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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Return of a classic recording, 2 Feb 2006
By A Customer
At last, DECCA's 1954 D'Oyly Carte recording is reissued on a commercial label. I first became acquainted with this performance in 1967 when I discovered a copy of the first LP from the set in a record shop in Sevenoaks. The set had already been deleted and superceeded by the magnificent but less incisive recording directed by Malcolm Sargent and released in 1965. I later found the second disc in a shop in Tunbridge Wells.
There is no doubt that here is the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company on top form. The recording (albeit mono) was undoubtedly the crowning glory of what affectionately came to be known as the "DECCA 1st series" of D'Oyly Carte recordings (1949 - 1954).
The cast is headed by Peter Pratt, a much underrated patter comedian who fell between two great names, Martyn Green and John Reed. Pratt gives a remarkable performance as the irritable and unlikeable King Gama and it is a great pity that many more of his performances were not committed to disc. He can be heard in the 1953 recording of THE SORCERER and hopefully someone will issue his 1957 recordings of MIKADO and PIRATES. It is certainly understandable why the BBC engaged him as the lynchpin of the 1966 recordings of the complete G & S series.
The part of King Hildebrand is played by another post war great, Fisher Morgan, another artiste who tends to have been sidelined by another great, Kenneth Sandford. Hilarion is entrusted to the ever popular Thomas Round and Florian to the charming and ever delightful Jeffrey Skitch. Cyril is played by Leonard Osborn, an ever popular tenor on stage but unfortunately nasal in the recording studio. Here he is less nasal, but in this his last recording with D'Oyly Carte, he does sound tired at times. This, however, does not detract from his overall performance. Donald Adams makes his mark as Arac giving us a glimpse of what was to come.
In general the ladies are no less delightful. This recording eminated from the first post-war revival in London and therefore a "star name" was bought in to play the title role. Muriel Harding would normally have played this role, but here, relegated to the part of Lady Psyche, she gives a memorable, charming and witty performance. As Lady Blanche, Ann Drummond-Grant makes a classic mark despite that fact that the role is shorn of the song "Come Mighty Must" - what she could have done with this must remain a matter for speculation.
Mellissa is said to have been Beryl Dixon's favourite role and it certainly shows here in a wonderful perky and cheeky performance.
On the original LP's the voice of 'star name' Victoria Sladen, was very much disliked. What her performance on stage was like I do not know, although I understand that she was unpopular with the company in general. Miss Sladen was an accomplished opera singer, having performed at Covent Garden amongst other venues. It may be that her voice was just too operatic for G & S. Digitally remastered, the harsh edge seems to have been taken off Miss Sladen's voice and although at times she sounds like a Brunhilde who has wandered into the wrong theatre, her performance is acceptable and does blend a little more comfortably than on LP.
The chorus and orchestra under the batton of the inimitable Isadore Godfrey are quite frankly superb, the orchestra in particular sounding absolutely fabulous, and the performance rattles off at a cracking pace which is totally infectious and sweeps one along with it, and would have earned five stars but for Miss Sladen and the omission of "Come Mighty Must".
There is a very generous filler on disc 2 of the abridged Columbia GONDOLIERS of 1931 featuring Joan Cross, George Baker, Dan Jones and Nellie Walker.
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