The Gondoliers [Box set] [Cast Recording]

Disc: 1
1. Overture
2. List and Learn, Ye Dainty Roses
3. Good Morrow, Pretty Maids
4. For the Merriest Fellows
5. Buon Giorno, Signorine
6. We're Called Gondolieri
7. And Now to Choose Our Brides
8. Thank You Gallant Gondolieri
9. From the Sunny Spanish Shore
10. In Enterprise of Martial Kind
See all 24 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Of Happiness the Very Pith
2. Rising Early in the Morning - Richard Lewis
3. Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes
4. Here We Are at the Risk of Our Lives - Alex Young
5. Dance a Cachucha, Fandango, Bolero - Owen Brannigan
6. There Lived a King - Monica Sinclair
7. In a Contemplative Fashion
8. With Ducal Pomp and Ducal Pride - Monica Sinclair
9. On the Day When I Was Wedded
10. To Help Unhappy Commoners - Owen Brannigan
See all 15 tracks on this disc

The Gondoliers,John Cameron,Sir Geraint Evans,James Milligan,Owen Brannigan,Arthur Sullivan,Malcolm Sargent,Pro Arte Orchestra,Edna Graham,Elsie Morison,Lavinia Renton,Stella Hitchens,Alexander Young,Richard Lewis,Capitol,British Operetta,Classical,Classical Music,Opera,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

---

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: Gilbert & Sullivan at their best! Good later G&S Definitive the best choice so far

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers 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 Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Gondoliers: Vocal Score Gilbert & Sullivan: Iolanthe Gilbert & Sullivan - The Gondoliers / Michell, McDonnell, Egerton, Opera World Gilbert & Sullivan; The Mikado Gilbert & Sullivan: The Sorcerer ASIN: B0000029KH Release Date: 1993-10-19

Customer Reviews:

Gilbert & Sullivan at their best!.......2005-07-20

This is the best recording of Gilbert & Sullivan's "The Gondoliers" ever recorded! The diction is excellent and the singers are amazing. It has really helped me get ready for the production of "The Gondoliers" I'm in with The Utah Light Opera Company.

Good later G&S.......2002-01-30

The Gondoliers was the last Gilbert and Sullivan opera to be a great popular success; listening to this version of the opera as performed by the D'Oyly Carte shows why: it is a highly entertaining score, with warm characters and a lot of humor.

This CD contains excellent performances by John Rath as Don Alhambra, Jill Pert as the Duchess of Plaza-Toto and the usual fine comic performance by Richard Suart as the Duke of Plaza-Toro.

The score is particularly fine, with Sullivan showing his mastery of many musical types, as the liner notes indicate, such as the waltz, the gavotte, the saltarello and the tarantello. It is a very vibrant and upbeat score.

The libretto is very clever, and Gilbert's sense of satire is never sharper than here. There are amusing songs as the democratic Gondoliers make Barataria into a model of social equality, and the Duke and Duchess relate the story of their product endorsements -- like the Mikado, all the satires are really about Victorian England, not about the land in which the stories are staged.

The story's plot relies on a typical Gilbert device -- babies "switched at birth" make one of the two Gondoliers -- no one is sure which one -- the rightful King of Barataria, promised to the Duke's daughter, Casilda. This interferes with the Gondoliers' plan to marry their sweethearts, and provides much of the humor as the Gondoliers attempt to adjust to their new social position. There is, of course, the usual Gilbertian plot twist at the end to resolve everything happily.

This is a very fun opera to listen to; with almost none of the wistfulness that haunts the Mikado, Pinafore, or the Yeomen of the Guard.

Definitive.......2000-07-01

Sullivan's score to The Gondoliers has been the object of a good deal of tampering over the years, and as is the case with all of the D'Oyly Carte's more recent efforts, an attempt has been made to return to the autograph. What we hear in this set is Sullivan's original introduction, minus the cachuca which was tacked on in the 1930s. The original is vastly more effective. There are other points of interest, such as the almost supernaturally crisp chorus - sample them in the "Thank you gallant gondolieri" in the first act. The cast is, as usual with D'Oyly Carte, first rate, with John Rath and Jill Pert standouts. Rarely have I heard Don Alhambra's arias sung with such panache. Rath even gives Donals Adams and Darrell Fancourt a run for their money.

Well worth the investment, even if you have the excellent 1960 recording.

the best choice so far.......1999-07-18

There are two strong rivals for this set. The early electric set transferred from 78 rpms onto Pearl CDs is suberb--the closest we will ever get to what Gilbert wanted in articulation and characterization and to what Sullivan wanted in vocal style--but is of course subjected to the sonics state of the art circa 1930. But to understand what this opera is all about, this is the choice of choices! The complete version on Decca has all the dialogue...which might or might not be a Good Thing on repeated hearings. And, no, you cannot program it out since Decca decided to contain it on the same tracks as the music that precedes it. So if all you want is the musical parts and stereo is a must, this Sony/Columbia set is wonderfully paced, well characterized (though not as well as the early electric set) and well conducted. And in case you do not know, this work is even more tuneful than "The Mikado"--which is saying a lot. And by the way, try the "Iolanthe" in this same series, but not "The Mikado" (which is far too rushed).

Average customer rating: SImply Untrue an extra star for all the guest artists An Homage to a Great Artist superb vocals

The Very Best of Thomas Hampson Marc Barrard , Thomas Hampson , Csaba Airizer , Georges Bizet , Charles Wakefield Cadman , Stephen Foster , Charles Gounod , Edvard Grieg , Charles Tomlinson Griffes , Imre (Emmerich) Kalman , Erich Wolfgang Korngold , Franz Lehar , Gustav Mahler , Jules Massenet , Giacomo Meyerbeer , Gioachino Rossini , Franz Schubert , Robert Schumann , Johann II Strauss , Ambroise Thomas , Giuseppe Verdi , Richard Wagner , Carl Maria von Weber , Antonio de Almeida , Antonio Pappano , Eugene Kohn , and Fabio Luisi Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Foster, Stephen | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Griffes | Griffes, Charles T. | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Korngold, Erich Wolfgang | ( K ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Lehár, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mahler | Mahler, Gustav | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Strauss Jr., Johann | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weber | Weber, Carl Maria von | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Korngold, Erich Wolfgang | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Hampson, Thomas | ( H ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Paris Symphony Orchestra | ( P ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Song of America No Tenors Allowed: Famous Duets for Baritone and Bass Arias - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert Christmas with Thomas Hampson Leading Man ASIN: B0006VYEI2 Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

1. La Ran La Lera...Largo Al Factotum
2. O Sainte Medaille...Avant De Quitter Ces Lieux
3. Ce Breuvage...Vision Fugitive
4. C'est Toi...Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Placido Domingo
5. La Fatigue Alourdit Mes Pas...Comme Une Pale Fleur
6. Ecoute!...Dieu, Tu Semas Dans Nos Ames
7. C'est Mon Jour Supreme
8. Tout Est Desert...Son Regard
9. Ove Son Io?...Vada In Fiamme
10. Perfidi! All'Anglo Contro Me...Pieta, Rispetto Amore
11. Di Provenza Il Mar, Il Suol
12. E Sogno? O Realta?
13. Komm!
14. Der Garten Des Herzens
15. Lied Des Venezianischen Gondoliers
16. Le Lazzarone
17. L'Ultimo Ricordo

Tracks:

1. Mein Sehnen, Mein Wahnen
2. Wo Berg' Ich Mich?...So Weih' Ich Mich Den Rachgewalten
3. Wie Todesahnung...O Du Mein Holder Abendstern
4. Gruss Op.48 No.1
5. Im Wunderschonen Monat Mai
6. Aus Meinen Tranen Spriessen
7. Die Rose, Die Lilie
8. Ich Will Meine Seele Tauchen
9. Ich Grolle Nicht
10. Gute Nacht
11. Die Post
12. Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder
13. Ich Atmet' Einen Linden Duft
14. Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen
15. Von Der Schonheit
16. O Vaterland, Du Machst Bei Tag
17. Als Flotter Geist
18. Komm, Zigany
19. An Old Song Re-Sung
20. At Dawning (I Love You) Op.29 No.1 - Armen Guzelimian
21. Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
22. Beautiful Dreamer

Album Description

Details TBA. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

SImply Untrue.......2006-08-16

The previous review is simply a gross falsification. I have been an obsessed opera fan for a long time, and Thomas Hampson is a truly special singer. He is not the possesor of the largest or most interesting voice, which he will tell you and indeed says so all the time. His commitment to text, his willingness to search out parts to fit his voice, and his dedication to art song make im invaluable to Americans as a ture Troubador. His light Baritone was ideally suited to Figaro and to Valentin and the art song he loves. He must stretch to sing Verdi, where his voice sounds dry and small but many singers have chanced Verdi at their peril, and his innate ablity to inhabit a song, here evidenced in Di Provenza overcomes fact that it is out of his fach. You misinformed opinion of Hampson is mean and strangly bitter. I love Opera, but I do not love every singer, which doesn't mean I debase their very artistic existance. I have seen Hampson live, and have loved him (in Thias) and somewhat disliked him (in Simon Boccanegra) As for him being pretentious, somwetimes I find him mannered, but always charming. SOmetimes Intellectualism can appear pretentious, but surely you wont hold an opera singer to the charge that he must be unintellectual. what a vitriolic review, please buy this Cd, it merits repeated listening to a true American SINGER,

an extra star for all the guest artists.......2006-05-08

The title of this album is an oxymoron. Or a sick joke. I can't decide. Sure he has made millions by luring the uninitiated listener into his web of deceit and conceit, but don't be fooled any longer. How fortunate Hampson has been to sing for and with great artists to shoulder his heavy load.

An Homage to a Great Artist.......2005-10-30

EMI is wisely creating a series of recordings to gather the moments of artists that showcase the very reasons they become so highly regarded. Usually these collections are produced late in careers or even posthumously, but in the case of THE VERY BEST OF THOMAS HAMPSON the artist is still one of the more active and premiere singers of our day. Yet while he doesn't still perform all of these inclusions, it is wonderful to have excerpts from various successful recordings to remind us of the artistry that Hampson represents.

The two disc set includes arias from operas: Rossini's 'Il barbière di Siviglia', von Weber's 'Euryanthe', Gounod's 'Faust', Massenet's 'Hérodiade', Bizet's 'Les Pêcheurs de perles' (in duet with Placido Domingo), Thomas' 'Hamlet', Verdi's 'Don Carlo', 'Il Travatore', 'Macbeth', 'La Traviata', and 'Falstaff', Korngold's 'Die Tote Stadt', and Wagner's 'Tannhäuser'.

But the rewards of a Hampson recording must include his impeccable career as a lieder stylist and on this recording are excerpts from Schumann's 'Dichterliebe', Schubert's 'Winterreise', Mahler's 'Rückert Lieder' and 'Das Lied von der Erde', as well as songs by Meyerbeer, Rossini, Grieg, Kalman, and Lehar. And very importantly there are examples of American songs that Hampson has always emphasized in his recitals. Works by Stephen Foster, and two extraordinary works with the brilliant accompanist Armen Guzelimian - 'An Old Song Re-sung' by Griffes and 'At Dawning' by Charles Wakefield Cadman - round out this fine survey.

Not usually a collector of such 'recombinations', for this listener this album is so very fine that it deserves the attention of all those who appreciate the artistry of Thomas Hampson - then and now. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

superb vocals.......2005-08-07

Mr.Hampson really gets the chance to showcase his wonderful baritone voice in this "Best of" collection which includes excellent selections from his various other CDs. I like the diversity of the selections featuring operatic arias,works from classical composers, and folk songs. For Thomas hampson fans, as well as fans of the baritone voice, this CD is for them.

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: Glitter, and inimitability Terrific re-issue at rock-bottom price Best versions ever!

Gilbert & Sullivan: Iolanthe; The Gondoliers 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 | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Yeoman of the Guard/Patience Mikado Ruddigore Trial By Jury Pirates of Penzance/H.M.S. Pinafore Gilbert & Sullivan: Princess Ida Gilbert & Sullivan: The Sorcerer ASIN: B00008BXGN Release Date: 2003-04-07

Tracks:

1. Overture
2. List & Learn
3. Good Morrow, Pretty Maids
4. For The Merriest Fellows Are We
5. See, See, At Last They Come
6. We're Called Gondolierf
7. Are You Peeping?
8. From The Sunny Spanish Shore
9. In Enterprise Of Marital Kind
10. O Rapture When Alone Together
11. There Was A Time
12. I Stole The Prince
13. But, Bless My Heart
14. Try We Lifelong
15. Bridegroom & Bride!
16. When A Merry Maiden Marries
17. Kind Sir, You Cannot Have The Heart
18. Do Not Give Way
19. Now, Pray, What Is The Cause
20. Replying, We Sing
21. Then Let's Away
22. Then Away They Go To An Island Fair
23. Of Happiness The Very Pith
24. Rising Early In The Morning
25. Take A Pair Of Sparkling Eyes
26. Here We Are, At The Risk Of Our Lives
27. Dance A Cachucha
28. There Lived A King
29. In A Contemplating Fashion
30. With Ducal Pomp
31. On The Day When I Was Wedded
32. To Help Unhappy Commoners
33. I Am A Coutier Grave & Serious
34. Here Is A Cause
35. Now Let The Loyal Lieges Gather Round
36. Overture
37. Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither
38. Iolanthe!
39. From Thy Dark Exile
40. Good Morrow, Good Mother
41. Fare Thee Well, Attractive Stranger
42. Good Morrow, Good Lover
43. None Shall Part Us
44. Loudly Let The Trumpet Bray
45. Blow, Ye Lower Middle Classes
46. Law Is The True Embodiment
47. My Well-Loved Lord
48. Nay, Tempt Me Not
49. Spum Not The Nobly Born
50. My Lords, It May Not Be
51. When I Went To The Bar
52. When Darkly Looms The Day
53. Oh, Shameless One, Tremble
54. For Riches & Rank I Do Not Long
55. Go Away, Madam
56. Every Bill & Every Measure
57. When All Night Long
58. Stephon's A Member Of Parliament
59. When Britain Really Ruled The Waves
60. In Vain To Us You Plead
61. Oh, Foolish Fay
62. Tho P'r'aps I May Incur Your Blame
63. Love Unrequited Robs Me Or My Rest
64. If You Go In You're Sure To Win
65. If We're Weak Enough To Tarry
66. My Lord, A Suppliant At Your Feet
67. It May Not Be
68. Soon As We May

Album Details

4 CD box set

Customer Reviews:

Glitter, and inimitability.......2005-12-14

The glitter of the Gondoliers and the inimitability of Iolanthe come over in this recording.

The stars, give the taste of the era nad the original, one must ignore the fast tempo of these recordings: the need to fit evry item to the procrustean bed of a 10" 78 record necessitated that they be sung somewhat faster than in normal productions, and when you compare the play time of the '60s & 70's CD's, they are not all that faster.

To hear Lytton as the Duke in the Gondoliers is to be transported back to that very era. I for one want a tardis, to go back and induce them to use him throughout the series: it really depends what one wants of course If you want a note perfect rendition then you have to stick with Baker, if you want the flavour of the performance than it has to be Lytton. Only Peter Pratt approaches the acid attack that he gives (Why DID PP go so early and leave us to JR's milk & water early performances???)

The sound level of items transcribed from shellacs ( san I am old enough to have heard the shellacs!!) is the result of almost miraculous sound engineering.

Bertha Lewis gives the definitive rendition of the duchess's role never to be really approached untill the performances of Anne Drummond Grant in the 50's (another great savoyard for whom "Death called too soon")

Leo Sheffield's light baritone gives a completely different weight to the character than any of the later exponents, and agin this to me suggests a man with a light humerous touch, tongue in cheek, he is going to have it his way ( until Inez blows him off course in the closing moments ) "Do not give way.." is covering up the fact that the grief will soon be very real, and ( in the way of 18th C ( ??Methodism) setting )) fatal! but he will "Not have the innovation perpetrated...

Winifred Lawson's soaring topnotes take me back to the note in Gramophone from the '60s ( ace of club's heyday) " needs cutting2 I.E. DAMPING DOWN: but keep them! keep them!! they are again part of the era.
Altogether I will be completing the run at the rate of one a month till the last peter pratt & Donald Adams is safe on my rack!!

Terrific re-issue at rock-bottom price.......2005-01-15

Source: Studio recordings dating from 1927 for "The Gondoliers" and 1930 for "Iolanthe." I assume this CD re-issue was compiled from mint-condition 78s which have not been subjected to significant remastering. "The Gondoliers" was originally issued on 24 sides and "Iolanthe" would have been about the same.

Sound: Amazingly good mono, considering the great age of the performances, and in many ways comparable to first-generation LPs. There is a low but easy-to-ignore hiss that probably appeared in the original matrices. Voices of soloists are very well captured. The choruses sound fine, although a little distant and slightly compressed. If the orchestra seems just a bit compressed by digital era standards, nevertheless, the sound is good and full of detail. The CD tracks tend to follow the three-and-a-half minute takes of the original 78s. This is apparent to the eye--if not to the ear--in "Iolanthe" when the track changes during the grand entrance of the peers about thirty seconds before the end of the music. Reflecting the original sides, there is often, but not always, a brief roll-off into dead silence before the next number begins.

Text: No dialogue. The performing text and the order of pieces is that established by W. S. Gilbert and used on stage by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company throughout most of the 20th Century. Arthur Sullivan was a man was forever late in composing his music. Overtures were just about the last things composed. Fast approaching deadlines sometimes forced Sullivan to call on the assistance of Frank Cellier, the regular conductor for the comic operas. Sullivan would set out the order of pieces and the overall approach, leaving Cellier to do the orchestral arrangements. In both "The Gondoliers" and "Iolanthe," however, scoring for the overtures was done entirely by Sullivan.

Format: Four discs, with two discs per opera, one for each act.

Documentation: No libretto. Cast list. Single page summary of the plot of each act.

The 1927 "Gondoliers" was the second of the Savoy Operas to be recorded in the newly-developed electronic process. Its cast were second generation Savoyards. None of them appeared in leading roles during the original London runs, but Sir Henry Lytton--imagine, being knighted for doing G&S!--was understudy in the lead comic roles in London by 1886 and soon heading up D'Oyly Carte touring companies.

Although never a regular member of the D'Oyly Carte Company, George Baker recorded Giuseppe, one of the romantic leads in the "The Gondoliers" in 1927 and, because HMV engineers didn't much like the way Lytton's voice recorded, stepped up to recording the comic lead in "Iolanthe." His recording career involved more than 3,000 recordings (with nearly as many false names) and would stretch right into the 1960s, when he recorded leading comic parts in Sir Malcolm Sargent's stereo series of G&S recordings.

By 1930, the second generation of Savoyards was largely gone, leaving only Bertha Lewis, Leo Sheffield and a junior member, Derek Oldham. Darrel Fancourt and Leslie Rands, two stalwarts of the third generation, both well-remembered from post-World War II recordings, appear in "Iolanthe."

These recordings were made under the personal supervision of Rupert D'Oyly Carte, whose father, Richard, had founded the opera company and been a partner with Sullivan (happily) and Gilbert (stormily); whose step-mother, Helen, had succeeded to control of the company, and whose daughter, Bridget, would run it with a whim of iron well past the middle of the 20th Century. Rupert must have been a pretty odd duck, since P. G. Wodehouse, a schoolmate, insisted that he was the model for PGW's first great fictional character, the incomparable Psmith. Whatever the eccentricities of the D'Oyly Cartes, this early series of recordings must be regarded as definitive in setting out the English G&S performance tradition.

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

Among many dedicated G&S fanatics, Henry Lytton is regarded as a fine comic actor but terrible singer. In the short part of the Duke of Plaza-Toro in "The Gondoliers," he certainly acts very well indeed. He chooses to take great freedoms with written musical rhythms in order to achieve dramatic, or rather, comedic effect. If he was not as good a singer as Martyn Green, his great successor, he was a world better than the comedy man of the sixties and seventies, John Reed. In fact, the voices of Lytton and Reed sound remarkably, even eerily similar, but the older man was entirely free of the egregious quirks and would-be funny bits that often made Reed so annoying.

It is the given wisdom among the many hardcore G&S fans (see above) that Derek Oldham was the best tenor who ever recorded a Savoy opera. Don't believe them. Oldham was all right, but the finest actor ever to take the lead tenor parts was Oldham's successor, Leonard Osborn, while the finest singer was probably Richard Lewis, who recorded in Sargent's stereo series.

Leo Sheffield, who joined the D'Oyly Carte Company five years before the death of W. S. Gilbert and had been directed by the fierce old man, himself, was a wonderful performer, and one who did not suffer from excessive care for musical notes as written. He had a lighter, drier, more agile voice than those later associated with his parts. By 1930, the heavier, darker sounding Darrel Fancourt was firmly in place.

Bertha Lewis was a classic English hooting contralto. W. S. Gilbert was notorious for making unkind fun of middle-aged, hefty women--the parts she played. Arthur Sullivan was usually a man of gentler impulses and always a more suave individual than Gilbert, but he made his own kind of musical fun, allowing Lewis to be subtly hilarious from beginning to end.

All the other soloists are fine--and very, very British, even more so than their successors in later decades.

Harry Norris conducts "The Gondoliers" and Malcolm Sargent leads "Iolanthe." Both are rhythmically sensitive and do a good job keeping things moving. Sargent is blessedly free of the ponderousness that afflicts his later series. I found Norris to be the less precise, but more satisfying of the two. He leads the fastest peformance of "The Gondoliers" that I've ever heard.

This set presents two of the best of the G&S comic operas at a rock-bottom price, with surprisingly good sound and first-class performances. It is a must-have for a serious lover of G&S. For those of you who more concerned with performance than reproduced sound, this set is a steal!

For those of you who cringe before the thought of non-digital sound, walk away. This not for you. (Why have you wasted your time by reading this far?)

Five stars, no question about it.

Best versions ever!.......2004-01-04

These recordings from 1928 and 1930 are the definitive versions for these operas. They are possibly the best recordings ever of any G&S operas. They were made in the heyday of the D'Oyly Carte 1920's revival of the operas. Some of the performers had worked in their youth with Gilbert. Gosh it shows. Here is superb singing combined with wonderful charactisations. The way it should be done. Sargent's and Norris' tempi seem just right, and each opera sparkles. How lucky we are to have records from such a golden age of Gilbert and Sullivan. A must for any collector of music for the theatre.

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: Good sing

Anne Sofie von Otter - Beethoven, Meyerbeer, Spohr ~ Lieder / Melvyn Tan Giacomo Meyerbeer , Louis Spohr , Ludwig van Beethoven , Anne Sofie von Otter , and Melvyn Tan Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Spohr | Spohr, Ludwig | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Otter, Anne Sophie von | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lamento Mots D'Amour: Songs By Cecile Chaminade Anne Sofie von Otter ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été / Berlin Phil., Levine Marian Cantatas & Arias Anne Sofie von Otter - Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben / Forsberg ASIN: B00005M05D Release Date: 2001-08-14

Tracks:

1. 40 Melodies: No.12. Mina (Lied Des Venezianischen Gondoliers)
2. 40 Melodies: No.6. Komm (Eigentlich: Du Schones Fischermadchen)
3. 40 Melodies: No.16. Ma Barque Legere
4. 40 Melodies: No.22. La Fille De L'air
5. 40 Melodies: No.27. Sicilienne
6. 40 Melodies: No.28. Priere D'enfants
7. 40 Melodies: No.29. Le Voeu Pendant L'orage
8. Das Schafers Lied (Hirtenlied) - Anne Sofie Von Otter//Eric Hoeprich/Melvyn Tan
9. In Questa Tomba Oscura, WoO 133 (2. Ver)
10. T'intendo Si, Mio Cor, Op.82 No.2
11. Als Di Geliebte Sich Trennen Wollte (Empfindungen Bei Lydiens Untreue), WoO 132
12. Seufzer Eines Ungeliebten - Gegenliebe, WoO 118
13. Sehnsucht, WoO 146
14. An Die Geliebte, WoO 140 (2. Ver)
15. Ariette (Der Kuss), Op.128
16. Maigesang, Op.52 No.4
17. Adelaide, Op.46
18. Sechs Deutsche Lieder, Op.154: 1. Abend-Feier - Anne Sofie Von Otter/Melvyn Tan/Christina Hogman/Kristana Hammarstrom/Eric Hoeprick/Nils-Erik Sparf
19. Sechs Deutsche Lieder, Op.154: 2. Jagdlied - Anne Sofie Von Otter/Melvyn Tan/Christina Hogman/Kristana Hammarstrom/Eric Hoeprick/Nils-Erik Sparf
20. Sechs Deutsche Lieder, Op.154: 3. Tone - Anne Sofie Von Otter/Melvyn Tan/Christina Hogman/Kristana Hammarstrom/Eric Hoeprick/Nils-Erik Sparf
21. Sechs Deutsche Lieder, Op.154: 4. Erlkonig - Anne Sofie Von Otter/Melvyn Tan/Christina Hogman/Kristana Hammarstrom/Eric Hoeprick/Nils-Erik Sparf
22. Sechs Deutsche Lieder, Op.154: 5. Der Spielmann Und Seinne Geige - Anne Sofie Von Otter/Melvyn Tan/Christina Hogman/Kristana Hammarstrom/Eric Hoeprick/Nils-Erik Sparf
23. Sechs Deutsche Lieder, Op.154: 6. Abendstille - Anne Sofie Von Otter/Melvyn Tan/Christina Hogman/Kristana Hammarstrom/Eric Hoeprick/Nils-Erik Sparf

Amazon.com

A new disc from Anne Sofie von Otter always arouses eager expectation, whatever the repertoire. None of the composers featured on this recording of Lieder and Mélodies is regarded primarily for his songwriting prowess, yet von Otter conjures winner after winner. Even at their lightest, these pieces never fail to charm, and some of them do a good deal more than that.

Listen to the way that Meyerbeer reflects the text of "La Fille de l'air" (The daughter of the air) in the tinkling accompaniment, superbly realized by Melvyn Tan. Or the way the arching violin arabesques spice up the vocal line in the first of Spohr's irresistible Six Lieder. And Beethoven's tolling "In questa tomba oscura" (In this dark grave) is a small masterpiece, as is, in a quite different vein, Meyerbeer's deceptively simple "Sicilienne." It is only in some of the darker songs (such as Meyerbeer's setting of "Le Voeu pendant l'orage") that the difference between prodigious talent and genius is made explicit. And, of course, comparison between Spohr's timid "Erlkönig" and Schubert's infernal creation is as inevitable as it is cruel.

As one would expect from such an experienced lieder artist, the program is beautifully constructed, with songs carefully placed for maximal variety, not just of tone but also of instrumentation (excellent playing from clarinetist Eric Hoeprich and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf). This is another winner from von Otter and friends. --Harriet Smith

Customer Reviews:

Good sing.......2001-09-23

This is a nifty collection of lieder, including many which are not familiar. Melvin Tan's fortepiano balances the voice nicely, and the addition of other instruments and voices obviates the boredom which often sets in after five or ten songs. Von Otter handles these songs well, rarely breaking into operatic timbre. The new (to me) setting of The Earl-King was especially interesting. Very worthwhile if you like lieder (texts are in German, mostly; translation included).

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!!!!

Meditation Music:

1. The Stone Guest
2. Tosti: Canti Popolari E Romanze Abruzzesi
3. Tutino: La Lupa
4. Verdi: Rigoletto
5. Vienna Opera Live, Vol. 10
6. Vivaldi - L'incoronazione di Dario / Elwes · Ledroit · Lense · Verschaeve · Poulenard · Mellon · Visse · Bezzina
7. Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
8. Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
9. Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg
10. Wagner: Lohengrin (Highlights)

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

Ultra Real [Import]

Bach: Harpsichord Concertos BWV 1055-1058

Bach: Dobule Violin Conceti/Vivaldi: Double Violin Concerti

Music: Next Generation

Biscuit Barrel Fashion [Import]

Abstract Afro Journey

1er Album/Positif [Import]

ANThology

A Invasão do Sagaz Homem Fumaça [Import]

A Little South of Sanity [Explicit Lyrics] [Live]

A Place for You

20 Exitazos

20th Anniversary

Take My Hand: Gospel Favourites

Vermillion Sands