Carousel Sinfonia of London & John Wilson

• Richard Rodgers (1902 - 1979): Carousel, Act I:
• 1 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Carousel Waltz 06:52
• 2 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Change of Scene 00:28
• 3 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Opening, Scene 2 00:39
• 4 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Mister Snow 05:24
• 5 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: If I Loved You 11:29
• 6 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Opening, Scene 3 00:35
• 7 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: June Is Bustin' Out All Over 05:22
• 8 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: June Is Bustin' Out All Over (Encore) 00:33
• 9 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Girl's Dance. June Is Bustin' Out All Over! 02:22
• 10 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Julie's Entrance 00:18
• 11 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Mister Snow (Reprise) 02:43
• 12 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: When the Children Are Asleep 05:24
• 13 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Blow High, Blow Low 02:35
• 14 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Hornpipe 04:39
• 15 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Hornpipe Exit 00:15
• 16 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Soliloquy 08:19
• 17 Rodgers: Carousel, Act I: Finale 02:24
• Carousel, Act II:
• 18 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Entr'acte 04:47
• 19 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Opening Act II 00:28
• 20 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: A Real Nice Clambake 03:45
• 21 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Geraniums in the Winder - Stonecutters Cut It on Stone 04:22
• 22 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: What's the Use of Wond'rin'? 03:42
• 23 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Change of Scene 00:35
• 24 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: You'll Never Walk Alone 02:22
• 25 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Incidental (Entrance of Heavenly Friends) 02:03
• 26 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: The Highest Judge of All 01:41
• 27 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Exit of Billy and Heavenly Friends 00:37
• 28 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Ballet 12:06
• 29 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Music Under Scene (My Little Girl) 01:30
• 30 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Carrie's Incidental 00:20
• 31 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Porch Scene. If I Loved You (Reprise) 05:04
• 32 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Finale Ultimo. You'll Never Walk Alone (Reprise) 01:50
• 33 Rodgers: Carousel, Act II: Exit Music (If I Loved You) 01:31
• Total Runtime 01:47:04

Info for Carousel

John Wilson conducts an all-star cast for the second album in Sinfonia of London’s series of world-premier complete recordings of hit musicals. Every note of music played at the first Broadway performance is recorded here in the full thirty-five piece orchestration made by Don Walker for the original production.

An outstanding cast, led by Nathaniel Hackmann (Billy Bigelow), Mikaela Bennett (Julie Jordan), Sierra Boggess (Carrie Pipperidge), and Julian Ovenden (Enoch Snow), also features Francesca Chiejina (Nettie Fowler) and David Seadon-Young (Jigger Craigin). The extensive chorus material is sung by the ‘Carousel’ Ensemble – twentyfour young singers all currently working on stage across London’s West End.

John Wilson comments: ‘Carousel is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s greatest achievement. In it, Rodgers manages to create a score with operatic aspirations and dimensions. Everything in the score serves a dramatic purpose. Even in its texture you can hear orchestral effects that are there to underline the drama’s emotions, whether that’s unease or joy. The drama is amplified by what’s happening in the music.’

Nathaniel Hackmann, tenor
Julian Ovenden, tenor
Sierra Boggess, soprano
Mikaela Bennett, soprano
Francesca Chiejina, soprano
David Seadon-Young, baritone
Carousel Ensemble
Sinfonia of London
John Wilson, conductor

The Sinfonia of London
is the name of two distinct session orchestras based in London, England. The original ensemble of this name was founded in 1955 by Gordon Walker, an eminent flautist of his time, specifically for the recording of film music. The orchestra appeared on the musical credits of many British and American films of the 1950s and 60s.

Among the original ensemble’s most celebrated commercial classical recordings is its 1963 recordings with Sir John Barbirolli conducting the Serenade for Strings of Edward Elgar and the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis of Ralph Vaughan Williams for EMI Classics and the 1958 soundtrack album from the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Vertigo with Bernard Herrmann’s score conducted by Muir Mathieson (Mercury Records). The label World Record Club released an Lp (WRC T 11) of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and the Egmont Overture with Hans Swarowsky conducting the ensemble. The original orchestra ceased to perform during the 1960s.

In 1982 the title Sinfonia of London was bought by Peter Willison and Howard Blake from the Walker family for the purpose of having a named orchestra for the first recording of The Snowman. In February 1998, Bruce Broughton was named the orchestra’s second musical director after Blake. Under Peter Willison’s management, the orchestra went on to record many soundtracks for major Hollywood films, including Batman, The Mummy Returns, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Lost in Space, The Lawnmower Man, Stargate, Tombstone, RoboCop and Young Sherlock Holmes.

John Wilson
is in demand at the highest level across the globe, working with some of the finest orchestras and opera houses. In the UK, he performs regularly at festivals such as Aldeburgh, Glyndebourne and the BBC Proms with orchestras such as London Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony and City of Birmingham Symphony. Elsewhere, he has conducted the Royal Concertgebouw, Budapest Festival, Swedish Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic and Sydney Symphony orchestras amongst others. In the 2019/20 season, Wilson makes his debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Danish National Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Basel Symphony orchestras and his return engagements include DSO Berlin, BBC Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestra

Wilson made his opera debut in 2016 conducting Madama Butterfly at Glyndebourne Festival Opera on their autumn tour and has since conducted Porgy and Bess at English National Opera and returned to Glyndebourne Summer Festival to conduct Massent Cendrillon. He will be making his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, in a future season.

Wilson has a large and varied discography which includes a series of discs with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra exploring the works of Richard Rodney Bennett, with the BBC Philharmonic devoted to the symphonic works of Aaron Copland and numerous recordings with the John Wilson Orchestra. In 2019 Chandos released Wilson’s first recording with the Sinfonia of London which features Korngold’s Symphony in F Sharp.

Born in Gateshead, Wilson studied composition and conducting at the Royal College of Music, where in 2011 he was made a Fellow. In 1994, he formed his own orchestra, the John Wilson Orchestra, dedicated to performing music from the golden age of Hollywood and Broadway, and with whom he has appeared regularly across the UK. In March 2019, John Wilson was awarded the prestigious ISM Distinguished Musician Award for his services to music.

Booklet for Carousel