry Lewis London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: RCA Victor Cat: 50167 |
| 1976 | Montemezzi: L'amore dei tre re | Plácido Domingo, Pablo Elvira, Elizabeth Bainbridge, et al. |
Nello Santi, London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: RCA Cat: 50166 |
| Charpentier: Louise | Ileana Cotrubas, Plácido Domingo, Gabriel Bacquier, et al. |
Georges Prêtre New Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Sony Classical Cat: 46429 | |
| Puccini: Il Trittico (Il tabarro / Gianni Schicchi) |
Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Ileana Cotrubas, et al. |
Lorin Maazel London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: CBS Cat: 35912 Cat: 79312 | |
| Puccini: Tosca | Plácido Domingo, Raina Kabaivanska, Sherrill Milnes, et al. |
Bruno Bartoletti (Film) New Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 00440 073 4038 | |
| 1977 | Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur | Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Sherrill Milnes, et al. |
James Levine (Studio) Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Sony Classical Cat: 34588 CBS Cat: 79310 |
| Verdi: Otello | Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Sherrill Milnes, et al. |
James Levine National Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian singers |
Audio CD: RCA Cat: 2951 Cat: 82951-2 | |
| Bizet: Carmen | Teresa Berganza, Plácido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas, et al. |
Claudio Abbado London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Singers |
Audio CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 427 885-2 | |
| 1978 | Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana | Plácido Domingo, Pablo Elvira, Renata Scotto, et al. |
James Levine (Studio) National Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: RCA Cat: 83091 BMG Classics Cat: 74321 39500 2 Brilliant Classics Cat: 6251 |
| Puccini: Madama Butterfly | Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Ingvar Wixell, et al. |
Lorin Maazel (Studio) London Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: CBS Cat: 35181 Sony Cat: 91135 | |
| Verdi: Nabucco | Matteo Manuguerra, Veriano Luchetti Nicolai Ghiaurov Renata Scotto, Elena Obraztsova |
Riccardo Muti Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: CBS, Cat: 4564472 EMI The Opera Series | |
| Donizetti: Don Pasquale | Beverly Sills, Donald Gramm, Alfredo Kraus, Alan Titus |
Sarah Caldwell London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: EMI Cat: | |
| 1978 | Massenet: Cendrillon | Frederica von Stade, Nicolai Gedda, Ruth Welting, Jane Berbié, Jules Bastin |
Julius Rudel Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Sony Cat: |
| 1979 | Puccini: Le Villi | Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Leo Nucci, et al. |
Lorin Maazel National Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: CBS Cat: 36669 Cat: 76890 |
| 1979 | Rossini: William Tell | Sherrill Milnes, Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, et al. |
Riccardo Chailly National Philharmonic Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Decca Cat: 4757723 |
| 1980 | Puccini: Tosca | Plácido Domingo, Renato Bruson, Renato Capecchi, et al. |
James Levine (Studio) Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD: Angel Cat: 49364 EMI Cat: 49364-2 |
| 1982 | Puccini: La rondine | Plácido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leo Nucci, et al. |
Lorin Maazel London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Chorus |
Audio CD: CBS Cat: M2K-37852 |
| 1985 | Verdi: La forza del destino | Rosalind Plowright, José Carreras, Renato Bruson, et al. |
Giuseppe Sinopoli, Philharmonia Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus |
Audio CD:Deutsche Grammophon Cat: |
Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company.
References
External links
- Bach-Cantatas.com page on the Ambrosian Singers
- Joseph Stevenson, "Ambrosian Singers". Classical Artist Biographies. All Media Guide, 2008.
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