Mascagni - Iris (Yoncheva, Carè, Hindoyan) (320kbps .mp3)

Katie Derham presents a rare performance of Mascagni's Iris from the Montpellier Festival. Set in ancient Japan, the story concerns the innocent Iris, daughter of a blind old man, who is kidnapped by the young lord Osaka with the help of the brothel-keeper Kyoto. When Iris refuses Osaka's advances, he leaves her at the mercy of Kyoto. Her father discovers her situation and she's overwhelmed by shame, throwing herself into an abyss. With a score including a hymn to the sun and an octopus aria, Sonya Yoncheva leads a cast which is conducted by Domingo Hindoyan.

Cast:

Iris....Sonya Yoncheva (soprano)
Osaka....Andrea Carè (tenor)
Il Cieco....Nikolay Didenko (bass)
Kyoto.....Gabriele Vivani, (baritone)
Il Cenciaiulo....Marin Yonchev (tenor)

Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon National Chorus and Orchestra
Domingo Hindoyan (conductor)

Presenter/Katie Derham
Producer/Ellie Mant

Broadcast: September 2016, BBC Radio 3