WILLIAM VINCENT WALLACE (1812-1865): Maritana.

Description: As the orignal Gramophone review (Aug. 1997) put it, this 1848 work was "one of the first musicals" due to the way in which Wallace injected popular ballads into his otherwise Donizettian style, which could be flogged endlessly to the public in various arrangements for years on end. If you missed this the first time, its budget-priced reissue comes at a good time as many other Romantic English operas seem to be flowing into the marketplace recently. 2 CDs. Libretto available on-line. Majella Cullagh (soprano), Lynda Lee (mezzo), Paul Charles Clarke (tenor), Ian Caddy (baritone), RTÉ Concert Orchestra; Proinnsías Ó Duinn. Original 1996 Marco Polo release.