Customer Reviews

The Mikado: Highlights From The English National Opera Production

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I became interested in "The Mikado" around age 12 when I viewed an excellent production on PBS. I had a poor taped copy of the music for many years. I purchased this CD with much anticipation as I had been unable to find this music elsewhere on CD. My first listen was so dissappointing! First, Eric Idle is great as a Python, but not as the Lord High Executioner. He does not have a singing voice and he lent entirely too much unprofessionalism to this production. Most distressing was the ad lib on "I've Got a Little List". There were too many references to modern situations rather than those which were written by Gilbert and Sullivan. Additionally, there is some use of vulgar language in this production which was totally unnecessary. IF you are interested in more modern interpretations of Gilbert and Sullivan, then this may interest you. But this particular production is not for the purist. There is really no need to make changes to Gilbert and Sullivan; their wit and melodies stand the test of time and offer us a window into the society and politics of Victorian England.

While Eric Idle does not have an operatic voice, he is a perfectly capable singer. As for "ad-libbing," believe me, he did not. He re-wrote "I've got a little list" to be topical for the time (I lived in England at the time, the and song was hilarious when taken in context.) As I understand it, the "patter song" ("I've got a little list," "The Major-General's song" "Love Unrequited Robs Me Of My Rest" etc.) in each Gilbert and Sullivan song was frequently rewritten to make it topical for the time. The production was directed by Miller, and was set in the roaring 20's. It worked.

I liked this production, though I like a traditional one better. And as far as "how the opera was meant to be performed", the comic patter role was generally not performed by an opera singer in the old days, but by a comic actor who could sing. Idle sings well enough (barely).

Personally, I didn't care for some aspects of the 1982 PBS/BBC Mikado. The Nanki-Poo sang well, but was badly made up and being a full head taller than anyone else came off rather Karlovian, in my not so humble opinion.

I have not yet seen nor heard a perfect Mikado.

Steve- this Operetta can be found almost anywhere. You need to look in the classical music/opera section of your local music store- under Sullivan...get a recording done by an opera company with opera singers- that is the way this piece was ment to be performed.