Customer Reviews

Gilbert & Sullivan: Iolanthe

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

SOURCE: September 1960 studio recording made in London.

SOUND: When new, the series of G&S recordings that includes this "Iolanthe" was generally regarded as being at the leading edge of commercial analogue stereo. The digital remastering carried out in the late 1990s was generally successful and the sound on these CDs will be perfectly satisfactory to anyone but hyper-finicky audiophiles.

CAST: Lord Chancellor - John Reed (patter baritone); Earl Mountararat - Donald Adams (bass-baritone); Earl Tolloller - Thomas Round (tenor); Private Willis - Kenneth Sandford (bass-baritone); Strephon - Alan Styler (baritone); Queen of the Fairies - Gillian Knight (mezzo-soprano); Iolanthe - Yvonne Newman (mezzo-soprano); Celia - Jennifer Toye (soprano); Leila - Pauline Wales (soprano); Fleta - Dawn Bradshaw (speaking part); Phyllis - Mary Sansom (soprano). CONDUCTOR: Isadore Godfrey with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Chorus, the New Symphony Orchestra of London and the Band of the Grenadier Guards.

TEXT: With one significant exception, the text of this performance is the standard text adopted by the D'Oyly Carte Company early in the Twentieth Century and performed by them until the company's demise at the hands of the penny-pinching Thatcher government. The standard text contains one major cut from the opening night's score, a song for Strephon called "Fold Your Flapping Wings." The song was not recorded here, although it has been restored in the 1991 recording of the New D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.

The exception to the standard text in this performance arises from the fact that the original production of "Iolanthe" was offered to the London audience in an ultra-sumptuous production. That production had a full military brass band to play for the spectacular entrance of the peers in Act One. The D'Oyly Carte touring companies, playing year after year throughout the length and breadth of Britain and Ireland, on the other hand, could not afford the luxury of a second band. For them, Sullivan thriftily provided a version of the entrance music that could be played by the pick-up orchestras playing in the pits of provincial theaters. The touring version became the standard version and was played on all prior recording.

It should be noted that this set was recorded at a time when the record producers elected to break with the long-established practice of omitting the spoken words. The labels on both the old Lp album and the current CD case proudly proclaim, "Complete with dialogue" and so it is. You are free to regard this fact as a welcome addition or as an insufferable nuisance.

COMMENTARY: This recording captures the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company--the production company founded by Gilbert, Sullivan and their producer, Richard D'Oyly Carte--at the height of its 1960s form. At its core were stars still held fondly in the hearts of many G&S afficionados: John Reed, Kenneth Sandford, Thomas Round, Donald Adams and Gillian Knight. It was certainly a very sound cast and, naturally, the most experienced in the world in this repertory. This performance is in the classic D'Oyly Carte tradition which stretches back directly to the days when genial Sullivan conducted from the pit of the Savoy Theatre and glowering Gilbert directed the performers on stage.

The recordings of the original DCOC can be divided into four strata: the electrical recordings of the late 1920s and early 1930s, the mono recordings of the 1950s, the first stereo recordings of the 1960s and the second stereo recordings of the 1970s. Fans debate with considerable heat about the respective merits of the three earlier strata. (Nobody pays much attention to the final one.) The 1960s cast certainly has its adherents. Purely as a matter of personal taste, I prefer the earlier ones, but they are recorded in the "historic" sound not beloved by ears accustomed to the digital era.

The previous reviewer was struck by the speed of this performance and even suggested some humorous explanations for it. (Ho-ho-ho.) This "Iolanthe" is unquestionably more brisk than the contemporary and rival version conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. From the outset, however the Sargent series was widely criticized as being overly lugubrious. This recording is a fair presentation of the tempo of the actual DCOC stage production as I remember it. It is about the same as the 1950s recorded version and, if anything, a bit slower than the 1930s version.

Overall, this is a good stereo "Iolanthe." It showcases the absolutely authentic performing tradition for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Five stars.

"Iolanthe" is one of the lesser-known Gilbert & Sullivan shows, at least in the United States. That is unfortunate, since it's a great deal of fun to listen to. It will probably take most people who don't know the show at least a couple of listens before they appreciate it, but it's well worth it.

The plot of "Iolanthe," like all G & S, is a bit convoluted. The fairies in England are wondering what happened to one of their own, Iolanthe. The fairy queen says she banished her to penal servitude for life for marrying a mortal (the usual sentence is death), and Iolanthe decided to serve her sentence on her head at the bottom of a stream. The queen decides to pardon Iolanthe, and she appears, telling them that she wanted to be closer to her son Strephon, who is a fairy down to the waist. Strephon is engaged to Phyllis, a ward of the Lord Chancellor. Normally, the Chancellor's consent is required to marry a ward of the court, but Strephon can defy him down to the waist. The chancellor and House of Peers enter with great fanfare, and the Lord Chancellor describes how awkward his dilemma is. He is in love with Phyllis, but does he need his own consent to marry a ward of his own court? Can he marry without his own consent? And if he marries without his own consent, can he hold himself in contempt of his own court?

When Phyllis sees Strephon kissing a seemingly young woman, she assumes the worst. But her "rival" turns out to be none other than Strephon's own mother, Iolanthe, a fairy -- fairies never grow old. But with Phyllis' guardian, the Lord Chancellor, and half the peers in the House of Lords pining over her, soon the peers and the fairies are virtually at war, and long friendships are nearly torn asunder. But all is happily sorted out, thanks to the "subtleties of the legal mind".

The songs in "Iolanthe" are delightful. My personal favorites are "Spurn Not the Nobly Born," sung by Lord Tolloler, and "When Britain Really Ruled the Waves," sung by Lord Mountararat. Tolloler pleads to Phyllis that the nobly born have an equal claim to be respected, and laments, "Blue blood! blue blood! When virtuous love is sought, Thy power is naught, Though dating from the Flood, Blue blood! Ah, blue blood!" Mountararat says that if there is ever an institution not susceptible to any improvement at all, it is the House of Peers, and sings "When Wellington thrashed Bonaparte, As every child can tell, The House of Peers, throughout the war, Did nothing in particular, and did it very well."

The cast does an outstanding job. All the greats of the old D'Oyly Carte company give great performances- Alan Styler as Strephon, Mary Sansom as Phyllis, Thomas Round as Tolloler, and of course the great comic baritone John Reed as the Lord Chancellor. Reed had a laser-like precision in his voice that was perfect for the comic baritone roles. So buy or download the album, and listen to the whole show, dialogue and music- you will enjoy it. Highly recommended.

This is a good recording; both the musical and the spoken performances are very acceptable.
Isidore Godfrey is one of the best conductors for Sullivan, he invariably choses the right tempi and brings out all the delightful details of Sullivan's orchestration.
The Soloists are good too and even John Reed (whose mannerisms in later recordings became increasingly irritating) is on better form than usual.
It seems amazing to me that to enjoy most Gibert and Sullivan operas one still has to buy recordings made in th 1950's or 60's but this one stands up well.It is also an historic record of the D'Oly Carte Company at a time before went down hill once the copyright money was lost in 1961

Iolanthe has one of Sullivan's best scores and one of Gilbert's most amusing (and politically perceptive) librettos. I had the good fortune to see a performance of it by the D'Oyly Carte company on their final USA tour, decades ago, shortly before they went out of existence. I have not seen the current DVDs of Iolanthe, but from all reports no fully satisfactory Iolanthe DVD is now on the market. The D'Oyly Carte CD, even though it lacks the visual element, is thus the best available Iolanthe. It includes the spoken words as well as the music, and the superb dramatic and vocal D'Oyly Carte traditions are well served. Sullivan's brilliant orchestrations are expertly performed and cleanly recorded. The vocal recording is a bit further away from modern technical standards--hence my choice of 4 stars rather than 5--but still good enough for the words to be clearly understood. Now, if the Austrailian Opera company would only dump their old flawed production of Iolanthe and give us a new Iolanthe DVD as good as their Patience or Pinafore . . .

Iolanthe was the first Gilbert & Sullivan purchase I'd ever made. I did so for my wife, not for myself. Who knew!? Yes, Gilbert & Sullivan music does indeed "sound like Gilbert & Sullivan" music; I have difficulty listening to this music without visualizing any of a number of Monty Python skits. But I had no idea that Gilbert's lyrics were so witty, nor that they were written as social commentary. Hilarious stuff. I am especially pleased that this recording includes the spoken dialogue between the songs. This really brings the music to life for me.

This is a recording that shows its age a bit. The women's pronounciation is rather like the Queen's: from another era. It's not surprising I suppose, because this was recorded in 1960. John Reed is good as the Lord Chancellor, as is Kenneth Sandford as the Sentry. However, this production is so rushed! I strongly suspect this was recorded so as to end in time for the cast to get to the pub before last orders.
Another possibility is that it was squeezed to fit a double LP.