John Gay: The Beggar's Opera

Soloists:

Roger Daltrey (Macheath), Stratford Johns (Peachum), Patricia Routledge (Mrs. Peachum), Carol Hall (Polly Peachum), Rosemary Ashe (Lucy Lockit)

Orchestra, choir:

English Baroque Soloists

Conductor:

Sir John Eliot Gardiner

John Gay (1685–1732), a friendly poet and playwright with a gift for satire, got the idea for The Beggar’s Opera from his friend, the satirist Jonathan Swift, who had mentioned to him that “the life of a shepherd in Newgate might be a nice subject.” The play was staged by actor-manager John Rich (who brought pantomime to England) and was a success beyond all expectations, making, as it was said, “Gay rich and Rich merry.” In general, ballad opera, set in London’s criminal circles and full of satirical jibes at the corruption of the upper classes, was more to the taste of the English in the 1720s than Handel’s heroic operas. Created especially for television, The Beggar's Opera captures the quality and satirical tone of Hogarth's engravings, which influenced Gay's original version. The characters in this lively comedy, who represent London's underworld, live by theft, debauchery, and deceit: Peachum (Streatford Johns), a buyer of stolen goods, informs on his customers when it suits him; Macheath, a highwayman, is married to Polly Peachum (Carol Hall) but has promised to marry Lucy Lockit (Rosemary Ashe). Lucy tries to poison her rival Polly; Peachum and Lock can both benefit from Macheath's death, so he is taken to the gallows for his debauchery. Lust, greed, and corruption are abundant in this lively and popular work. The music for this production has been adapted from the original 18th-century folk songs (selected by Johann Christoph Pepusch) by Baroque specialists Jeremy Barlow and John Eliot Gardiner, who conducts The English Baroque Soloists, playing on authentic period instruments. Roger Daltrey, singer with The Who and star of the films Tommy, McVicar and Lisztomania, leads a distinguished cast as the villainous hero Macheath.