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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed reunion,
By A Customer
This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: Utopia Ltd. (Audio CD)
With UTOPIA LIMITED Gilbert and Sullivan returned to the Savoy (in partnership) after a gap of almost four years. Following the premiere of their previous work (THE GONDOLIERS, December 1889) they had become involved in a bitter law suit in which Gilbert had opposed D'Oyly Carte over the expenses incurred in the provision of a new carpet for the foyer of the Savoy Theatre. Sullivan sided with Carte - something Gilbert would never fully forgive.UTOPIA is quite a different libretto to those Gilbert wrote in 1892 (HASTE TO THE WEDDING with George Grossmith and THE MOUNTEBANKS with Alfred Cellier), it is openly satirical of everything English and even takes pop-shots at D'Oyly Carte in the character of Mr Goldbury, the company promotor, and at Sullivan in the character of Arthur Fitzbattleaxe, the tenor who cannot reach his top notes. These factors lead to a rather dark-hued libretto with not much of a storyline. Sullivan, too, with his Grand Opera IVANHOE (1891) and Light Opera HADDON HALL (1892) under his belt, was also in a much darker musical mood and this manifests itself with a number of dark musical passages and recitatives. The current recording was released at the end of 1975 and was the direct result of the first professional revival by D'Oyly Carte as part of their centenary season at the Savoy earlier that year. As a result of this stage version the recording has more of a theatrical feel to it than (for example) the 1968 SORCERER, recorded at a time when that opera was not in the repertoire. Recorded without dialogue (except for a few snatches in Act Two) the recording is a little brighter than one might have expected, and many of the numbers rattle off at a cracking pace. John Reed and John Ayldon are excellent as the two wise men and Kenneth Sandford turns in a wonderful performance as King Paramount. Pamela Field and Meston Reid make a delightful pair of lovers. There are a number of musical gems, not least the duet for Nekaya and Kalyba, the twin princesses, although the voices of both Julia Goss and Judi Merri are perhaps a little weighty for 18 year old girls. The cabinet council scene is a winner as always. Orchestra and chorus are well directed by Royston Nash, and this latest CD reissue by DECCA seems to have taken the nasty harsh edge off the recorded sound that seemed to be present on the original L.P. issue. The fillers are a welcome reissue and give a delightful taster of some of Sullivan's rarer orchestral music. However, all this said, unless you are desperate for the fillers (which except MARMION are available in other recordings) there is also the complete recording (with dialogue) made by Ohio Light Opera in 2000, which pips this older D'Oyly Carte recording to the post by some considerable distance.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine Opera; Good Performance,
By Aronne - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: Utopia Ltd. (Audio CD)
Just because I believe Utopia is probably the worst of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas does not mean that I do not like it. I love it! It just isn't as great as, say, Ruddigore or Patience. "Bold fac'd ranger" is among the greatest contralto songs of the canon.
Overall, this recording is adequate, the sound being only so-so. While better than The Zoo's recorded quality, it doesn't come up to the standard of the 1960 sets. It is too bright and lacks atmosphere. John Reed and John Alydon make a fine pair of villains as Scaphio and Phantis respectfully, even if Reed has a tendency to be more abrasive than usual. The singing of the Flowers of Progress is variable. Most do well enough, even if Colin Wright and James Conroy-Ward have odd voices. Lyndsie Holland has an uncomfortable higher range. I don't know if this is because of the recording or what, but it somewhat mars her duets with Kenneth Sandford as Paramount. Sandford, though definitely past his prime, still acquits himself well as King Paramount. "Society has quite forsaken" is very successful, even if Sandford doesn't always seem comfortable with his E's. Pamela Field as Zara is excellent, matched well by Meston Reid as Captain Fitzbattleaxe. The former is one of the few D'Oyly Carte sopranos whose voice resembled Valerie Masterson, the latter one of the most interesting D'Oyly Carte tenors to appear on record. The balance tends to favor him for some inexplicable reason: this would be unforgivable except that he sings Fitzbattleaxe very well. All is not well in "Eagle high." The balance of the recording is messed up or something. The acoustics seem cramped and stuffy. That said, the Act I Finale goes admirably and overall, this recording can be recommended with at least some enthusiasm, as it presents one of Gilbert and Sullivan's rarest operas in a more or less complete form. (We receive the shorter form of "Ah, gallant soldier brave and true," no great loss.) This recording contains no dialogue except for two 17 second clips in Act II and the complete dialogue preceding the finale. The three fillers are enjoyable orchestral works by Sullivan. The Macbeth Overture, the most interesting of the three, is perhaps too jovial for the program material but still finely crafted. This is a worthy addition to any Gilbert and Sullivan collection! 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Call This dated?,
By Paul A. Gerard - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: Utopia Ltd. (Audio CD)
"Utopia" followed "The Gondoliers" at an interval of two years - the long standing friendship of Gilbert and Sullivan had soured in the interval, and their working relationship was far less harmonious than it had been for their earlier work. Most casual references to this operetta in fact lump it in with "The Grand Duke" and write it off as a flop. In fact it wasn't a flop at all - by the standards of the time it was actually a hit, although it was less profitable than most of the earlier Gilbert and Sullivan works, among other reasons because it it proved very expensive to stage. Ever since, it has been sadly neglected. One reason might be that it was probably the most topical of all Gilbert's operetta "books". There were two news items that Gilbert had almost certainly had in mind. One was the appearance of a best-selling book called "The English Governess at the Siamese Court" - based on the experiences of Anna Leonowens. This story was to resurface on the musical stage many years later, in "The King and I". The other event was the appearance of Princess Kaiulani - the daughter of the King of Hawaii (which was still independent)- at an exclusive private girls' school in England. Utopia is an imaginary South Pacific Island that is adopting English customs and institutions. Gilbert pokes fun, not only at the idea of "globalisation" (he doesn't call it that of course, but that is what it is!) but almost every English institution he can think of, including the concept of "limited liability". He even takes a sly swipe at the Royal family; the then Prince of Wales - later Edward VII - was the subject of a good deal of scandal. It is all very funny, at the least well up to Gilbert's usual standards. Sullivan's music for Utopia is also very fine - again at least as good as most of his other operettas. If you are unfamiliar with the work, but like the other Gilbert and Sullivan operettas you will love this one! All in all - well worth grabbing - as the only other way of getting this recording is in the very expensive complete set!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utopia Limited,
By chill13 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: Utopia Ltd. (Audio CD)
I had heard that Utopia Limited was one of Gilbert and Sullivan's faliures. This is anything but a failure!!! Sullivan's catchy music and Gilbert's witty lyrics are every bit as good as any of their other plays. King Paramount has an awesome voice and is such a sweet guy that you can't help but love him. John Reed makes a HILARIOUS Scaphio! He has added so much personality to the character you can just see the sneaky old geezer. His 'BAH' is enough to make anyone laugh. Princess Zara has as such a pretty voice that matches perfectly with Capt. Fitzbattlaxe. Both even exceed the leading couples of previous Doyle Carte's recordings. I personally didn't care too much for Lady Sophy's voice. It seemed a little grating."First You're Born" is such a peppy song and so well sung and played, I swear it will be stuck in your head forever. I could go on and on about all the great songs on this CD. But you don't want to hear me ramble. But I definately recomend this. I know I'm going to listen to it again and again. This is something any Gilbert and Sulivan fan can't live without! |
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