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for what purpose. He is mocked by invisible spirits of the woods, who recognise him as an outcast, feared even by the gods themselves. He ripostes that he is the instrument of powers beyond even the gods, and bids the voices be silent. A woman's voice is heard and Etain enters the clearing, looking bewildered and singing about the wonderful place she came from, where death is only a "drifting shadow" and where the Faery folk - the Shee - hold court. She resolves to return but is waylaid by Dalua. As he touches her with a shadow she forgets all of where she came from barring her name. Dalua realises that the reason for their meeting is now clear to him; a mortal king has sought immortal love and is led towards them under similar compulsion to theirs. He bids Etain to go and awaits the king. Eochaidh, who is High King of Eiré, enters and is welcomed by Dalua. Dalua shows him visions of the legendary Fount of Beauty which the king has pursued in dreams. Spirit voices warn
Eochaidh to return to his people, but by then he is under Dalua's spell and follows him blindly into the wood.
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frightening. He begs her not to go but she insists. As soon as she has retired to her room, a stranger appears at the door - Midir, Etain's immortal lover, disguised as a harpist. He is welcomed warily by
Eochaidh, who is upset when the stranger will not give his name. Midir asks a favour of the king and Eochaidh assents. He is unhappy when he learns it is to kiss the queen's hand and serenade her with a song, but his word was given so Etain is roused. Midir sings the Faery song heard at the end of Act I. Etain, awakened to her immortal origins, leaves with Midir to the sounds of a Faery chorus. Only the heartbroken king remains, and as he begs for his dreams back, Dalua steps in and touches him soundlessly. He collapses, dead.
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naming. When
Eochaidh appears and asks for shelter, they are terrified, especially as he has been out in the storm but is not even damp! He assures them he is mortal just like them, but then sees Etain and forgets everything else. Etain and Eochaidh sing a love duet, interrupted by a mocking laugh from outside. Etain tells him it was an owl. As they sit together, the faint voices of the Faeries can be heard singing.
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In a hut, the peasant Manus and his wife Maive sit with Etain, who is sheltering from a stormy night. A stranger - Dalua - has given them gold for Etain's accommodation and for their silence. They are nervous not just from the storm but from fear of the Faery folk, whom they avoid talking of or even
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Dalua, the Lord of Shadow, is seen in a dark and mysterious wood. He is known as the Amadan-Dhu, the Faery Fool, the Dark One, and is an agent of unseen and fateful powers, whose touch brings madness and death to mortals. He has come there under some compulsion, following visions, but does not know
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and nature spirits play important roles in the storyline. The fairy people are not mischievous, childlike sprites, but are proud and powerful: immortal demigods who are feared by mortals and who can (and do) interfere with the lives of men and women. Alternatively, the progression of Etain into the
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and warriors sing and raise toasts to the royal couple. In the middle of this, Etain announces that she is weary and has been troubled by strange dreams. She bids them goodnight. Eochaidh admits that he too has had unsettling dreams, in which he saw the
Faeries marching, beautiful, powerful and
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was engaged by
Boughton to stage dances and choruses for the Glastonbury Festival, some of which he incorporated into this opera. It was first performed with orchestra (as against piano) at the Winter Gardens 7-9 January 1915.
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in London in 1953. The first recording of the complete work, sponsored by The
Rutland Boughton Trust, took place in 1983 and was released the following year by Hyperion Records (CDD22040) on CD and as a boxed vinyl set.
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A year has passed in
Eochaidh's court, and he has called a celebration for the anniversary of his winning of Etain. Choruses of
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said "I remember vividly how
Boughton made his characters live, and the masterly effect of the choral writing". The same year,
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documentary "Can't get you out of my head", with the fifth episode named "The lordly ones", from a line in the song.
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for 216 consecutive performances in 1922, and for a further 160 performances the following year, and was staged in
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which
Boughton co-founded. Boughton himself sang Dalua, replacing a singer who had fallen sick. In 1921,
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The song "How beautiful they are" appears first in a chorus by unseen spirits, then is reprised by
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In this work, completed in
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Fiona Macleod's introduction to the play The Immortal Hour
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enchants me. The whole thing gripped me". In 1924, Sir
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origins of the tale, which is based on the Irish story
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the faery princess who is eternally fair and youthful
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678:Banfield, Stephen (1992), 'Immortal Hour, The' in
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527:Banfield, Stephen (1992), 'Immortal Hour, The' in
242:opined that "In any other country, such a work as
146:approaches to musical themes and symbolism with a
516:Rutland Boughton and the Glastonbury Festivals
246:would have been in the repertoire years ago".
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231:described the opera as "a work of genius".
80:. Boughton adapted his own libretto from
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627:*Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992),
565:*Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992),
695:Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992),
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183:on 26 August 1914, at the inaugural
671:. L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia
106:, with a mood and theme similar to
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586:R. J. Barman (12 October 1993).
600:from the original on 2022-06-18
697:The Oxford Dictionary of Opera
629:The Oxford Dictionary of Opera
567:The Oxford Dictionary of Opera
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685:, ed. Stanley Sadie (London)
682:New Grove Dictionary of Opera
534:, ed. Stanley Sadie (London)
531:New Grove Dictionary of Opera
263:Premiere Cast, 26 August 1914
589:"Obituary: Penelope Spencer"
466:The song is featured in the
650:. Retrieved 9 December 2015
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720:Operas by Rutland Boughton
663:Casaglia, Gherardo (2005).
555:, Hyperion CD 22040 (1983)
158:itself, reflective of the
82:the play of the same name
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551:Hurd, Michael. Notes to
480:The Immortal Hour (play)
443:"How beautiful they are"
47:26 August 1914
730:English-language operas
648:Museum of Music History
179:was first performed in
240:Ralph Vaughan Williams
234:Speaking in 1949, Sir
208:Sadler's Wells Theatre
206:It was revived at the
337:Etain's eternal lover
267:Charles Kennedy Scott
185:Glastonbury Festival
84:by Fiona MacLeod, a
76:by English composer
58:Glastonbury Festival
172:Performance history
618:Hurd (1993), p.79.
401:Arthur Trowbridge
316:the Lord of Shadow
667:The Immortal Hour
553:The Immortal Hour
459:accompanied by a
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265:(Conductor:
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735:1914 operas
468:Adam Curtis
434:, maidens,
260:Voice type
221:Ethel Smyth
181:Glastonbury
104:fairy opera
714:Categories
486:References
100:fairy tale
88:of writer
51:1914-08-26
35:Librettist
353:a peasant
215:Reception
203:in 1926.
144:Wagnerian
86:pseudonym
598:Archived
474:See also
408:Synopsis
284:baritone
275:Eochaidh
137:Eurydice
43:Premiere
38:Boughton
658:Sources
604:4 March
365:Maive,
351:Manus,
314:Dalua,
305:soprano
133:Orpheus
113:Rusalka
72:is an
49: (
725:Operas
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635:
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518:, p.65
432:druids
197:London
160:Celtic
150:-like
118:Mozart
108:Dvořák
491:Notes
449:Midir
436:bards
426:Act 2
413:Act 1
398:bass
357:bass
342:tenor
333:Midir
296:Etain
257:Role
250:Roles
219:Dame
156:music
152:modal
128:Magic
98:is a
74:opera
25:Opera
701:ISBN
687:ISBN
680:The
633:ISBN
606:2014
571:ISBN
536:ISBN
529:The
461:harp
457:aria
394:bard
392:Old
321:bass
148:folk
135:and
116:and
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120:'s
110:'s
102:or
27:by
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