Shining Knight: Stuart Skelton’s Debut Album On ABC Classics

Stuart Skelton, one of the world’s leading tenors and Wagnerians releases his debut solo recording Shining Knight on ABC Classics, available from July 20, 2018.

Performing with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Asher Fisch, Shining Knight features arias from many of the roles that have become synonymous with Stuart Skelton – Parsifal, Lohengrin, Siegmund – as well as Lieder and other songs from beyond the operatic repertoire.

Stuart Skelton has long been acclaimed as one of the greatest heldentenors of his generation, at the peak of his powers, receiving extraordinary reviews for his performances in some of opera’s most demanding roles. Coupled with his outstanding musicianship and interpretive abilities, Skelton has performed all over the world, from the Sydney Opera House to New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the English National Opera, the Royal Opera Covent Garden and Milan’s La Scala.

The disc begins with one of Wagner’s earliest works, Rienzi, and traces the composer’s development as he invents a new musical language in his Ring cycle, his great operas Parsifal and Tristan und Isolde, and then to the Wesendonck Lieder that foreshadows so much of his later work. Skelton then turns to America, and two composers from the generation inspired by Wagner: Charles Griffes and Samuel Barber.

Shortly after the CD release, Stuart Skelton will be singing in three Australian capital cities, details below.

The tracks:

RICHARD WAGNER: Rienzi:Allmächt’ger Vater, blick herab (Almighty Father, look down)/ Lohengrin: In fernem Land, unnahbar euren Schritten (In a far land, where your steps cannot reach)/ Die Walküre: Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond (Winter’s storms yield to the joyful moon)/ Parsifal: Amfortas! Die Wunde! Die Wunde! (Amfortas! The Wound! The Wound!) /Nur eine Waffe taugt
(One weapon alone will serve)/ Wesendonck Lieder: I. Der Engel (The Angel)/ II. Stehe still! (Be still!)/ III. Im Treibhaus (In the Greenhouse)/ IV. Schmerzen (Sorrows)/ V.Träume (Dreams)

CHARLES GRIFFES
Three Poems of Fiona MacLeod: I. The Lament of Ian the Proud/ II. Thy Dark Eyes to Mine/ III. The Rose of the Night

SAMUEL BARBER
Sure on this Shining Night

AUSTRALIAN TOURING DATES:

SOLO RECITAL: MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE/ 3 AUGUST

TRISTAN UND ISOLDE: WEST AUSTRALIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA/ 16 & 19 AUGUST

PETER GRIMES: BRISBANE FESTIVAL/ 20 & 22 SEPTEMBER

Album available 20 July 2018 | 1CD + Digital album | ABC 481 7219