Gilbert and Sullivan – two names that encapsulate the very meaning of Englishness of a by-gone era. The words and music of their comic operas have become interwoven in the very fabric of the life of this country. The tunes and lyrics are so familiar that listeners will know them even if they cannot put a title to a particular song. The entrepreneurial mind behind the productions was Richard D’Oyly Carte who was instrumental in bringing the librettist and composer together and also for building Savoy Theatre (and the hotel) in the Strand in London which become the home of the operettas. The guardianship of this heritage is now vested in the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company which has been synonymous with great performances, recordings and generations of dedicated performers since the late 1800s.

THE CDs

Perhaps the period of greatest acclaim were the years between the late 1950s and the early 1970s. This was the era of such soloists as John Reed, Donald Adams and Valerie Masterson. During that time the full catalogue of operettas (and some incidental music) was recorded by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company with several different orchestras and conductors and was released on vinyl at the time on Decca’s London label. These were reissued as two-disc CD boxed sets in the mid 1980s. Now, Decca have carried out a digital remastering of the whole range and are releasing them again in April 2003 on their “Grand Opera” label. These recordings are probably the definitive interpretations and the series the most complete set of the operas in existence.

There are some arguments about the content of each individual opera. Some feature the full (sung and vocal) libretto; others are missing the spoken parts. For my part I don’t think this matters unduly on CD and does not detract from the beauty of the music and the sense of the work.

THE DVDs

To my knowledge there is not a full set of video recordings of the operas. This particular collection, featuring the ten full length operas, is the nearest to that goal. It was produced back in the 1980s by George Walker, originally for screening by the BBC. They have been available on VHS tape since that time but they were remastered and reissued on DVD during 2002. Admittedly at the moment they are only available in Region 1 format in America (one retailer in Newcastle has told me that he could obtain them from the US as a special order) but there are rumours that a release may be imminent in the UK next year.

They feature the London Symphony Orchestra, a professional operatic choir, a number of D’Oyly Carte stalwarts and a number of guest artists. These include Keith Michell, Frankie Howerd, Vincent Price and William Conrad. The DVDs are available singly, as a box of five ‘Most Popular’ or a box of the full ten titles.

CIAO REVIEWS

This article is something of a preview rather than a review or an opinion. I shall also use it as an index and reference point for the other reviews I shall be posting on similar subject matter. I will continue to update and add page references to each article as I go.

It is my intention to write a review of each operetta (within this boxed set range) and post the reviews in the order in which they were written. There are obviously some inconsistencies in this arrangement (“Trial By Jury” – the first operetta - is too short to stand alone and is paired with “Yeoman of the Guard”) and one omission (“Thespis” was the first G&S collaboration but has been lost to antiquity).

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

So there we are. My labour of love is complete. I have enjoyed my in depth studies of these two pillars of Victorian England and the treasured legacy that they have left behind. I have also enjoyed the discovery of works that I had never heard before.

I have also posted a review about "Orpheus in the Underworld" by Jacques Offenbach. This is a fairly recent recording by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Both Gilbert and Sullivan were firm admirers of this adoptive Frenchman. Orpheus really is a treasure and worth going out of your way to see. I have just received a copy of the Company's "Die Fledermaus" (Johann Strauss) recorded in the mid 1990s and sung in English. I hope to post a review of that in due course.

BTW: The title of each review is a direct quotation from the opera in question.

THE OPERAS:

THE SORCERER / THE ZOO (Posted 26/03/03) http://www.ciao.co.uk/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_The_Sorcerer_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5329344

HMS PINAFORE (Posted 28/03/03)
http://www.ciao.co.uk/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_HMS_Pinafore_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5329601

PIRATES OF PENZANCE (Posted 02/04/03)
http://www.ciao.co.uk/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_Pirates_of_Penzance_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5330338

PATIENCE (Posted 14/04/03)
http://www.ciao.co.uk/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_Patience_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5332107

IOLANTHE (Posted 19/04/03)
http://www.uk.ciao.com/Gilbert_and_Sullivan_s_Iolanthe__Review_5332895

PRINCESS IDA / PINEAPPLE POLL (posted 09/05/03)
http://www.uk.ciao.com/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_Princess_Ida_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5336168

THE MIKADO (posted 03/05/03)
http://www.ciao.co.uk/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_The_Mikado_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5335227

RUDDIGORE / COX AND BOX (posted 11/05/03)
http://www.uk.ciao.com/Gilbert_and_Sullivan_s_Ruddigore__Review_5336417

YEOMEN OF THE GUARD / TRIAL BY JURY (posted 22/05/03)
http://www.ciao.co.uk/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_Yeomen_of_the_Guard_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5338328

THE GONDOLIERS (posted 28/06/03)
http://www.uk.ciao.com/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_The_Gondoliers_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5343758

UTOPIA LTD / OVERTURES (posted 02/07/03)
http://www.uk.ciao.com/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_Utopia_Ltd_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5344295

THE GRAND DUKE (posted 17/07/03)
http://www.uk.ciao.com/Gilbert_Sullivan_s_The_Grand_Duke_D_Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company__Review_5348461

I shall also add a short note about each of the video performances where applicable. I am intending to write a separate review of the complete boxed set in due course. Please feel free to bookmark this page. Also please add comments. If there is enough interest I might review each of the DVDs individually.

THE FORM OF THE REVIEW

I shall try to keep a uniform format as I go. The logical sections are “The Plot”, ”G&S History”, ”The background to the opera”, “The Songs”, “Stage Performances”, “Recording Details – CD, DVD”, “G&S Trivia”

MY BACKGROUND

I have enjoyed the works of Gilbert and Sullivan for many years. There was an appreciation of the music woven into the fabric of our family decades before I happened along. My grandfather was a leading light in the local amateur dramatic society in Leicester in the 1920s and early 30s. I am told that he had a fine tenor voice and was on the edge of pursuing a professional career. I have photographs of him in costume from a number of staged productions. That love of the operettas came down through my mother to me.

I have seen all of the popular operas – some by the D’Oyly Carte Company, some by their great rivals the Carl Rosa Opera Company. I have seen alternative interpretations of some of the titles. I have the complete set of the CD recordings. As of today I am awaiting one remaining title in the DVD series (Now arrived from Amazon.com!) . I have a more or less complete set of the libretti for reference.

In more recent times my step-son has developed a similar keen interest in Gilbert and Sullivan He came home from a school concert, full of the lines of “A Policeman’s Lot” not knowing exactly where it has come from. Since then we have taken him to the Theatre Royal in Newcastle whenever there has been a production in the calendar (we have not kept his horizons narrow on G&S alone and he has also seen “The Magic Flute” and “Orpheus In The Underworld”). As a family we have taken day trips to the Savoy Theatre in London. He has continued to borrow from my CD collection and he will usually know before we do when another performance is brewing.