Search - Arthur Sullivan, Isidore Godfrey, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra :: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance

In an ocean of Pirates, this one manages to steal near the m

Aronne | 09/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Pirates of Penzance was the second of Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular operas. The D'Oyly Carte Company recorded this opera in 1957 (I do believe), but without dialogue. Though by this time the Company had forsaken the habit of recording dialogue, this recording and the later account of HMS Pinafore (Phase 4 Stereo: Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore / D'Oyly Carte Opera Company) are two happy exceptions, particularly this one. The casting, the conducting, and the recording are all excellent.



There is quite a starry lineup for this opera. John Reed takes the role of the Major General, one of his strongest roles, though he only recorded it this one time. (Listen to the audio clip of his Act I song to see what I mean.) Valerie Masterson makes the perfect Mabel, throwing off "Poor wand'ring one" with incredible ease. Hers is one of the finest voices the Company ever had (she even looked like Mabel). She is matched well by Philip Potter, who, along with Thomas Round, was the best Gilbert and Sullivan Tenor of the Stereo Era. The present Sergeant of Police deserves special notice. Bass Owen Brannigan played the role in Sir Malcom Sargent's recording of Pirates, but appeared here as a sort of guest artist. Brannigan, as the Penguine guide says, "was surely born to play the Sergeant of Police in the Pirates of Penzance." Take a few spins through his Act 2 song, "When a felon's not engaged in his employment," and you'll see what they meant. This is near the last (perhaps the last) recording Donald Adams made with the company, and he is just as fine as any other recording he sang in. His sumptuous Bass-Baritone voice works incredibly well as the Pirate King. Even Kate and Edith are fine. I do not find Christine Palmer's voice as pleasant on record as Gillian Knight, Jill Pert, or Ann Collins (the fabulous Contralto of the Brent Walker video series), but she is still very good as Ruth.



This is one of Isidore Godfrey's last recordings (1968), and he is still as full of his characteristic verve as he was in the 50's. The Major General's song (with perfect diction by Reed) is performed excitingly by the orchestra, with real panache. This is exemplary of the general treatment given Sullivan's orchestration. None of the slow tempi that characterize Sargent's later recordings can be found here.



As for the recording, it is of the highest quality and is well up to Decca's standards. The recording quality contains none of the distortion found in the 1971 HMS Pinafore mentioned above, and is worlds better than the Mono of the previous decades. In short, it is very true to the original performance.



A couple minor notes: One oddity is that the Act I finale is pushed onto the second disc, though it could fit easily onto the first one. (I think this is on account of how the original LP was laid out; they wanted to duplicate it.) Also, the cover picture is not the best, but it is the music that counts. One small cut can be found in the dialogue. Gilbert's gag after the Major General's song is trimmed down a bit, but with positive results. The joke outlives its welcome if done in extended form, and is performed convincingly as it is here.



This is top choice, all things considered. No better stereo version has been offered, and there is no sign of it being outdone for some time. Unless you do not want dialogue, this is the way to go."