Search - Gilbert & Sullivan :: Gilbert & Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore & The Pirates of Penzance (The 1929/30 D'Oyly Carte Recordings)

Excellent performances

madamemusico | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 02/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'd like to suggest that the review below by Erica simply reflects her particular reaction and not that of hundreds of thousands of music lovers the world over. Yes, it's true that these are not the "funniest" of G&S recordings, though they are brisk, energetic (far more so than Malcolm Sargent's later stereo remakes) and for the most part stunningly sung. They also lack the dialogue, but so do most G&S recordings. And yes, they are monophonic sound, but remarkably good for their time. The sound is not only crisp and transparent, but there is some natural reverb around the voices that add to their attractiveness.



This was the Golden Age of the D'Oyly Carte company, a time when the aging veterans whose voices were shot but who had sung the roles under either Sullivan, Gilbert, or both (particlarly Henry Lytton and Leo Sheffield) were balanced by younger talents with phenomenal voices the likes of which we simply don't have today. Primary among these were soprano Elsie Griffin, who sings on both of these operas, and whose lovely voice, bulletproof coloratura technique and phenomenal breath control were so prized that she was lured back to make these 1929-30 recordings despite the fact that she left the D'Oyly-Carte company in 1927, tenor Derek Oldham (sadly, not on the "Pinafore" performance) who set a standard rarely matched for G&S tenors, and contralto Bertha Walker (heard on "Pinafore" only) whose rich, powerful contralto was also admired as Amneris, Delilah and Carmen. In "Pinafore" we also hear the wonderful singing of the (then) young Darrell Fancourt who continued to sing with the company until 1953 as well as Sydney Granville.



But HMV's classical A&R man, Fred Gaisberg, was no fool. He wanted to sell records, not preserve every old and creaky voice in D'Oyly-Carte's company, so he insisted on using the wonderful baritone George Baker to sing many of the patter roles on the records. Baker was admired by D'Oyly Carte and in fact offered a position with the company, but Baker never sang onstage in his entire life! He was stage-shy and would only sing on radio and records. Here he sings both Capt. Corcoran in "Pinafore" and Major-General Stanley in "Pirates." Erica complains that the tempos are too fast, but too fast for what?? Baker delivers "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" at an unbelievable clip, but every syllable is clear as a bell. And no one, not even the excellent Valerie Masterson, has ever sung Mabel in "Pirates" as well as she. Derek Oldham recalled, a half-century later, the effect her entrance had on him the first time he sang "Pirates" with her in 1919: he was as stunned as the audience by her phrasing, staccato, trills, and most importantly, dead accuracy of pitch.



Another guest singer here (in "Pirates") is the wonderful Peter Dawson as the Pirate King. OK, so Sheffield is a little short of voice as the police sergeant, but it's a comic aria that doesn't exactly call for Ezio Pinza, and Sheffield was a splendid comedian. Cut him some slack, he was 58 at the time and had sung himself out a decade earlier.



If you (or Erica) want the best "Pirates," get the 1967 Decca recording. But this is a splendid reissue of two classic recordings that will bring a smile to your face and, if you're a connoisseur of singing, a smile of pleasure at the high level of the principals."