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The Sunday Opera: An Edward German Double - "Merrie England" and "Tom Jones"

We’ll be celebrating two works of Edward German (German Edward Jones) on this week’s Sunday Opera (12/16 3:00 p.m.) with his operas “Merrie England” and “Tom Jones.”  Basil Hood wrote the libretto for the patriotic romance “Merrie England” featuring a romantic rivalry centering around Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh who was in love with Bessie Throckmorton, one of the queen’s ladies in waiting.  The cast features William McAlpine, June Bronhill, Monica Sinclair, and Peter Glossop.  

“Tom Jones,” based on the novel by Henry Fielding, has a libretto by Robert Courtneidge and Alexander M. Thompson and lyrics by Charles H. Taylor.  The romance of the foundling Tom for Sophia, the daughter of a local squire, is told through his many adventures that are far less bawdy than Fielding’s original.  The cast for “Tom Jones” features Marianne Hellgren Staykov, Richard Morrison, Heather Shipp, Donald Maxwell, Simon Butteriss, and Richard Suart.  Join host Michael Kownacky for an afternoon of charming music from an often overlooked British master.

Michael is program host and host of the WWFM Sunday Opera, Sundays at 3 pm, and co-host of The Dress Circle, Sundays at 7 pm.