Search - Arthur Sullivan, Isidore Godfrey, Orchestra of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company :: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Gondoliers; Ruddigore

The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's postwar monophonic Gilbert and Sullivan recordings have largely fallen by the wayside, boasting neither the historical significance of the earlier, acoustic recordings nor the polish and outstanding stereo sound of the later remakes. Rehearing these 1950 recordings, though, renews one's appreciation for both the operas and the company. The star is Martyn Green, here a terrific Duke of Plaza-Toro in Gondoliers and an equally witty Robin Oakapple, in Ruddigore. But others contribute mightily as well--prime among them D'Oyly Carte's veteran bass Darrell Fancourt, whose 21st baronet in Ruddigore makes one wish he'd been available for Gondoliers as well. Purists should be aware that the company makes little nips and tucks, conforming to the stage practice of the time; dialog is missing (not a bad thing for repeated hearings); and Pearl has cleaned up the original boxy sound about as well as can be expected. The recordings were made quickly, too (Gondoliers was recorded in one day), as the company rushed to get new recordings out before copyright expirations opened the floodgates to rival versions. That haste results in a raw quality to some of the singing that would otherwise have been redone. Finally, there's more subpar singing than anyone would want. But none of this will deter G&S fans, many of whom grew up with these recordings and have been impatient for their reissue. --Dan Davis