G. Herbert Rodwell - Jack Sheppard: A Victorian Melodrama (2023)

Jack Sheppard of 1839 was one of the most successful examples of the Victorian melodrama. This pioneering recording, adapted for chamber forces, includes some of the greatest musical hits of the early Victorian period. The real Jack Sheppard (1702-1724) was one of London's most celebrated villains, and this is a dramatic story of crime and punishment.

We recorded G. Herbert Rodwell’s Jack Sheppard at the Richard Burnett Heritage Collection, Royal Tunbridge Wells, in January 2023, using their 1866 Erard grand piano to add period flavour. This was our first attempt at reviving a melodrama – a sensational musical play, punctuated with songs and dramatic bursts of instrumental music – and, we believe, the first ever professional recording of a nineteenth-century melodrama. This was a sensationally popular genre of entertainment in Rodwell’s day: one that competed with, emulated and influenced opera, often being presented in the same theatres. Composers of English opera like Rodwell often composed scores for melodramas too; the line between these two protean varieties of musical theatre was fascinatingly porous.

Jack Sheppard includes some of the greatest musical hits of the early Victorian period, and we judged it particularly suited to the limitations of an audio recording, for it features many intense scenes between just two speakers, vividly brought to life by our multitalented cast. We thus invite you to experience the excitement, energy, sentiment and memorable melodies of Victorian melodrama at its compelling best!