Sullivan: Pirates of Penzance; H. M. S. Pinafore

1. H. M. S. Pinafore (The Lass that Loved a Sailor), operetta
   Composed by Arthur Sullivan
   Performed by London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra
   with Darrell Fancourt, Henry A. Lytton, Bertha Lewis, Charles Goulding, Sydney Granville, Elsie Griffin, Stuart Robertson, Nellie Briercliffe, George Baker
   Conducted by Malcolm Sargent
   
   
2. The Pirates of Penzance, operetta
   Composed by Arthur Sullivan
   Performed by Light Opera Orchestra & Chorus
   with Leo Sheffield, Dorothy Gill, Peter Dawson, Derek Oldham, Nellie Walker, Elsie Griffin, Nellie Briercliffe, Stuart Robertson, George Baker
   Conducted by Malcolm Sargent
   
   

Sullivan: Pirates of Penzance; H. M. S. Pinafore,Darrell Fancourt,George Baker,Henry A. Lytton,Leo Sheffield,Peter Dawson,Stuart Robertson,Sydney Granville,Arthur Sullivan,Malcolm Sargent,Nellie Briercliffe,Nellie Walker,Light Opera Orchestra & Chorus,London Symphony Chorus,London Symphony Orchestra,Elsie Griffin,Charles Goulding,Derek Oldham,Romophone,British Operetta,Classical,Classical Music,Opera

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Average customer rating: The Best Of Gilbert And Sullivan Pure delight Delicious G&S samplings abound here. Fine Intro to G&S

Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury Nicholas Folwell , Arthur Sullivan , Marie McLaughlin , Rebecca Evans , Anthony Rolfe Johnson , John Mark Ainsley , Alwyn Mellor , Anne Howells , Barry Banks , Eric Garrett , Felicity Palmer , Gareth Rhys Davies , Janice Watson , Julie Gossage , Neill Archer , Pamela Helen Stephen , Peter Savidge , Richard Stuart , Richard Suart , Richard Van Allan , Sir Thomas Allen [baritone] , Sir Charles Mackerras , and Welsh National Opera Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Allen, Thomas | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan The Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures ASIN: B000003D1Y Release Date: 1996-01-23

Tracks:

1. A Wandering Minstrel I
2. Behold The Lord High Executioner!
3. Three Little Maids From School Are We
4. Braid The Raven Hair
5. The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring
6. On A Tree By A River, A Little Tom-tit Sang, 'Willow, Tit-willow'
7. For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum
8. We Sail The Ocean Blue
9. I'm Called Little Buttercup
10. My Gallant Crew
11. When I Was A Lad
12. Things Are Seldom What They Seem
13. Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
14. Climbing Over Rocky Mountain
15. Poor Wand'ring One
16. How Beautifully Blue The Sky
17. I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
18. When The Foeman Bares His Steel
19. Ah, Leave Me Not To Pine
20. With Cat-Like Tread
21. Is Life A Boon?
22. I Have A Song To Sing, O!
23. Were I Thy Bride
24. Oh, A Private Buffoon Is A Light-Hearted Loon
25. When A Wooer Goes A-Wooing
26. When I, Good Friends, Was Called To The Bar
27. A Nice Dilemma We Have Here
28. Oh, Joy Unbounded

Customer Reviews:

The Best Of Gilbert And Sullivan.......2004-03-15

At the end of the 19th century (1870's, 80's and 90's) the compatible duo of librettist and composer Gilbert and Sullivan popularized the pre-Broadway entertainment of Savoy opera. These were light operas or operettas whose content was satire and comedy, full of bouncy melodies and beautiful singing, highly entertaining theatrical works staged at London's Savoy theatre. Gilbert and Sullivan did not always get along and in fact there was a time when they ended their professional relationship because personal conflicts surfaced. But they managed to create the world's most beloved light operas, over 40 of them. Their most famous are what I call the Big Three- The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates Of Penzance and The Mikado. Other works include their first hit Trial By Jury, The Yeomen Of The Guard, Princess Ida, The Gondoliers, Patience and several others. A standard signature of Gilbert and Sullivan was in the colorful cast- a comic actor with a special kind of baritone voice, a canary-like and sweet-voiced coloratura or lyric diva, a mezzo soprano with strong chest register and a lyric tenor as the romantic hero. On this album, English conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, a popular figure in the classical music scene and opera, guides the Chorus and Orchestra Of the Welsh National Opera in generally well-delivered performances of excerpts from the operas The Mikado, The H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates Of Penzance, Yeomen Of The Guard and Trial By Jury. Although I feel that the recordings made by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with Isodore Godfrey conducting and starring the best cast of the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire- the singers of the 60's and 70's- tenor Phillip Potter, soprano Valerie Masterson, baritone John Reed, Donald Adams and mezzo soprano Christine Palmer. Their version of the Pirates Of Penzance and the Mikado far outshine the Welsh National Opera in technical mastery and vibrant tone color.

But these are fine excerpts. Especially appealing is the famous and cheerful "Three Little Maids From School Are We", a trio that imitates Japanese style melody. Most of the Mikado does this, for it was inspired by Japanisme or the new fashion in Victorian England- everything Japanese, from prints to paintings to poetry. Gilbert and Sullivan simply "Japanized" their English operettas. The Finale "For He's Gone To Marry Yum Yum" is an ebullient and pleasant finale. Not featured here is the domineering and powerful Katisha, a figure who stands out in the Mikado.

The H.M.S. Pinafore is Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular work. The sea chanty "We Sail The Ocean Blue" opens the opera with appropriate atmosphere and it seems to fit perfectly with the other scene in which the Captain greets his crew and they sing his praises "My Gallant Crew..I am the Captain Of The Pinafore". A beautiful melody that seems to come out of a romantic Offenbach tune is "I"m Called Little Buttercup". The finale, not featured here, is also very engaging "For He Is An Englishman" which can almost resemble a British national anthem. The Yeomen Of The Guard was Gilbert and Sullivan's "serious opera" eventhough it remains very Savoyard. The plot deals with Tudor England and takes place at the London Tower. "I have a song to sing" makes use of what can be taken for an English ballad of the Renaissance. Trial By Jury, about the eccentric and hilarious activity of a court trial, has a sextet that although different in composition, has the sextet "Che Mi Frena" from Donizetti's Lucia Di Lammermoor in mind. All in all, an excellent recording sure to delight young and old.

Pure delight.......2003-08-02

--Gilbert & Sullivan--
William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were a match made in heaven, yet on earth their pairing seems even with hindsight a most unlikely coupling. Both were destined for other things, Gilbert in fact for decidedly non-musical careers. Introduced by a mutual friend, Fred Clay, the fledgling lyricist Gilbert met the military-band-leader's son Sullivan and together continued to conspire to inspire the delights of audiences from high Victorian times down to the present, as their work in musical theatre comedy continues to provide merriment throughout the English-speaking world and beyond.

--The Music--
This collection includes highlights from five of the most popular Gilbert & Sullivan operettas: The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Yeoman of the Guard, and Trial by Jury. The arrangements and orchestrations are delightfully energetic and clear; the characterisation and vocal qualities of the leads are perfect for their roles. The haughty if misplaced Lord of the Admiralty has the perfect combination of insecurity and pompous officiousness. The Plaintiff and the Defendant in the Trial are perfectly cast. This is a collection of highlights - at least three but no more than seven songs each, but this gives a good flavour of the music. The recordings on this collection come from complete performances by Mackerras and the WNO.

--Sir Charles Mackerras--
Mackerras is one of the geniuses of the twentieth century musical scene. Having a conducting career that includes the Hamburg Opera, the English National Opera (formerly Sadlers Wells Opera), and the Welsh National Opera (the performers for this piece), he has also conducted major orchestras on the continent of Europe and in the United States. The holder of many major awards and honourary doctorates, he has devoted much time and energy to the preservation and performance of eighteenth and nineteenth century music, as well the restoration of historical musical venues, such as the Estates Theatre in Prague, scene of the original production of Don Giovanni (Mackerras conducted the opera there to commemorate the bicentenary of the death of Mozart).

--Welsh National Opera Orchestra and Chorus--
The seeds of the WNO were planted in Cardiff during World War II by music lovers; the first performances occurred a year after the war's end, with Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci on the bill, with Faust the next night. Popular appeal was so great that the WNO was established, later adding choruses in both Cardiff and Swansea. The professional chorus was established in 1973, with a strength that matches the orchestra. They continue an ambitious performance schedule for recording and live events; Mackerras remains the Conductor Emeritus, as the WNO continues under the direction of Carlo Rizzi. The list of awards the WNO has won over the years is staggering - they are a world class institution by any measure.

--Other performers--
Notable singers such as Richard Stuart, Rebecca Evans, Felicity Palmer, John Mark Ainsley and Anne Howells lead the chorus with stunning vocals and clever characterisations of the parts they play. Many (such as Stuart and Evans) play the leading roles across several of the pieces of the disc.

--Liner Notes--
The liner notes give a good introduction and biographical information about Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as synopses of the five pieces presented here. It does not, unfortunately, include any information about Mackerras, the WNO Orchestra and Chorus, or the other special performers. It also does not include the lyrics to the songs. Were the quality of the CD not so great, this might cost it a star in rating.

--Overall Impressions--
I play this CD in my car, in my home and in my office frequently. It is a great sing-along work and a great comedic relief from the stresses of the day. The music is bubbly and clear; the recording quality is excellent and crisp. I recommend this to any Gilbert & Sullivan lover, any fan of musical comedy, opera and operettas, and anyone who delights in good music.

Delicious G&S samplings abound here........2003-05-06

The first thing I should be saying is "What an infectuous G&S CD." Indeed this is, with this fine sampling of the peppy and bright Mackerras series. I know I have praised its "Mercedes-Benz quality" elsewhere on these pages, but that doesn't stop me from saying that everyone is in fine voice. This generously filled CD may only focus on five operas, but at least you can savour a reasonable choice sampling of delights from each one. Of particular interest is Richard Suart's patter-baritone parts and the soaring lyric soprano of Rebecca Evans. The selection on this disc is filled with a mixture of familiar favourites and lesser-known gems such as the female choruses in Mikado and Pirates. Mackerras is a true G&S conductor, but one who always springs rhythms crisply, and adopts peppy tempo for the fast bits. The one drawback is that this selection is far too infectuous that you'll want to shell out money to buy the full 5-CD Mackerras cycle - an incredible bargain with most of the operas fitted onto one disc each. But still, this is at least a decent G&S sampling for beginners, capped with Steven Ledbetter's copious liner notes. It will leave you wanting to say "dammit I'm going to play it again."

Fine Intro to G&S.......2000-12-30

This is the perfect CD for those who may not be familiar with G&S, or for the initiated who want a smattering but don't have the mother of all CD changers. The difficulty with any G&S Greatest Hits CD is determining which pieces to leave off; while one could easily point to any number equally good bits, it would be difficult to argue about the quality of the choices included. The only problem, such as it is, is that after listening to it I am usually induced to go back and listen to the whole opera anyway. The Mackerras recordings are uniformly excellent. I have read elsewhere the criticism that they are too 'operatic' for light opera. If by this it is meant that the singers are too good, then I leave it to the discretion of the listener when the singing becomes too good to be enjoyable.

Average customer rating: Well worth the price Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection... Where's the chicks?!?! Not quite the ultimate.... Great Music - Questionable Selection

The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection Arthur Sullivan , Isidore Godfrey , Royston Nash , New Symphony Orchestra of London , Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Colin Wright , Donald Adams , George Cook , Gillian Knight , Jean Hindmarsh , Jeffrey Skitch , John Ayldon , John Reed , Joyce Wright , Kenneth Sandford , Lyndsie Holland , Owen Brannigan , Pauline Wales , Peggy Ann Jones , Thomas Round , Valerie Masterson , and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Brannigan, Owen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Topsy-Turvy The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan ASIN: B000007OU0 Release Date: 1998-06-09

Tracks:

1. H.M.S. Pinafore: We Shall Sail The Ocean Blue
2. H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm Called Little Buttercup
3. H.M.S. Pinafore: My Galant Crew, Good Morning
4. H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm The Monarch Of The Sea
5. H.M.S. Pinafore: When I Was A Lad
6. H.M.S. Pinafore: Nevermind The Why And Wherefore
7. H.M.S. Pinafore: Kind Captain, I've Important Information
8. H.M.S. Pinafore: Carefully On Tip - Toe Stealing
9. H.M.S. Pinafore: For He Is An Englishman
10. The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major - General
11. The Pirates Of Penzance: When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
12. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat Like Tread
13. The Sorcerer: My Name Is John Wellinton Wells
14. The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
15. Patience: If You're Anxious To Shine
16. The Mikado: If You Want To Know Who We Are
17. The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
18. The Mikado: Behold The Lord High Executioner
19. The Mikado: As Someday It May Happen
20. The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
21. The Mikado: The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
22. The Mikado: Here's A How - De - Do!
23. The Mikado: From Ev'ry Kind Of Man Obedience I Expect
24. The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado Never Did In Japan Exist
25. The Mikado: The Criminal Cried As He Dropp'd Him Down
26. The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring, Tra La
27. The Mikado: On A Tree By A River A Little Tom Tit
28. The Mikado: There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast
29. The Mikado: For He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the price.......2006-04-13

I love this CD. No, despite its name it is not the "ultimate" collection, as scarcely could be expected from a single CD. It is heavy on Mikado, as others have stated. It leaves out things I would have included and includes things I would have left out. But the performances are wonderful, traditional and all you expect from G&S. Considering the low price, it is well worth including in your G&S collection ... as PART of your collection. After the disappointment of the godawful Opera World video series (Don't buy it!) this CD is a joy and a relief.

Not Exactly "The Ultimate" Collection..........2004-12-23

It seems that a collection of Gilbert & Sullivan music that has the name "The Ultimate Collection" in its title would boast a wide range of music, but I found the selection disappointing. Half of the tracks are songs from The Mikado, and the other half is divided between five... yes, FIVE other operettas. This means that the representation from each operetta is awfully scant. I would have liked to see less Mikado and more of everything else, and perhaps some highlights from the more obscure operettas (Princess Ida and The Sorcerer, namely).

In addition, while most of the music is very well performed, some of the vocalists either go a bit overboard or, at the very opposite end, seem to lack expression. For example, this Nanki-Poo (in The Mikado) seems to be overly occupied with vibrato. Katisha's voice is annoying, and The Mikado's low voice often seems to lack feeling and humor. The other idiosyncracies, like the very frightening evil laughing during "A More Humane Mikado" and hissing during "Three Little Maids" really bug me.

Then again, I'm new to Gilbert and Sullivan, and was introduced to the music through the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, which has a noticeably less operatic style, and hardly includes "stage noise"... so perhaps all this is the norm. Do listen to the tracks for yourself, though, before you purchase the CD. Personally, I find that the Topsy Turvy soundtrack, while considerably less ecompassing, is much lighthearted and easier listening.

Where's the chicks?!?!.......2003-05-15

It wouldn't be G&S if not for the ladies - so where are they? How could they leave out Mabel's aria - or Josephine's!? The only female aria included on this disc comes from Mikado, which is the least exciting (if G&S could be un-exciting) of the three! Everything else on the recording is great, but I am still quite disappointed.

Not quite the ultimate...........2002-03-25

This is a great collection, but unfortunately it doesn't have songs from all the works of G&S. Most notably, there is nothing from the "Yeoman of the Guard". I still reccommed it however as John Reed is wonderful!!

Great Music - Questionable Selection.......2002-02-05

It's an ongoing challenge to find a recording of Gilbert and Sullivan that combines premium musicality and great theatrical performance. This recording is a true gem on both fronts. My only complaint is that for a "Best of" collection, this compilation is Mikado-heavy and scarcely touches on highlights from other masterpieces, particularly The Pirates of Penzance. This would be my favorite G&S CD of all time, of only it included tracks like "When the Foeman Bares his Steel," "Poor Wand'ring One," and "Dry the Glist'ning Tear," but then again, I guess there's no real consensus as to which are Gilbert and Sullivan's best works, and there are too many to fit on one CD.

Average customer rating: Great CD's A much maligned joy! A Pinafore performance that deserves more acceptance A good Pinafore, bird, boards and brine included A fun, lighthearted, well-done musical comedy.

Phase 4 Stereo: Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore / D'Oyly Carte Opera Company Arthur Sullivan , Arthur Jackson , Thomas Lawlor , Ralph Mason , Valerie Masterson , Donald Adams , John Reed , Christene Palmer , John Ayldon , Pauline Walkes , James Walker , and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance Gilbert & Sullivan; The Mikado Gilbert & Sullivan: Iolanthe Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado HMS Pinafore: or The Lass That Loved a Sailor Vocal Score ASIN: B0000042GK Release Date: 1997-11-11

Tracks:

1. HMS Pinafore: Overture
2. HMS Pinafore - Act I: We Sail The Ocean Blue
3. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Hail, Men-O'-Wars' Men
4. HMS Pinafore - Act I: I'm Called Little Buttercup
5. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Aye, Little Buttercup - And Well Called
6. HMS Pinafore - Act I: But, Tell Me - Who's The Youth?
7. HMS Pinafore - Act I: The Nightingale Sighed
8. HMS Pinafore - Act I: A Maiden Fair To See
9. Ah, My Poor Lad, You've Climbed Too High
10. My Gallant Crew, Good Morning
11. HMS Pinafore: I Am The Captain Of The Pinafore
12. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Sir, You Are Sad!
13. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well
14. HMS Pinafore - Act I: My Child, I Grieve To See
15. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Over The Bright Blue Sea
16. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Now Give Three Cheers...I Am The Monarch Of The Sea
17. HMS Pinafore - Act I: When I Was A Lad I Served A Term
18. HMS Pinafore - Act I: You've A Remarkably Fine Crew
19. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Ah! Sir Joseph's ATrue Gentleman
20. HMS Pinafore - Act I: A British Tar Is A Soaring Soul
21. HMS Pinafore - Act I: It Is Useless - Sir Joseph's Attentions Nauseate Me
22. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Refrain, Audacious Tar
23. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Can I Survive this Overbearing?
24. HMS Pinafore - Act I: O Joy, O Rapture Unforeseen
25. HMS Pinafore - Act I: This Very Night
26. HMS Pinafore - Act I: Let's Give Three Cheers For The Sailor's Bride

Tracks:

1. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Entracte
2. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Fair Moon, To Thee I Sing
3. HMS Pinafore - Act II: How Sweetly He Carols Forth
4. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Things Are Seldom What They Seem
5. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Incomprehensible As Her Utterances Are
6. HMS Pinafore - Act II: The Hours Creep On Apace
7. HMS Pinafore - Act II: A Simple Sailor, Lowly Born
8. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Madam, It Has Been Misrepresented To Me
9. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Never Mind The Why And Wherefore
10. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Sir Joseph, I Cannot Express To You My Delight
11. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Kind Captain, I've Important Information
12. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Dick Deadeye - I ank Yoiu For Your Warning...Carefully On Tiptoe Stealing
13. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Hold! Pretty Daughter Of Mine
14. HMS Pinafore - Act II: In Uttering A Reprobation
15. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Now Tell Me, My Fine Fellow
16. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Farewell, My Own
17. HMS Pinafore - Act II: A Many Years Ago
18. HMS Pinafore - Act II: Then I Am To Understand
19. HMS Pinafore - Act II: O Joy, O Rapture Unforeseen
20. The Pirates Of Penzance: Hold, Monsters
21. The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
22. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread
23. The Pirates Of Penzance: When the Foeman Bares His Steel
24. Ruddigore: Ruddigore - There Grew a Little Flower (Dame Hannah) (Sir Roderic Murgatroyd)
25. The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
26. The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado
27. The Mikado: Three Little Maids From School Are We
28. The Mikado: On A Tree By A Willow, 'Tit Willow'
29. The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring

Customer Reviews:

Great CD's.......2005-09-20

I love the versions of "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General" and "When I Was A Lad". The lyrics were fairly easy to understand and the vocals were fun and spunky, just as Gilbert & Sullivan should be:). I have no complaints (even the price was right); all in all two great CDs.

A much maligned joy!.......2001-01-20

This recording dating from 1971 is now realised on CD with superb sound quality. The cast was probably the last great line up of the late years of the former D'Oyly Carte Company.

John Reed does appear tired and stale, this is due to the closeness of the recording making for a 'radio broadcast' effect. Thomas Lawler as Capt Corcoran (at the time husband of Pauline Wales, Cousin Hebe) is excellent. I remember seeing this cast in performance, minus Valerie Masterson, who was brought in as guest artiste for the recording. They were superb then, with particular mention of the brilliant Christene Palmer (a fantastic Katisha in The Mikado), Arthur Jackson who had a great presence on stage and was a superb Pooh-Bah, his round tones suit admirably the role of Carpenters-Mate.

Ralph Mason, as Ralph Rackstraw (pronounced as Rafe, a Victorian English idiosyncracy) made a superb attempt at all the parts he played in repertory, of particular note being Earl Tolloller in Iolanthe.

This recording is worth the purchase to recall or find for the first time the last glimpses of this much lamented troupe. Except for the weak John Ayldon, Dick Deadeye, who does not have the satanic glitter of the late Donald Adams or Darrell Fancourt, the rest are superb. A pity the newer, yet fresher company does not have the subtlety of tradition or performance quality. Ah well, lack-a-day! we can't have everything...Can we?

A Pinafore performance that deserves more acceptance.......2000-11-25

Ever since D'Oyly Carte made this wonderful recording of Pinafore in 1971, it has been given somewhat unfair critiques, including one that called it "infamous." That criticism came about because of the distorted sound on the original LP issue, but things seem to have improved with this CD reissue, allowing the performance to be heard more clearly. Nevertheless, the artistic distinction of the performance still manages to shine through brightly, and this alone can contribute to the winning appeal of its admirers.

Even despite the fact that John Reed gives a memorable performance of the Ruler of the Queen's Navee, his portrayal seems to have deteriorated a little bit. This is due to the obvious staleness of his voice (well, it was a feature of all the D'Oyly Carte recordings that were made from the 1968 Pirates onwards, so you mustn't blame him!) and his deteriorating diction. Some of the words were not pronounced clearly, as in his character's famous comical autobiographical song, and there is evidence of sloppiness of hte notes in places. The other major drawback is John Ayldon's Deadeye. Like all D'Oyly Carte recordings to which he contributed, this one was ruined by the unpleasant gruffness of his voice. His portrayal seems not to match Donald Adams on every level. However, for the rest of the cast, there is much to please the ear. Thomas Lawlor makes as first-class a Captain as Jeffrey Stitch, Gordon Sandison or Thomas Allen, but even though he has a slightly heavy and dark-timbred voice, he nevertheless manages to remove it from this recording. He is certainly better suited to this role than to Deadeye, the role he played on the New Sadler's Wells recording. Ralph Mason makes a heady-toned Rackstraw, and he certainly is a joy to hear on record, determined to win the hand of Josephine, who is memorably characterised by the best G&S prima donna, Valerie Masterson. She sings with a full-blooded mature soprano voice with which she gives a melancholy air to her opening ballad and blood to her grand operatic scene. She is certainly better than Jean Hindmarsh, if only by a small margin, even though the twitter in the latter's voice does not hurt at all. And lastly, I would like to highlight the underrated Christene Palmer's fruity portrayal of Little Buttercup, which is on par with Gillian Knight and Felicity Palmer. The rest of the cast is splendid, the choral singing as well-disciplined as the orchestra, and James Walker paces the tempi nicely, with some small quibbles that don't matter a lot. The recording has transferred well to CD, and the sound effects kept to a minimum, to help give a sense of atmosphere. The dry recording is also characteristic of all D'Oyly Carte recordings made from their 1968 Pirates onwards. The major complaint is the Spectacular fill-ups which don't seem to fit in with Pinafore, as they are too improperly chosen and the tempi too slow. If the CD ends with The flowers that bloom in the spring, it does not give a definite sense of an ending.

Overall, I would safely say that while this is not necessarily a first-choice, its artistic merits shine through compellingly to make it be one. Let me advise you to ignore the Spectacular items by programming them out. Anyone who wants a standard D'Oyly Carte performance will be well pleased with this.

A good Pinafore, bird, boards and brine included.......1998-09-30

This CD release of an early 70s recording has been given something of a reprieve from the original branding of it as "the most infamous Pinafore". The added sound effects of seagull, creaking timbers and the sea sloshing against the ship's sides seems mostly to have been forgiven. These aural props are only present between songs and when present provide a pleasant theatrical quality to the recording. D'Oyly Carte is in good form here and the close microphone Phase 4 recording makes audibility excellent - something Gilbert would have appreciated if the Savoy had offered anything as good.

A fun, lighthearted, well-done musical comedy........1998-09-24

This recording of Pinafore is well done. The listener can really get a sense of the enjoyment the singers experience in this show. It brought back pleasant memories of my own cast experience.

Average customer rating: Not the best sung but among the best in characterization

Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan Manufacturer: Avid Records UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Sorcerer The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan The Authentic Gilbert & Sullivan Songbook The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Reed, Adams, Potter, Masterson, Godfrey, D'Oyly Carte Opera Company ASIN: B0001E5U8C Release Date: 2004-04-20

Tracks:

1. HMS Pianfore: Overture
2. HMS Pinafore, Act One: We Sail the Ocean Blue
3. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Hail, Men O' War's Men
4. HMS Pinafore, Act One: I'm Called Little Buttercup
5. HMS Pinafore, Act One: But Tell Me, Who's the Youth
6. HMS Pinafore, Act One: The Nightingale Sighed for the Moon's ...
7. HMS Pinafore, Act One: A Maiden Fair to See
8. HMS Pinafore, Act One: My Gallant Crew, Good Morning
9. HMS Pinafore, Act One: I Am the Captain of the Pianfore
10. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Sir, You Are Sad
11. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well
12. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Over the Bright Blue Sea
13. HMS Pinafore, Act One: I Am the Monarch of the Sea
14. HMS Pinafore, Act One: When I Was a Lad I Served a Term
15. HMS Pinafore, Act One: A British Tar Is a Soaring Soul
16. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Refrain, Audacious Tar
17. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Can I Survive This Overbearing?
18. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Oh Joy, Oh Rapture Unforeseen
19. HMS Pinafore, Act One: This Very Night
20. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Let's Give Three Cheers
21. HMS Pinafore, Act One: Entr'acte
22. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Fair Moon to Thee I Sing
23. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Things Are Seldom What They Seem
24. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: The Hours Creep on Apace
25. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Never Mind the Why and Wherefore
26. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Kind Captain, I've Important Information
27. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Carefully on Tiptoe Stealing
28. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Pretty Daughter of Mine
29. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: He Is an Englishman
30. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: In Uttering a Reprobation
31. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Farewell My Own
32. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: A Many Years Ago
33. HMS Pinafore, Act Two: Oh Joy, Oh Rapture Unforeseen

Tracks:

1. Ruddigore: Overture
2. Ruddigore, Act One: Fair Is Rose as Bright May Day
3. Ruddigore, Act One: Sir Rupert Murgatroyd
4. Ruddigore, Act One: If Somebody There Chacned to Be
5. Ruddigore, Act One: I Know a Youth Who Loves a Little Maid
6. Ruddigore, Act One: From the Briny Sea
7. Ruddigore, Act One: I Shipp'd d'Ye See, In a Revenue Sloop
8. Ruddigore, Act One: My Boy, You May Take It from Me
9. Ruddigore, Act One: If Well His Suit Has Sped
10. Ruddigore, Act One: In Sailing O'er Life's Ocean Wide
11. Ruddigore, Act One: Cheerily Carols the Lark
12. Ruddigore, Act One: To a Garden Fulls of Posies
13. Ruddigore, Act One: Welcome Gentry for Your Entry
14. Ruddigore, Act One: Oh, Why Am I Moody and Sad?
15. Ruddigore, Act One: You Understand?
16. Ruddigore, Act One: Hail the Bride of Seventeen Summers
17. Ruddigore, Act One: When the Buds Are Blossoming
18. Ruddigore, Act One: Hold, Bride and Bridegroom
19. Ruddigore, Act One: Oh, Happy the Lily
20. Ruddigore, Act Two: I Once Was as Meek as a New-Born Lamb
21. Ruddigore, Act Two: Happily Coupled Are We
22. Ruddigore, Act Two: In Bygone Days I Hade Thy Love
23. Ruddigore, Act Two: Painted Emblems of a Race
24. Ruddigore, Act Two: When the Night Wind Howls
25. Ruddigore, Act Two: He Yields! He Yields!
26. Ruddigore, Act Two: I Once Was a Very Abandoned Person
27. Ruddigore, Act Two: My Eyes Are Fully Open
28. There Grew a Little Flower
29. Ruddigore, Act Two: Oh, Happy the Lily

Tracks:

1. Patience: Overture
2. Patience, Act One: Twenty Lovesick Maidens We
3. Patience, Act One: Still Brooding on Their Mad Infatuation
4. Patience, Act One: I Cannot Tell What This Love May Be
5. Patience, Act One: The Soldiers of Our Queen
6. Patience, Act One: In a Doleful Train...Twenty Lovesick Maidens We
7. Patience, Act One: When I First Put This Uniform On
8. Patience, Act One: Am I Alone and Unoberved?
9. Patience, Act One: Long Years Ago, Fourteen Maybe
10. Patience, Act One: Prithee Pretty Maiden
11. Patience, Act One: Let the Merry Cymbals Sound
12. Patience, Act One: Now Tell Us, We Pray You
13. Patience, Act One: Your Maiden Hearts
14. Patience, Act One: Come Walk Up and Purchase With Avidity
15. Patience, Act One: True Love Must Single-Hearted Be
16. Patience, Act One: I Hear the Soft Note...But Who Is This?
17. Patience, Act Two: Sad Is That Woman's Lot
18. Patience, Act Two: Turn, Oh Turn in This Direction
19. Patience, Act Two: A Magnet Hung in Hardware Shop
20. Patience, Act Two: Love Is a Plaintive Song
21. Patience, Act Two: So Go to Him and Say to Him
22. Patience, Act Two: It's Clear That Medieval Art Alone Retains Its Zest
23. Patience, Act Two: If Saphir I Choose to Marry
24. Patience, Act Two: When I Go Out of Door
25. Patience, Act Two: I'm a Waterloo House Young Man
26. Patience, Act Two: After Much Debate Internal
27. Mikado: Overture

Tracks:

1. Mikado, Act One: If You Want to Know Who We Are
2. Mikado, Act One: Gentlemen, I Pray You Tell Me
3. Mikado, Act One: A Wand'ring Minstrel, I
4. Mikado, Act One: Our Great Mikado, Virtuous Man
5. Mikado, Act One: Young Man, Despair
6. Mikado, Act One: And Have I Journey'd for a Month
7. Mikado, Act One: Behold the Lord High Executioner!
8. Mikado, Act One: As Some Day It May Happen
9. Mikado, Act One: Comes a Train of Little Ladies
10. Mikado, Act One: Three Little Maids from School
11. Mikado, Act One: So Please You, Sir, We Much Regret
12. Mikado, Act One: Were You Not Ko-Ko Plighted?
13. Mikado, Act One: I Am So Proud
14. Mikado, Act One: With Aspect Stern
15. Mikado, Act One: Your Revels Cease!
16. Mikado, Act One: The Hour of Gladness
17. Mikado, Act Two: Braid the Raven Hair
18. Mikado, Act Two: The Sun, Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
19. Mikado, Act Two: Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day
20. Mikado, Act Two: Here's a How-De-Do!
21. Mikado, Act Two: Miya Sama, Miya Sama
22. Mikado, Act Two: A More Humane Mikado
23. Mikado, Act Two: The Criminal Cried
24. Mikado, Act Two: See How the Fates Their Gifts Allot
25. Mikado, Act Two: The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring
26. Mikado, Act Two: Alone, And Yet Alive!
27. Mikado, Act Two: Hearts Do Not Break
28. Mikado, Act Two: On a Tree by a River a Little Tom-Tit
29. Mikado, Act Two: There Is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast
30. Mikado, Act Two: For He's Gone and Married Yum-Yum

Tracks:

1. Trial by Jury: Hark the Hour of Ten Is Sounding
2. Trial by Jury: Now, Jurymen, Hear My Advice
3. Trial by Jury: Is This the Court of the Exchequer?
4. Trial by Jury: When First My Old, Old Love I Knew
5. Trial by Jury: Silence in Court...All Hail, Great Judge
6. Trial by Jury: When I, Good Friends, Was Called to the Bar
7. Trial by Jury: Swear Thou the Jury
8. Trial by Jury: Where Is the Plaintiff?
9. Trial by Jury: Comes the Broken Flower
10. Trial by Jury: Oh, Never, Never, Never
11. Trial by Jury: May It Please You, M'Lud!
12. Trial by Jury: That She Is Reeling Is Plain to Me
13. Trial by Jury: Oh Gentlemen, Listen
14. Trial by Jury: That Seems a Reasonable Proposition
15. Trial by Jury: A Nice Dilemma We Have Here
16. Trial by Jury: I Love Him, I Love Hin
17. Trial by Jury: The Question, Gentlemen Is One of Liquor
18. Trial by Jury: Oh Joy Unbounded
19. Pirates of Penzance: Overture
20. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Pour, Oh Pour the Pirate Sherry
21. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: When Frederic Was a Little Lad
22. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Oh, Better Far to Live and Die (I Am ...)
23. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Oh, False One, You Have Deceived Me!
24. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: What Shall I Do?...Climbing Over ...
25. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Stop, Ladies, Pray!
26. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast?
27. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Oh, Sisters, Deaf to Pity's Name
28. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Poor Wandering One
29. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: What Ought We to Do?
30. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses
31. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Here's a First-Rate Opportunity
32. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Hold, Monsters!
33. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: I Am the Very Model of a Modern ...
34. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Oh, Men of Dark and Dismal Fate
35. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: I'm Telling a Terrible Story
36. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Oh, Master, Hear One Word
37. Pirates of Penzance, Act One: Pray Observe the Magnanimity

Tracks:

1. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Oh, Dry the Glistening Tear
2. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Then, Frederic, Let Your Escort ...
3. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: When the Foeman Bares His Steel
4. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Now for the Pirates' Lair!
5. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Young Frederic!
6. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold
7. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Away, Away! My Heart's on Fire
8. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: All Is Prepared
9. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Stay, Frederic, Stay!
10. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Ah, Leave Me Not to Pine
11. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: In 1940 I of Age Shall Be
12. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: No, I'll Be Brave!
13. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Though in Body and in Mind
14. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: When a Felon's Not Engaged in His ...
15. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: A Rollicking Band of Pirates We
16. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: With Cat-Like Tread
17. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Hush, Hush! Not a Word
18. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Sighing Softly to the River
19. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: And What Is This, And What Is That?
20. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Frederic Here! Oh Joy!
21. Pirates of Penzance, Act Two: Poor Wandering Ones
22. Iolanthe: Overture
23. Iolanthe, Act One: Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither
24. Iolanthe, Act One: Iolanthe!
25. Iolanthe, Act One: Good Morrow, Good Mother
26. Iolanthe, Act One: Fare Thee Well, Attractive Stranger
27. Iolanthe, Act One: Good Morrow, Good Lover
28. Iolanthe, Act One: None Shall Part Us from Each Other
29. Iolanthe, Act One: Loudly Let the Trumpet Bray!
30. Iolanthe, Act One: The Law Is the True Embodiment
31. Iolanthe, Act One: My Well-Loved Lord and Guardian Dear
32. Iolanthe, Act One: Of All the Young Ladies I Know
33. Iolanthe, Act One: Nay, Tempt Me Not
34. Iolanthe, Act One: Spurn Not the Nobly Born
35. Iolanthe, Act One: My Lords, It May Not Be
36. Iolanthe, Act One: A Shepherd I
37. Iolanthe, Act One: When I Went to the Bar as a Very Young Man

Tracks:

1. Iolanthe, Act One: When Darkly Looms the Day
2. Iolanthe, Act One: Oh, Shameless One, Tremble!
3. Iolanthe, Act One: In Babyhood Upon Her Lap I Lay
4. Iolanthe, Act One: For Riches and Rank That You Befall
5. Iolanthe, Act One: To You I Give My Heart
6. Iolanthe, Act One: Tripping, Hither, Tripping Thither
7. Iolanthe, Act One: The Lady of My Love
8. Iolanthe, Act One: Go Away, Madam
9. Iolanthe, Act One: Oh, Chancellor Unwary
10. Iolanthe, Act One: Young Strephon Is the Kind of Lout (With ...)
11. Iolanthe, Act Two: When All Night Long a Chap Remains
12. Iolanthe, Act Two: Strephon's a Member of Parliament
13. Iolanthe, Act Two: When Britain Really Ruled the Waves
14. Iolanthe, Act Two: In Vain to Us You Plead
15. Iolanthe, Act Two: Oh, Foolish Fay
16. Iolanthe, Act Two: Though P'r'aps I May Incur Your Blame
17. Iolanthe, Act Two: Love, Unrequited, Robs Me of My Rest
18. Iolanthe, Act Two: When You're Lying Awake With a Dismal Headache
19. Iolanthe, Act Two: If You Go in, You're Sure to Win
20. Iolanthe, Act Two: If We're Weak Enough to Tarry
21. Iolanthe, Act Two: My, Lord, A Suppliant at Your Feet I Kneel
22. Iolanthe, Act Two: He Loves! If in the Bygone Years
23. Iolanthe, Act Two: It May Not Be
24. Iolanthe, Act Two: Soon as We May
25. Gondoliers: Overture
26. Gondoliers, Act One: List and Learn, Ye Dainty Roses
27. Gondoliers, Act One: Good Morrow, Pretty Maids
28. Gondoliers, Act One: For the Merriest Fellows Are We
29. Gondoliers, Act One: Buon'giorno, Signorine
30. Gondoliers, Act One: We're Called Gondolieri
31. Gondoliers, Act One: And Now to Choose Our Brides
32. Gondoliers, Act One: Thank You, Gallant Gondolieri

Tracks:

1. Gondoliers, Act One: From the Sunny Spanish Shore
2. Gondoliers, Act One: In Enterprise of Martial Kind (The Duke of ...)
3. Gondoliers, Act One: O Rapture When Alone Together
4. Gondoliers, Act One: There Was a Time
5. Gondoliers, Act One: I Stole the Prince
6. Gondoliers, Act One: But, Bless My Heart
7. Gondoliers, Act One: Try We Life-Long
8. Gondoliers, Act One: Bridegroom and Bride
9. Gondoliers, Act One: When a Merry Maiden Marries
10. Gondoliers, Act One: Kind Sirm You Cannot Have the Heart
11. Gondoliers, Act One: Do Not Give Way
12. Gondoliers, Act One: Then One of Us Will Be a Queen
13. Gondoliers, Act One: Replaying, We Sing
14. Gondoliers, Act One: For Everyone Who Feels Inclined
15. Gondoliers, Act One: Come, Let's Sway
16. Gondoliers, Act One: Then Away We Go to an Island Fair
17. Gondoliers, Act Two: Of Happiness the Very Pith
18. Gondoliers, Act Two: Rising Early in the Morning
19. Gondoliers, Act Two: Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes
20. Gondoliers, Act Two: Here We Are, At the Risk of Our Lives
21. Gondoliers, Act Two: Dance a Cachucha, Fandango, Bolero
22. Gondoliers, Act Two: There Lived a King
23. Gondoliers, Act Two: In a Contemplative Fashion
24. Gondoliers, Act Two: With Ducak Pomp and Ducal Pride
25. Gondoliers, Act Two: On the Day When I Was Wedded
26. Gondoliers, Act Two: To Help Unhapppy Commoners
27. Gondoliers, Act Two: Small Titles Abd Orders
28. Gondoliers, Act Two: I Am a Courtier Grave and Serious
29. Gondoliers, Act Two: Here Is a Case Unprecedented
30. Gondoliers, Act Two: Now Let the Loyal Lleges Gather Round
31. Gondoliers, Act Two: The Royal Prince

Tracks:

1. Yeomen of the Guard: Overture
2. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: When Maiden Loves
3. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: Tower Warders, Under Orders
4. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: When Our Gallant Norman Foes
5. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: Alas, I Waver to and Fro
6. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: Is Life a Boon?
7. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: Here's a Man of Jollity
8. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: I Have a Song to Sing, O!
9. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: How Say You, Maiden, Will You Wed?
10. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: I've Jibe and Joke
11. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: 'Tis Done! I Am a Bride!
12. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: Were I Thy Bride
13. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: Oh, Sergeant Meryll, Is It True?
14. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: Forbear My Friends
15. Yeomen of the Guard, Act One: The Prisoner Comes to Meet His Doom
16. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Night Has Spread Her Pall Once More
17. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Oh! A Private Buffoon Is a Light-Hearted
18. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Hereupon We're Both Agreed
19. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Free from His Fetters Grim
20. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Strange Adventure!
21. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Hark! What Was That, Sir?
22. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: A Man Who Would Woo a Fair Maid
23. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: When a Wooer Goes A-Wooing

Tracks:

1. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Comes the Pretty Young Bride
2. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: Hold, Pretty One!
3. Yeomen of the Guard, Act Two: All Thought of Leonard Meryll Set Aside
4. H.M.S. Pinafore
5. Yeomen of the Guard
6. Di Ballo: Overture - Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,
7. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene One: Opening Dance
8. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene One: Poll's Dance and Pas de Deux
9. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene One: Belaye's Solo
10. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene One: Pas de Trois
11. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene One: Finale
12. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene Two: Poll's Solo
13. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene Two: Jasper's Solo
14. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene Two: Belaye's Solo and Sailor's ...
15. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene Two: Poll's Solo
16. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene Two: Entry of Belaye With ...
17. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene Two: Reconciliation
18. Pineapple Poll Ballet Suite, Scene Two: Grand Finale

Customer Reviews:

Not the best sung but among the best in characterization.......2005-07-09

Between 1949 and 1951, the D'Oyly Carte Company was very busy recording nine of the Gilbert & Sullivan works onto mono LPs for the Decca label (or the London, as it was known over here), with comic lead Martyn Green in all but "Trial By Jury." After he left the company, Green was supplanted by Peter Pratt, who recorded the comic lead roles in "The Sorcerer" and "Princess Ida." All of these have waited a long time to appear on CDs and several companies have taken advantage of the copyright lapse to issue them at very high prices and at least one at very budget ones.


But now I find that all of the 1949-1951 sets are available on the Avid Entertainment label as a boxed set of 10 discs (AMSC 780-789). To keep things compact, the Avid people unavoidably had to place on the same disc Act I of one opera after Act II of the one before. There is also orchestral bonus material towards the end including orchestral selections from "Pinafore" and "Yeomen of the Guard," Sullivan's salute to the dance "Overture Di Ballo," and the entire score of the G&S-based ballet "Pineapple Poll."


Green is good and even better are the bottomless basso of Richard Watson, the most famous Mikado of them all Darrell Fancourt, and the sympathetic contralto of Ella Halman. Only tenor Leonard Osborne does not come over very well on recordings, although he was very good on stage. No true "Savoyard" will want to be without this collection.


Those who are perfectly happy with less will want "Gilbert & Sullivan: Highlights and Overtures" (AMSC 800), a double-CD set in which there are 27 selections from the complete recordings and the 9 overtures, plus "Overture Di Ballo." A great starter kit to introduce newcomers to the magic of the G&S team.

Average customer rating: Painless and Pleasant

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Tracks:

1. Ride Of The Valkyries - San Diego Symphony Orchestra
2. Vesti La Giubba - Jose Perez
3. Intermezzo - London Festival Orchestra
4. Overture - London Festival Orchestra
5. Prelude - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
6. Aragonaise - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
7. Seguedille - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
8. Bohemian Dance - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
9. The Toreador Song - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
10. Polovstian Dances 8 And 17 - Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra
11. Pace, Pace Mio Dio - Leontyne Price
12. Overture - London Philharmonic Orchestra
13. Barcarolle - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
14. Gypsy Chorus - Bavarian Festival Orchestra And Chorus
15. Royal Hunt And Storm - Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
16. O Mio Babbino Caro - Ljiljan Molnar-Talajic

Tracks:

1. Overture - Utah Symphony Orchestra
2. Questo A Quella - Jose Perez
3. Un Bei Di - Vanda Gerlovic
4. Che Gelida Manina - Jose Perez
5. Overture - Utah Symphony Orchestra
6. Ach, So Fromm - Jose Perez
7. Overture And Prelude - Ljubljana Radio Symphony Orchestra
8. Visi D'arte - Leontyne Price
9. Celeste, Aida - Jose Perez
10. Triumphal March - Jose Perez
11. Ballet Music - Jose Perez
12. The Viennese Musical Clock - Dallas Symphony Orchestra
13. Overture - London Symphony Orchestra
14. We Sail The Ocean - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
15. I'm Called Little Buttercup - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
16. When I Was A Lad - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
17. Never Mind The Why And Wherefore - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus

Tracks:

1. La Donna E Mobile - Jose Perez
2. Prelude - Slavonic Philharmonic Orchestra
3. Servantsd Chorus - Ljubljana Radio Chorus
4. Mon Coer S' Ouvre A Ta Voix - Marijana Radev
5. Waltz - Vienna Folk Opera Orchestra
6. A Wand'ring Minstrel, I - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
7. Three Little Maids - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
8. Here's A How-De-Do - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
9. Beauty In The Bellow - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
10. He's Gone And Married Yum-Yum - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
11. Overture - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
12. Waltz - Houston Symphony Orchestra
13. Peasants' Chorus - Nuremberg Symphony Chorus
14. Overture - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
15. E Strano E Strano - Biserka Cvejic
16. Overture - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London

Tracks:

1. Overture - Utah Symphony Orchestra
2. Bridal Chorus - Ljubljana Radio Symphony Chorus
3. Overture - London Festival Orchestra
4. Pour, O Pour The Pirate Sherry - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
5. Oh, Better Far To Live And Die - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
6. I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
7. When The Foeman Bares His Steel - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
8. With Cat-Like Tread - Rochester Philharmonic Chorus
9. Summertime - Leontyne Price
10. Overture - London Festival Orchestra
11. Contro Un Cor - Rita Noel
12. Overture - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Painless and Pleasant.......2000-08-19

It's not that I hate opera, it's rather that I cannot handle and entire opera without nodding off. This 4 disc CD provides highlights from the most famous and recognizable arias, i.e., Pagliacci, Carmen, Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, The Mikado, and H.M.S. Pinafore -- just to mention a few. I appreciate the ability to enjoy select arias from some of the most beautiful and and exceptional operas in the world, and played by first class orchestras, without having to sit through the entire opera.

Average customer rating: Don't underestimate those "unknown" Operettas!! A few details Wonderful set, if a little inconsistent at times.

The Complete Gilbert & Sullivan (Box Set) Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Overtures | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Brannigan, Owen | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan Gilbert & Sullivan - Operettas / Pro Arte Orchestra · Sir Malcolm Sargent Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert & Sullivan - H.M.S. Pinafore / Trial By Jury - David Hobson, Anthony Warlow, Colette Mann, Tiffany Speight, John Bolton Wood, Richard Alexander, Opera Australia, State Theatre, The Arts Centre Melbourne Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Eric Idle, Lesley Garrett, Richard Van Allan, Felicity Palmer, Richard Angas, Bonaventura Bottone, Susan Bullock, English National Opera ASIN: B00008LJEO Release Date: 2003-05-13

Customer Reviews:

Don't underestimate those "unknown" Operettas!!.......2005-07-07

This is, as far as I know - the only way of buying the "official" recordings of "The Grand Duke" and "Utopia" - which seem to be otherwise out of print!! Several of the others are not that easy to get either.

In any case - most people getting this set will already have the Mikado, and very probably Pirates and Pinafore for that matter, so you're really getting it for the others.

So just for the record - someone has to say this!

The Mikado is (of course) a wonderful piece, but it enjoys its long running status as the most successful of all the G&S operettas very largely for "extra-musical" reasons. It is visually so wonderful, with all those great authentic costumes, and the whole idea of satirising English institutions by pretending they are Japanese is of course brilliantly funny.

Again, Pirates and Pinafore enjoy a lot of their acclaim simply because we have heard them so often. And at least part of the initial success of these (admittedly very funny and entertaining) pieces was the vogue for "nautical drama" on the popular Victorian stage.

Iolanthe, Ruddigore, and Yoemen are all MUCH stronger musically than any of what another reviewer here keeps calling the "trilogy". Patience, Princess Ida, and the Gondoliers all excel either "nautical" operetta, at least musically, although not, perhaps, the Mikado. And I have had a lot of fun listening to my recording of the Sorcerer - although I think most at least of the other G&S operettas are even more interesting.

As for "Trial by Jury" it is really another thing altogether - but in its kind the most perfect thing either Gilbert or Sullivan had anything to do with!

This leaves Utopia and the Grand Duke.

Both of these were produced after the long running friendship between G&S had soured, and they have been sadly neglected ever since. Utopia is none the less both musically beautiful and very funny, and well worth taking an effort to come to grips with. The main point of the satire (which many commentators and reviewers seem to miss) is the way that the English language and British (especially English) institutions were being adopted, often rather uncritically, by countries around the world (most, but not all, of them members of the British Empire, of course). India is perhaps the country Gilbert had most in mind, but you could set it in any of a dozen other countries. The residual problems this has left in the post-colonial world ensure that this work is still far from dated. In some ways this operetta is about globalisation! What could possibly be LESS dated than that!

The Grand Duke, on the other hand, is a bit of an odd man out - I suppose you still have to say it is the weakest of all the G&S efforts. It's the ONLY one that didn't score a very respectable run on its first outing. Surprisingly, however, if an attempt is made to duplicate the musical and (especially) dialogue cuts that G&S would have done themselves if they had not by this time been at each other's throats all the time, a very entertaining piece can be made of it. I was very agreeably surprised by the Ohio Light Opera recording, which does just that - and I am coming round to the idea that the only thing really wrong with the Duke is that it is too long.

ANYWAY:

For all people (especially callow youth) who remain convinced that G&S only wrote three operettas worth listening to - all I can say is, buy this set, and give the lesser known ones a chance. Make sure you have a libretto in your hands as you listen, of course. It may even just need a single hearing in some cases, but otherwise, be patient. In the meantime, you really cannot have any conception of what you are missing.

A few details.......2004-03-28

This 24-CD album consists of 12 plastic cases, each with a thin booklet giving background and plot summaries for the works on its 2 enclosed CD's. Most of the album consists of 15 operettas, 2 of which (Cox and Box, The Zoo) have texts not by Gilbert and 7 of which (The Sorcerer, Princess Ida, The Mikado, Ruddigore, Yeomen of the Guard, Utopia Limited, The Grand Duke) omit most of the spoken dialogue. Before listening to any of these operettas that you don't know well, you'll want to obtain a copy of its text so you can read along and not miss any of the words or the wit.

Wonderful set, if a little inconsistent at times........2003-07-07

If you thought that the Sargent set of G&S opera recordings was gargantum enough, then this D'Oyly Carte cycle is even more gargantum. Although it is more expensive (because of the four extra operas that the Sargent cycle did not include), this complete 24-CD set is like a joy to behold. There is a debate as to whether this is better than the Sargent cycle, but I like to think that this is a delight from first disc to last, because of the idiomatic sense of polish that these recordings seem to have, and are given a life that makes them able to breathe well. This is all thanks to Isidore Godfrey and Royston Nash's conducting. I know that the performances may not be entirely consistent (this is evident when you compare the performance and recording quality of Mikado and Pirates with those of Gondoliers and Pinafore), but this is only a matter of personal preference. The 1960s performances were given more sumptuous and well-detailed recordings than the 1970s recordings, made when the performing style was not so fresh. But anyway, I still think that this is definitely a good buy for anyone who loves G&S. Even with the consistency of Sargent's cheaper EMI set, I would still say: do go ahead to invest in the set because of the liveliness and style in this complete G&S cycle that Sargent never (hardly ever) tackles. The only thing is: I would also like to suggest complementing it with the 1957 Decca D'Oyly Carte recordings of Mikado and Pirates, recently released by the Sounds on CD label, so that these recordings can do justice to the enormous spirit of these operas.

Average customer rating: Gilbert and Sullivan......In Tears An Eye-Opener! The best of King's Singers meets the best of G&S looks pretty good Amazing work from the worlds' foremost a cappella group.

Here's a Howdy Do: A Gilbert & Sullivan Festival Arthur Sullivan , Christopher Laurence , Wild Ray Snurck , Robert [ , and The Kng's Singers Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music King's Singers | ( K ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The King's Singers Original Debut Recording Madrigal History Tour A Little Chrismas Music: Kiri Te Kanawa; The King's Singers Kids' Stuff Sacred Bridges ASIN: B000003FLI Release Date: 1993-09-14

Tracks:

1. HMS Pinafore: A British Tar
2. The Mikado: The Sun Whose Rays
3. The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
4. Ruddigore: The Ghosts' High-Noon
5. The Pirates Of Penzance: Ah, Leave Me Not
6. The Mikado: A Wand'ring Minstrel I
7. The Pirates Of Penzance: The Pirate King
8. The Mikado: Tit Willow
9. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread
10. The Mikado: Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day
11. The Mikado: A More Humane Mikado
12. The Gondoliers: Rising Early In The Morning
13. Gilbert & Sullivan Medley
14. Patter Matter
15. The Mikado: Here's A Howdy Do

Customer Reviews:

Gilbert and Sullivan......In Tears.......2001-03-14

Once again we discover that amatures should not attempt to emulate what the classical artist "would" have wanted. This poor attempt at a "comical" view of the music of G&S only reiterates to this listener.....Don't Go There... I'm sorry I did and wish that the King's Singers......had never said..."Howdy Do", to me. Though I will keep searching for a true and respectful rendition of H.M.S. Fortunately, this version, makes a great coffee cup coaster......

An Eye-Opener!.......2000-06-23

This delightful album is the kind of work which will make the listener search for MORE by the artists and the composers. If you are not a fan of The Kings Singers, you will become one. If you don't know much Gilbert & Sullivan, you will want to learn! Highest praise.

The best of King's Singers meets the best of G&S.......1999-09-23

This one is a natural for me. The King's Singers are my favorite group, and Gilbert & Sullivan are my favorite shows. The King's Singers are the perfect group for G&S music, too, with their unique blend of serious musical study and just plain fun. Their medly and patter trio are two wonderfully crafted examples of G&S music, and the rest of the songs are very skillfully presented. I only wish this wonderful group would do another Gilbert & Sullivan recording.

looks pretty good.......1999-09-20

this looks pretty good, but i don't know because i haven't bought it ye

Amazing work from the worlds' foremost a cappella group........1999-08-29

As a lover of both G&S and the King's Singers, I was positively tickled by this wonderful recording. The King's Singers have managed to breath new life into songs that have sunken into obscurity, or worse, cliche'. "Pirate King", "Tit Willow", and "Here's a How-dee-Doo" are especially delightful. The tonal range of this group never fails to amaze me. From the sweetness of David Hurley on top to the astounding Stephen Connelly thundering forth as the Mikado, they are a joy to listen to.

Average customer rating: The best? I think not. can't understand the words

The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Broadway & Vocalists | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury The Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Gilbert & Sullivan Favourites ASIN: B00004W5AD Release Date: 2000-08-08

Tracks:

1. H.M.S. Pinafore: Ov - Orch Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr/John Owen Edwards
2. H.M.S. Pinafore: We Sail The Ocean Blue - Tom McVay/Gordon Sandison/Yvonne Barclay
3. H.M.S. Pinafore: Never Mind The Why And Wherefore - Tom McVay/Gordon Sandison/Yvonne Barclay
4. The Yeomen Of The Guard: When Maiden Loves She Sits And Sighs - Janine Roebuck
5. The Yeomen Of The Guard: Here's A Man Of Jollity - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
6. Iolanthe: Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither - Yvonne Patrick/Madeliene Mitchell/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
7. Iolanthe: The Law Is The True Embodiment - Richard Suart/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
8. Iolanthe: When I Went To The Bar - Richard Suart
9. Iolanthe: Strephon's A Member Of Parliament! - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
10. Iolanthe: When Britain Really Rul'd The Waves - Lawrence Richard/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
11. Iolanthe: Finale Act Two: Soon As We May - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
12. The Pirates Of Penzance: Ov - Orch Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr/John Pryce-Jones
13. The Pirates Of Penzance: Poor Wand'ring One - Marilyn Hill Smith/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
14. The Pirates Of Penzance: I Am The Very Model - Eric Robertson/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
15. The Pirates Of Penzance: When The Foeman Bares His Steel - Simon Masterton Smith/Marilyn Hill Smith/Patricia Cameron/Eric Robertson/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte...
16. The Pirates Of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread - Gareth Jones/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
17. The Mikado: If You Want To Know Who We Are - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
18. The Mikado: The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring - Bonaventura Bottone/Eric Roberts/Deborah Rees/Thora Ker/Malcom Rivers
19. The Mikado: On A Tree By A River - Eric Roberts
20. Patience: The Soldiers Of Our Queen - Donald Maxwell/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
21. Patience: If You Want A Receipt For That Popular Mystery - Donald Maxwell/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
22. Patience: Am I Alone And Unobserved - Simon Butteriss
23. Patience: If You're Anxious For To Shine - Simon Butteriss
24. The Gondoliers: We're Called Gondolieri - David Fieldsend/Alan Oke
25. The Gondoliers: From The Sunny Spanish Shore - Richard Suart/Jill Pert/Elizabeth Woollett/Philip Casey
26. The Gondoliers: For Ev'ry One Who Feels Inclined - David Fieldsend/Alan Oke/Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr
27. The Gondoliers: Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes - David Fieldsend
28. The Gondoliers: Dance A Cachucha - Chor Of The D'Oyly Carte Opr

Customer Reviews:

The best? I think not........2004-01-11

This disc includes some songs that, while I like them, are not what people might consider the "best" of G&S. Of course, anything by G&S is good, it's still not the "best of the best."

There has got to be something that better represents the G&S canon.

can't understand the words.......2004-01-08

Don't know about those other reviewers, but I just can't make out very much of the lyrics. Maybe those folk have better CD players or better hearing, but it's pretty much a blur to me. I strongly recommend "The Ultimate Gilbert and Sullivan" instead.

Average customer rating: Complete Overtures (plus Cox and Box) Lovely recording of lovely music Simply Splendid! First Rate G & S

The Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Gilbert & Sullivan - Highlights from The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Trial of Jury The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection Topsy-Turvy - The Music of Gilbert & Sullivan: From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Topsy-Turvy ASIN: B00000AEL8 Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

1. Cox And Box
2. The Sorcerer
3. HMS Pinafore
4. The Pirates Of Penzance
5. Patience
6. Iolanthe
7. Princess Ida
8. The Mikado
9. Ruddigore
10. The Yeomen Of The Guard
11. The Gondoliers
12. The Grand Duke

Customer Reviews:

Complete Overtures (plus Cox and Box).......2005-08-12

Trial by Jury doesn't have an overture - being a little one act "opener", and for some reason neither does Utopia Limited - just a short little orchestral prelude. When Utopia is performed, in fact, Sullivan's "Imperial March" is often added to the prelude, to flesh out something like a proper overture.

So this recording does actually include all the overtures - or at least an overture to all the Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas that HAD overtures as such. The undistinguished overture to Cox and Box is thrown in for good measure.

These works, it must be said, are very uneven in quality. Most of them were not actually written by Sullivan - but cobbled together by someone else out of the tunes from the operetta, often at the very last minute. The performances treat the overtures as music in their own right - and at least some of them deserve it. The overtures Sullivan DID write himself (especially the "Yoemen" overture) are fine pieces - as is the overture to "Patience" (written by a very young Eugene d'Albert) and the "Ruddigore" overture (in this case the later one by Toye rather than Clarke's original - but I actually prefer this!)

Several of the others are really very ordinary - although keen G&S fans will at least enjoy the quotations of the famous melodies.

All in all a very pleasant recording - even if you already have all (or most) of the works in question complete.

Lovely recording of lovely music.......2001-11-04

I recommend this recording for all G&S fans. The overtures, including all of the well known ones and a few that are obscure, are very nicely played and nicely recorded.

Simply Splendid!.......2001-07-08

One could not hope for a better collection of Gilbert & Sullivan overtures than these as performed by Andrew Penny and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. With modern digital sound and spirited ensemble playing, one is left yearning for more. The overtures, though not the complete set, nicely cover many of the most popular G & S operettas. So tuneful are they, you can't help but sing along with the familiar melodies. More installments from this group would be very welcomed indeed. This disc has put a smile on my face and left me in a good mood each time I've played it, which has been often. I particularly enjoy the version of "The Gondolier's" contained on this disc because it includes additional music from the operetta not found on other recordings that I own. This collection is one that you will treasure, and can be recommended whole heartitly!

First Rate G & S.......1999-08-27

Like any true "Savoyard",you will be singing along with the overtures found on this disc.Andrew Penny is a fine conductor and treats the music with the right touch of wit and romance.The "Cox and Box" overture (not a true G & S piece)is a great opener to the disc and putting the overtures in historical order lets the listener follow Sullivan's progression from a follower of Liszt and Mendelsohn to a composer with truly his own voice.My only complaint,and it's a very minor one,is that Penny and Naxos couldn't find room for Sullivan's best concert work,the "Overture DiBallo" on the disc.However the inclusion of the last and rarely performed G & S opera "The Grand Duke" more than makes up for it.I would recomend this to anyone just starting their G & S collection.Great price too!!!!

Average customer rating: Excellent historical Gilbert and Sullivan

Pirates of Penzance/H.M.S. Pinafore Manufacturer: Castle Pulse ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Sullivan | Sullivan, Arthur | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Mikado Ruddigore Trial By Jury Gilbert & Sullivan: Iolanthe; The Gondoliers Yeoman of the Guard/Patience Gilbert & Sullivan: Princess Ida Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado ASIN: B00008BXGL Release Date: 2003-04-07

Tracks:

1. Pirates of Penzance: Overture: - Light Opera Orchestra
2. Pirates of Penzance: Pour, O Pour, The Pirate Sherry - Male Chorus, Stuart Robertson
3. Pirates of Penzance: When Fred'ric Was a Little Lad - Dorothy Gill
4. Pirates of Penzance: Oh, Better Far to Live and Die - Peter Dawson, Male Chorus
5. Pirates of Penzance: O, False One, You Have Deceived Me - Dorothy Gill, Derek Oldham
6. Pirates of Penzance: What Shall I Do?/Climbing Over Rocky Mountain - Nellie Briercliffe, , Derek Oldham, Nellie Walker,
7. Pirates of Penzance: Stop, Ladies, Pray - Nellie Briercliffe, , Derek Oldham, Nellie Walker,
8. Pirates of Penzance: Oh! Is There Not One Maiden Breast - Elsie Griffin, Derek Oldham,
9. Pirates of Penzance: 'Tis Mabel! - Elsie Griffin,
10. Pirates of Penzance: Poor Wand'ring One - Elsie Griffin, Derek Oldham,
11. Pirates of Penzance: What Ought We to Do, Gentle Sisters, Say? - Nellie Briercliffe, Nellie Walker
12. Pirates of Penzance: How Beautifully Blue the Sky - Elsie Griffin, Derek Oldham,
13. Pirates of Penzance: Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses - Derek Oldham,
14. Pirates of Penzance: Hold, Monsters! - George Baker, , Elsie Griffin, Stuart Robertson, Chorus
15. Pirates of Penzance: I a the Very Model of a Modern Major General - George Baker, , Chorus
16. Pirates of Penzance: Oh, Men of Dark and Dismal Fate - George Baker,
17. Pirates of Penzance: You May Go, For You're at Liberty

Tracks:

1. Pirates of Penzance: Oh! Dry the Glist'ning Tear - Elsie Griffin
2. Pirates of Penzance: Then, Fred'ric, Let Your Escort, Lion Hearted - George Baker, Derek Oldham
3. Pirates of Penzance: Now for the Pirates' Lair - Peter Dawson, Dorothy Gill, Derek Oldham
4. Pirates of Penzance: When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold - Peter Dawson, Dorothy Gill, Derek Oldham
5. Pirates of Penzance: Away, Away! My Hearts on Fire - Peter Dawson, Dorothy Gill, Derek Oldham
6. Pirates of Penzance: All Is Prepared!/Stay Fred'ric, Stay! - Elsie Griffin, Derek Oldham
7. Pirates of Penzance: Ah, Leave Me Not to Pine! - Elsie Griffin, Derek Oldham
8. Pirates of Penzance: No, I Am Brave! - Elsie Griffin, Male Chorus, Leo Sheffield
9. Pirates of Penzance: When a Fellon's Not Engaged - Male Chorus, Leo Sheffield
10. Pirates of Penzance: A Rollicking Band of Pirates We - Male Chorus, Leo Sheffield
11. Pirates of Penzance: With Cat-Like Tread - Male Chorus, Stuart Robertson
12. Pirates of Penzance: Hush, Hush! - George Baker, , Derek Oldham, Chorus
13. Pirates of Penzance: Softly Sighing - George Baker, Male Chorus
14. Pirates of Penzance: Now What Is This, And What Is That? - George Baker, , Elsie Griffin, Derek Oldham
15. Pirates of Penzance: To Gain a Brief Advantage - George Baker, Peter Dawson, , Dorothy Gill, Elsie Griffin, Leo Sheffield

Tracks:

1. H.M.S. Pinafore: Overture - Symphony Orchestra
2. H.M.S. Pinafore: We Sail the Ocean Blue - Male Chorus
3. H.M.S. Pinafore: Hail! Men-O'-Wars'-Men - Bertha Lewis
4. H.M.S. Pinafore: I'm Called Little Buttercup - Bertha Lewis
5. H.M.S. Pinafore: But Tell Me Who's the Youth - Sydney Grainville, Bertha Lewis
6. H.M.S. Pinafore: The Nightingale Sighed - Charles Goulding, Bertha Lewis, Male Chorus
7. H.M.S. Pinafore: A Maiden Fair to See - Charles Goulding, Male Chorus
8. H.M.S. Pinafore: My Gallant Crew, Good Morning! - George Baker, Male Chorus
9. H.M.S. Pinafore: I Am the Captain of the Pinafore - George Baker, Male Chorus
10. H.M.S. Pinafore: Sir, You Are Sad - George Baker, Bertha Lewis
11. H.M.S. Pinafore: Sorry Her Lot - Elsie Griffin
12. H.M.S. Pinafore: Over the Bright Blue Sea
13. H.M.S. Pinafore: Sir Joseph's Barge Is Seen - Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
14. H.M.S. Pinafore: Now Give Three Cheers - George Baker, Nellie Briercliffe, Henry Lytton, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
15. H.M.S. Pinafore: When I Was a Lad - Henry Lytton, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
16. H.M.S. Pinafore: For I Hold That on the Seas - Nellie Briercliffe, Henry Lytton, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
17. H.M.S. Pinafore: A British Tar Is a Soaring Soul - Charles Goulding, Sydney Grainville, Male Chorus, Stuart Robertson
18. H.M.S. Pinafore: Refrain, Audacious Tar - Charles Goulding, Elsie Griffin
19. H.M.S. Pinafore: Can I Survive This Overbearing? - Nellie Briercliffe, Darrell Fancourt, Charles Goulding, Sydney Grainville, Elsie Griffin, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
20. H.M.S. Pinafore: This Very Night - Darrell Fancourt, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra

Tracks:

1. H.M.S. Pinafore: Entr'acte - Symphony Orchestra
2. H.M.S. Pinafore: Fair Moon, To Thee I Sing - George Baker
3. H.M.S. Pinafore: Things Are Seldom Done - George Baker, Bertha Lewis
4. H.M.S. Pinafore: The Hours Creep on Apace - Elsie Griffin
5. H.M.S. Pinafore: Never Mind the Why and Wherefore - George Baker, Elsie Griffin, Henry Lytton
6. H.M.S. Pinafore: Kind Captain - George Baker, Darrell Fancourt
7. H.M.S. Pinafore: Carefully on Tip-Toe Stealing - George Baker, Darrell Fancourt, Charles Goulding, Elsie Griffin, Male Chorus
8. H.M.S. Pinafore: He Is an Englishman! - Sydney Grainville, Male Chorus
9. H.M.S. Pinafore: In Uttering a Reprobation - George Baker, Nellie Briercliffe, Darrell Fancourt, Henry Lytton, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
10. H.M.S. Pinafore: Farewell My Own - Nellie Briercliffe, Darrell Fancourt, Charles Goulding, Sydney Grainville, Elsie Griffin, Henry Lytton,
11. H.M.S. Pinafore: My Pain and My Distress - Bertha Lewis, Henry Lytton, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
12. H.M.S. Pinafore: A Many Years Ago - Bertha Lewis, Mixed Chorus & Orchestra
13. H.M.S. Pinafore: Oh Joy, Oh Rapture - George Baker, Nellie Briercliffe, Darrell Fancourt, Charles Goulding, Elsie Griffin, Bertha Lewis, Henry Lytton,

Album Details

Four CD Box Set with Two of the Composing Duo's Most Beloved Operettas.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent historical Gilbert and Sullivan.......2005-05-08

Source: The first electronic recordings of "The Pirates of Penzance" (recorded February-May 1929) and "HMS Pinafore" (recorded February-June 1930). The original issues were on 78s and published in albums of twenty or more sides, each.

Sound: Considering the great age of the performances, the sound is generally amazingly good. No details are provided, but it sounds to me as though a set of near-pristine (with some notable exceptions) disks have been transferred onto CD with little or no re-mastering. The effect is that of listening to the 78s on a top-of-the-line phonograph with an absolutely silent record changing mechanism. There is some low but easy-to-ignore hiss that probably appeared in the original matrices, and moments of overloading on a few of the biggest ensembles. The voices of the soloists are mostly very well captured. The choruses sound fine, if a little distant and slightly compressed. The orchestra is a bit confined by digital era standards, but its sound is nevertheless good and full of detail.

The CD tracks tend to follow the three- to four-minute takes of the original 78s. Reflecting the original sides, there is often a brief roll-off at the end of a number. In the finales, which extended over multiple 78 sides, the CDs contain brief pauses at the record breaks. Original 78s were often played out of sequence by their owners. Noticeably more wear is detectable on popular solo pieces than on the less often played choral sequences.

Documentation: Minimal. No libretto. Cast list. Short plot summaries by act. Track list. Nothing on the performers.

Text: No dialogue has been recorded. In "Pinafore," a short entr'acte, essentially an orchestral reprise of "I'm Called Little Buttercup," starts off the second CD. In "Pirates," the Sergeant's faux-churchly admonition to his men is, as usual, omitted. As the Sergeant, the beloved Leo Sheffield chose to sing, "A policeman's lot is not an 'appy one," and the chorus responded with, "'Nappy one." Since W. S. Gilbert very plainly wrote "A policeman's lot is not a happy one," he'd have launched a blazing thunderbolt along with a deduction from their weekly wages.

Format: Four discs, with two disks per opera, one for each act. Each disk is in its own plastic case and all four cases are boxed together.

These two comic operas were recorded at the transition point between the second and third generation of Savoyards. Some of the old-timers had been directed by W. S. Gilbert, himself. Sir Henry Lytton--imagine, being knighted for doing G&S!--Sir Joseph Porter in "Pinafore," was the chief comedy man of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. He had joined the D'Oyly Carte chorus prior to the opening of "The Mikado" and had begun taking leads with D'Oyly Carte touring companies in the 1880s. HMV engineers did not care for the way his voice recorded, so he did not perform the Major General in "Pirates." His place was taken in the studio by the articulate George Baker. Lytton's recorded voice sounds fine to me--and almost eerily like that of his D'Oyly Carte successor in the 1960s and 70s, John Reed. Fortunately, Lytton did not suffer from Reed's annoying need to mug in everything.

These performances have the virtues of all D'Oyly Carte Company recordings: excellent, rigidly disciplined choruses and soloists with superb English diction. Alas, many of the soloists suffer from the curse of English vocal training.

George Baker is good, if somewhat generic in his assumption of the Major General in "Pirates" and, unexpectedly, Captain Corcoran in "Pinafore." Being accustomed to Baker-the-elder-statesman of the stereo sets of the 1960s, I found it fascinating to hear how strong he sounded in the 1930s. (Baker was never a member of the D'Oyly Carte Company. He appeared on stage in Gilbert and Sullivan only once, after his retirement, in a benefit performance as the Learned Judge in "Trial by Jury.")

It is given wisdom among many hardcore G&S fans that Derek Oldham was the best tenor who ever recorded a Savoy opera. Don't believe them. Oldham was all right, and better overall than his D'Oyly Carte Company successors of the 1960s and later, but the finest singing actor ever to take the lead tenor parts was Oldham's immediate successor, Leonard Osborn, and the finest singer was probably Richard Lewis, who recorded in Sargent's stereo series. Oldham is passable as Frederic in "Pirates." The part of Ralph Rackstraw in "Pinafore" was assumed by Charles Goulding, a tenor with a sweet sound, but quite lacking in ping, ring or character.

Dorothy Gill, Ruth in "Pirates," and Bertha Lewis, Little Buttercup in "Pinafore," were classic English hooting contraltos. Both give stand-out performances.

The lead soprano in both comic operas was Elsie Griffin, whose rather thick voice was not very well captured on the "Pinafore" recording. Strangely, the contemporary reviewer in British magazine, The Gramophone, singled out her performance in "Pirates" above all the others. Standards in vocal sound, it seems, change over the decades.

The other soloists are very, very British--markedly more so than their counterparts in later years.

Malcolm Sargent leads the orchestra in both recordings, just as he would more than thirty years later, when he labored ponderously under the heavy weight of his knighthood. In 1929 and 1930, he was rhythmically sensitive and did a fine job keeping things moving.

This set presents two G&S comic opera masterpieces at a rock-bottom price in surprisingly good sound. All my nitpicking to the contrary, the performances of the cast are excellent. It is a must-have for a serious lover of G&S. For those who must have DDD sound or suffer the vapors, walk away, this is not for you.

Meditation Music:

1. Sullivan: The Mikado
2. The Farewell Recitals with Giuseppe di Stefano
3. The Legendary Tebaldi-Arias And Songs
4. Thomas: Hamlet (Highlights)
5. Torrejón y Velasco: La Púrpuro de la Rosa
6. Unander-Scharin: Tokfursten [Import]
7. Verdi: Aida
8. Verdi - Jerusalem
9. Verdi: La Traviata
10. Verdi: La Traviata (Highlights)

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

Surfin' & Rockin'

Symposium Opera Collection Volume 4

Violin Concerto Op 61 Coriolan Ouverture etc

Music: Blush (+ Bonus Tracks)

Twist [CD-single] [Import]

Visions [Import]

Tower in the Mist

The Hits--Chapter One

Variadismo

Use Your Imagination

Traversee

Sweden: Traditional Music from the South

Watch Them Boyz [Explicit Lyrics]

Montreux Festival

The One and Only Tommy Dorsey