Gilbert & Sullivan:The Mikado; The Yeomen of the Guard [Box set, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Arthur Sullivan (Composer), Isidore Godfrey (Conductor), D'Oyly Carte Opera Company (Orchestra), Alan Styler (Performer), Ann Drummond-Grant (Performer), Darrell Fancourt (Performer), Deidree Thurlow (Performer), Donald Harris (Performer), Ella Halman (Performer), Geoffrey Sanders (Performer), Joan Gillingham (Performer), Joyce Wright (Performer), Leonard Osborn (Performer), Margaret Mitchell (Performer), Martyn Green (Performer), Muriel Harding (Performer), Neville Griffiths (Performer), Radley Flynn (Performer), Richard Watson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alan Styler, Ann Drummond-Grant, Darrell Fancourt, Deidree Thurlow, Donald Harris, et al.
• Orchestra: D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
• Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
• Composer: Arthur Sullivan
• Audio CD (March 27, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Pearl
• ASIN: B000056H35
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,769 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Overture

2. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: If You Want To Know Who We Are

3. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Gentlemen, I Pray You Tell Me

4. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: A Wandering Minstrel I

5. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Our Great Mikado

6. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Young Man, Despair

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Braid The Raven Hair

2. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Sit With Downcast Eye

3. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: The Sun Whose Rays

4. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day

5. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Here's A How-De-Do

6. The Mikado (The Town of Titipu), operetta: Miya Sama Miya Sama

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. The Yeomen of the Guard (The Merryman and his Maid), operetta: Overture

2. The Yeomen of the Guard (The Merryman and his Maid), operetta: When Maiden Loves

3. The Yeomen of the Guard (The Merryman and his Maid), operetta: Tower Warders, Under Orders

4. The Yeomen of the Guard (The Merryman and his Maid), operetta: This The Autumn Of Our Life

5. The Yeomen of the Guard (The Merryman and his Maid), operetta: When Our Gallant Norman Foes

6. The Yeomen of the Guard (The Merryman and his Maid), operetta: Alas I Waver To And Fro

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Mikado -- Really, December 15, 2009

By 

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

This review is from: The Mikado (MP3 Download)

This recording is, unlike Amazon's link to the CD Format version suggests, not the 1950 Martyn Green recording with Isidore Godfrey conducting. This is the Godfrey's 1957 D'Oyly Carte recording in all its splendor -- well, not ALL its splendor, as this MP3 download comes only in acceptable Mono, whereas the original recording was made in full-fledged Stereo.

The cast is wonderful in every way:

The Mikado - Donald Adams (his first recording in a major role, and a very fine one)
Nanki-Poo - Thomas Round (a excellent tenor who incidentally just celebrated his 70th wedding anniversary)
Ko-Ko - Peter Pratt (Martyn Green's forgotten, underrated successor)
Pooh-Bah - Kenneth Sandford (much fresher than in his 1973 traversal of the same role)
Pish-Tush - Alan Styler (I love Alan Styler's voice; it's unique in the best sense)
Go-To - Owen Grundy
Yum-Yum - Jean Hindmarsh (lovely voice and quite comfortable in "The sun whose rays")
Pitti-Sing - Beryl Dixon (a characterful singer at her best here, even though she never played P-S on stage)
Peep-Bo - Jennifer Toye
Katisha - Ann Drummond-Grant (plays a very human Katisha, one of her few recordings in a role she played on stage)

"Peter Pratt as Ko-Ko?" You may say, "But I want John Reed!" Go ahead, buy the dreadful 1973 recording if you really want to. But for a fraction of the cost, this recording is available as a much more pleasant recollection of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Companies abilities. Peter Pratt won't have the universal appeal that John Reed had in the patter roles, but I rather like his Ko-Ko. Godfrey gives him the quickest tempo I've heard for the List Song, and it works very well indeed.

Donald Adams is an excellent Mikado -- a pity there is a transfer error in the second verse of his song. Thomas Round is amazing-wonderful-perfect as Nanki-Poo. His contribution to "Were you not to Ko-Ko plighted" is the best I've heard (and I own five complete Mikados, and have heard three others through my library). He is matched well by Jean Hindmarsh's Yum-Yum.

The only annoyance comes from the mono recording quality, which crackles at climaxes (particularly the end of Act 1) and just sounds dated. But what a performance! Unless you're willing to sniff out the expensive Sounds on CD release, this is probably the best transfer you're going to get for some time. It is worth noting that Decca put out a highlights disc of this recording in the original Stereo (a pity it only lasts for 49 minutes including the 8-minute overture!).

Point is, this recording is an amazing deal -- what are you waiting for?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars D'Oyly Carte, $1.97 --, July 4, 2010

By 

Stuart Thiel (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mikado (MP3 Download)

-- how can you possibly go wrong? I don't know the technical stuff like the previous reviewer, but in terms of wonderful, wonderful songs per penny it's gotta be the best deal on the web.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful performance, sound is only adequate, August 22, 2010

By 

Sonoma's Davey (Guerneville, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mikado (MP3 Download)

This is the absolutely first class 1957 performance of The Mikado, at a bargain price. It's got all the music including the Overture, but omits the spoken parts. The performance gets 5 stars, but the recording quality only 3 stars. (Averages out to 4 stars.) This is the mono recording of this wonderful performance, and aside from being mono, it has some background noise that's apparent during quiet passages. Nevertheless, this is an entirely enjoyable listening experience.

Another reviewer mentioned the Sounds on CD release -- yes, it's the brilliant stereo Decca recording of the same performance with superb sound quality, even measured by today's standards. I happily paid an expensive price for it after falling in love with the performance on this mono recording.

Amazon also has numerous other performances of The Mikado as downloads. This one is a terrific performance, but you should check out these alternatives especially if you're looking for a recording in stereo.