Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado [Original recording reissued]

Arthur Sullivan (Composer), Royston Nash (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Colin Wright (Performer), John Ayldon (Performer), John Broad (Performer), John Reed (Performer), Kenneth Sandford (Performer), Lyndsie Holland (Performer), Michael Rayner (Performer), Pauline Wales (Performer), Peggy Ann Jones (Performer), Valerie Masterson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Colin Wright, John Ayldon, John Broad, John Reed, Kenneth Sandford, et al.
• Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Royston Nash
• Composer: Arthur Sullivan
• Audio CD (May 13, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00008LJET
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,756 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 13-MAY-2003

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Messy Mikado, April 26, 2004

By 

Rudy Avila "Saint Seiya" (Lennox, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado (Audio CD)

I gave this recording four stars instead of five only because the strongest singers in this album are Valerie Masterson and John Reed. This album dates back from a 1973 LP album. It has been digitally remastered for compact disc. I was drawn to this recording because based on the cover in the front and back I assumed this would be like the 1966 D'Oyly Carte Opera film. Pray make no mistake. This recording is nothing like the film. The singers sound very tired and old. These singers were approaching a status of veteran since they had been singing for the Company since the 60's. The 1966 film stars John Reed, Valerie Masterson, Phillip Potter (as Nanki Poo) and Christene Palmer as Katisha. Those 60's singers were the best. All the cast in this recording have their faults, except for the lyric baritone comedian John Reed and the sweet songbird that was the gorgeous Valerie Masterson, reprising their roles as Ko-Ko and Yum-Yum. Weakest of all is Lyndsie Holland, who is the alto singing the role of Katisha. First of all Lyndsie Holland is incorrectly cast as Katisha, the jealous older woman whose ambition is to marry Nanki Poo, the Mikado's son, and who vows revenge when she discovers Nanki Poo has fallen for Yum-Yum. Katisha calls for a dramatic mezzo soprano, not a contralto. Katisha is a fiery dragon-lady, imperious and vengeful. Lyndsie Holland puts nothing into her performance. Instead, she sounds comical!! She sounds weird and a lot like Miss Piggy from the Muppets. Just listen to her scene in the finale of Act 1. She interrupts the festivities as Nanki Poo and Yum-Yum are about to be married. She does'nt sound at all furious. At the later portions in that scene, when she threatens to reveal Nanki Poo's identity as the son of the Mikado, she is literally screetching and screaming (I"ll Spoil! Of Your! The Son of Your!) it' a terrible moment. Lindsie Holland did not compare to the greater Christene Palmer whom she replaced in the 70's. Here Miss Holland is only good in her solo aria "Alone And Yet Alive" especially in the dismal way she says "O sepulcher my soul is still my bodys' prisoner" and in her duet with Ko-Ko. Miss Holland was also a good Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore and as The Fairy Queen in Iolanthe. But she is totally wrong for the role of Katisha. With that said, get this recording only to hear the sublime sounds of John Reed and Valerie Masterson. John Reed is still delivering comedy at this point in the 70's (listen to how he says "Not you Silly" when he finally gives Yum Yum over to Nanki Poo (Take her she's yours) and to the warmth and comedy in his voice alone. Valerie Masterson was an incredible soprano who could sing opera in English (she sung Gilda, Lucia, Violetta and even the Bird in Ring of the Nibelung's Siegfried by Wagner as well as Cleopatra in Handel's Julius Caesar) and here her best moment comes in "The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze".

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Modified Rapture doesn't even Begin to Describe It, December 18, 2009

By 

Aronne (MN, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado (Audio CD)

I'm listening to the recording, making notes as I go. They are below for your delectation. Well...they might be helpful. Skip to the end for my overall impressions.

Colin Wright about loses the first G in the sailor section of "A wand'ring minstrel I." His excessive vibrato and unusual sibilance quickly tire the ear.

The tempo in "Our great Mikado, virtuous man" is too slow! It bothers me every time I hear it. Michael Rayner could have handled a faster tempo - come on.

Kenneth Sandford was so much better in the 1957 recording (not to mention he's paired up with Thomas Round and Alan Styler for his song in that recording!)

John Reed is his excellent self - though he probably would have sounded even better had this recording been made in 1966, as was the plan until the guest conductor (yup, Sir Malcolm Sargent) fell ill, making way for a recording of The Sorcerer instead (Gilbert & Sullivan: The Sorcerer & The Zoo).

The lady's voices make the recording crack when they hit their G's in "Comes a train of little ladies." This is totally unacceptable for a 1973 Decca recording! Get with the program, guys - your 1960s recordings sounded better (and certainly much more atmospheric). Valerie Masterson has arrived on stage. Things are getting better. Best "Three little maids from school" ever. Hands down. Masterson's G's in "So please you, sir, we much regret" are ravishing.

The slowest "I am so proud" I've heard. It excites only modified rapture. Ditto for "The threaten'd cloud has passed away." A slightly faster tempo would have been more exciting. Oh, no, Katisha just entered. Katisha's entrance should be terrible to the characters, not the audience. Lyndsie Holland screeches through her part in a way that is most exasperating. She sounds alright as the Baroness in The Grand Duke. Why not here? (Listen to "Thy heart unbi-ind" - you can almost hear the sound falling into her throat.) "The hour of gladness" here strikes me as being a bit plodding. Hm.

Why does Colin Write go up an octave on "How foil my foe"? None of the tenors on the seven other recordings I've heard do that. Ugh. Katisha just screamed her painful "I'll spoil" business. When I first heard this recording, I though it was a nice dramatic touch. But it doesn't bear repeated listening. The finale is on the slow side.

Okay, on to Act II. Ah, "The sun whose rays" is wonderful. The relaxed tempo gives VM to show off her splendid voice admirably.

The "Miya sama" scene is nice. John Alydon is a bit gruff as The Mikado, but certainly good enough. Everything from there is mediocre to very good. Holland does better in "Alone and yet alive" than in the Act 1 Finale. "On a tree by a river" comes off well. The short fanfare is included before the finale. Said Finale is reasonably satisfying, even though the orchestral sound is a bit on the shallow side.

Overall, this recording is a listen-able if flawed representation of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's abilities. John Reed and Valerie Masterson make it only somewhat worth your while, but certainly saves it from 1 or 2 star infamy. For one recording of the DOC in all its glory, turn to the 1959/60 recording of HMS Pinafore (Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore/Gilbert & Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore) or the 1961 Patience (Gilbert & Sullivan: Patience). For a single recording of The Mikado, turn to the 1957 DOC recording with Isidore Godfrey conducting, now available in mono as two $1 MP3 downloads (if only they had been released in stereo!). The single CD Mackerras recording will also satisfy many, despite its minor imperfections (Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / WNO · Mackerras).

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, ageless, whimsey, July 31, 2008

By 

Parker W. Snapp "turing's man" (Los Osos, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Mikado (Audio CD)

If you like Gilbert and Sullivan, and don't have time to view a DVD, this is a good CD to play while you are doing something else. Or perhaps you just want to hear the words that go with the music, sung audibly.