Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance [Original recording reissued]

Arthur Sullivan (Composer), Isidore Godfrey (Conductor), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Christene Palmer (Performer), Donald Adams (Performer), George Cook (Performer), Jean Allister (Performer), John Reed (Performer), Owen Brannigan (Performer), Pauline Wales (Performer), Philip Potter (Performer), Susan Maisey (Performer), Valerie Masterson (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Christene Palmer, Donald Adams, George Cook, Jean Allister, John Reed, et al.
• Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
• Composer: Arthur Sullivan
• Audio CD (May 13, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00008LJEV
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,387 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #18 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > A to B

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Many, Many Recordings, March 10, 2004

By 

Carte1964 (Hartford, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance (Audio CD)

The cast is first-rate. John Reed is in very good form. Owen Brannigan (replacing the usual George Cook) is for me the greatest Sergeant. Brannigan, also found on many of Benjamin Britten's opera recordings, has the bass voice the role requires (I do not feel it should be sung by baritones) and his dialogue remains the standard. I've always enjoyed Donald Adams and his Pirate is also the standard. Potter, Masterson and Palmer are very good.

The ensemble and orchestra conducted by Godfrey create a very exciting, sparkling performance. This is the recording I grew up with and no other has beaten it yet.

All dialogue is included. No updates or major cuts.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid and Traditional, May 19, 2005

By 

SuperSchtroumpf (Lyon, France) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance (Audio CD)

Despite its old production date, the music is loud and clear - no static, scratching, distortion, etc. that you can get some from old productions.

This production is a solid, regular performance. Excellent voices, English accents, original (as far as I know) dialogue, etc. No surprises at all.

I haven't heard the other versions that are available; but this one sets the standard.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In an ocean of Pirates, this one manages to steal near the most attention, and rightly so!, September 14, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance (Audio CD)

The Pirates of Penzance was the second of Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular operas. The D'Oyly Carte Company recorded this opera in 1957 (I do believe), but without dialogue. Though by this time the Company had forsaken the habit of recording dialogue, this recording and the later account of HMS Pinafore (Phase 4 Stereo: Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore / D'Oyly Carte Opera Company) are two happy exceptions, particularly this one. The casting, the conducting, and the recording are all excellent.

There is quite a starry lineup for this opera. John Reed takes the role of the Major General, one of his strongest roles, though he only recorded it this one time. (Listen to the audio clip of his Act I song to see what I mean.) Valerie Masterson makes the perfect Mabel, throwing off "Poor wand'ring one" with incredible ease. Hers is one of the finest voices the Company ever had (she even looked like Mabel). She is matched well by Philip Potter, who, along with Thomas Round, was the best Gilbert and Sullivan Tenor of the Stereo Era. The present Sergeant of Police deserves special notice. Bass Owen Brannigan played the role in Sir Malcom Sargent's recording of Pirates, but appeared here as a sort of guest artist. Brannigan, as the Penguine guide says, "was surely born to play the Sergeant of Police in the Pirates of Penzance." Take a few spins through his Act 2 song, "When a felon's not engaged in his employment," and you'll see what they meant. This is near the last (perhaps the last) recording Donald Adams made with the company, and he is just as fine as any other recording he sang in. His sumptuous Bass-Baritone voice works incredibly well as the Pirate King. Even Kate and Edith are fine. I do not find Christine Palmer's voice as pleasant on record as Gillian Knight, Jill Pert, or Ann Collins (the fabulous Contralto of the Brent Walker video series), but she is still very good as Ruth.

This is one of Isidore Godfrey's last recordings (1968), and he is still as full of his characteristic verve as he was in the 50's. The Major General's song (with perfect diction by Reed) is performed excitingly by the orchestra, with real panache. This is exemplary of the general treatment given Sullivan's orchestration. None of the slow tempi that characterize Sargent's later recordings can be found here.

As for the recording, it is of the highest quality and is well up to Decca's standards. The recording quality contains none of the distortion found in the 1971 HMS Pinafore mentioned above, and is worlds better than the Mono of the previous decades. In short, it is very true to the original performance.

A couple minor notes: One oddity is that the Act I finale is pushed onto the second disc, though it could fit easily onto the first one. (I think this is on account of how the original LP was laid out; they wanted to duplicate it.) Also, the cover picture is not the best, but it is the music that counts. One small cut can be found in the dialogue. Gilbert's gag after the Major General's song is trimmed down a bit, but with positive results. The joke outlives its welcome if done in extended form, and is performed convincingly as it is here.

This is top choice, all things considered. No better stereo version has been offered, and there is no sign of it being outdone for some time. Unless you do not want dialogue, this is the way to go.