A 2CD set of Overtures from the D’Oyly Carte recordings made over several years by Decca, together with some of Sullivan’s ‘concert overtures’ – Macbeth, Marmion and Di Ballo. Also included is an extremely rare 1969 Decca recording of Sullivan Choruses conducted by James Walker, better known in musical circles as one of Decca’s key recording engineers, but an ardent G&S fan. It receives its first release on Decca CD. A perfect introduction to the set pieces and patter songs in orchestral guise.
SULLIVAN
Overtures:
1 The Gondoliers
The New Symphony Orchestra of London / Isidore Godfrey
2 The Mikado
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Royston Nash
3 Ruddigore
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden / Isidore Godfrey
4 Cox and Box
5 Patience
The New Symphony Orchestra of London / Isidore Godfrey
6 The Grand Duke
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Royston Nash
7 Princess Ida
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Malcolm Sargent
8 The Sorcerer
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Isidore Godfrey
9 The Yeomen of the Guard
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Sir Malcolm Sargent
10 H.M.S. Pinafore
The New Symphony Orchestra of London / Isidore Godfrey
11 Iolanthe
The New Symphony Orchestra of London / Isidore Godfrey
12 The Pirates of Penzance
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Isidore Godfrey
CD2
1 Overture Di Ballo
Philharmonia Orchestra / Sir Charles Mackerras
2 Macbeth Overture
3 Marmion Overture
4 Imperial March (from Utopia Limited)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Royston Nash
Choruses:
Loudly let the trumpet bray Iolanthe
Strephon’s a member of Parliament Iolanthe
With Strephon for you foe Iolanthe
Pour, oh pour the pirate sherry The Pirates of Penzance
Hail Poetry, thou heav’n born maid! The Pirates of Penzance
With cat-like tread The Pirates of Penzance
We sail the ocean blue H.M.S. Pinafore
Over the bright blue sea H.M.S. Pinafore
Welcome, gentry Ruddigore
Behold the Lord High Executioner The Mikado
Comes a train of little ladies The Mikado
Hark the hour of Ten is sounding Trial by Jury
The soldiers of our Queen Patience
Here’s a man of jollity The Yeomen of the Guard
Tower warders under orders The Yeomen of the Guard
Mighty maiden with a mission Princess Ida
When anger spreads his wing Princess Ida
With heart and voice The Sorcerer
Ring forth, ye bells The Sorcerer
Dance a cachucha, fandango, bolero The Gondoliers
D’Oyly Carte Opera Chorus
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
James Walker
Recording Producers: James Walker (The Gondoliers, Cox and Box, Patience, H.M.S. Pinafore, Iolanthe); Ray Horricks (The Mikado, The Grand Duke, Macbeth, Marmion, Utopia Limited); Michael Bremner (Ruddigore); James Mallinson (Overture di Ballo); Tony d’Amato (The Yeomen of the Guard); unidentified (Princess Ida, The Sorcerer, The Pirates of Penzance, Choruses)
Balance Engineers: Kenneth Wilkinson (The Gondoliers, Patience, H.M.S. Pinafore, Iolanthe); Kenneth Wilkinson, Alan Reeve (Cox and Box); Colin Moorfoot (The Mikado, Overture di Ballo); James Brown (Ruddigore); Martin Smith (The Grand Duke, Macbeth, Utopia Limited); Arthur Lilley (The Yeomen of the Guard); Mike Ross-Trevor (Marmion); Arthur Bannister (Choruses); unidentified (Princess Ida, The Sorcerer, The Pirates of Penzance)
Recording Locations: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, London, UK, July 1962 (Ruddigore), April 1964 (The Yeomen of the Guard); Watford Town Hall, Watford, UK, August 1959 (H.M.S. Pinafore), September 1960 (Iolanthe, The Gondoliers), September 1961 (Patience); Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London, UK, May 1965 (Princess Ida), February 1966 (The Sorcerer), December 1967 (The Pirates of Penzance), January 1969 (Choruses), January 1973 (The Mikado), June 1974 (Macbeth), July 1975 (Utopia Limited), March 1976 (The Grand Duke); Kingsway Hall, London, UK, January 1961 (Cox and Box), November 1982 (Overture di Ballo); Whitfield Street Studios, London, UK, February 1977 (Marmion)