Gilbert and Sullivan: Patience    Cecily Eliis-Bills (Patience) Kyle Kapp (Bunthorne) Jon Gerhard (Grosvenor) Lady Jane (Julie Wright) Chelsea Basler (Lady Saphir)
                                               Tanila Mandzy (Lady Angela) Boyd Mackus (Colonel) Drake Dantzler (Duke) Cory Clines (Major)
                                               Chorus & Orch of the Ohio Opera /Steven             Albany 2 cd's


Cd: 2 of this set! I think this is one of the Ohio lot's best! As I said,I like the feeling you get of a stage performance,without the annoying noises,which you wouldn't notice or mind,if you were actually at a performance. The singing is of a high standard on this recording. The women are,particularly,good. (Interestingly,the women in these Ohio recordings are,consistently,better than the men! I wonder why?!) I like the handling of the dialogue,which is livelier and less stylised than the 1961 D'Oyly Carte,which is the only alternative with dialogue. I haven't detected any American accent's,so far!! I like the small orchestra used in these recordings. I think it give a nice pit band feel to the production. And the playing is nice & spritely. No John Reed or Martyn Green for the patter songs;but the Ohio chap makes a pretty good job of the comedy role,all things considered. Being American means assuming an English accent and taking on a comedy institution! You're never going to emulate those giants,are you? They might love you in Ohio,but in dear old blighty they're going to be comparing you with the chap on those old Decca records!! ::) :( ;D

I played a cd of Rachmaninov conducting his Symphony No 3,Isle of the Dead and Vocalise,a bit earlier. I've got the Pearl cd,which has a rare & striking colour photo of Rachmaninov on the front. The Musicweb review of the cd describes the transfer as one of 'minimal intervention! This is fine by me! Lot's of shellac hiss,pop and crackle! :) (Perhaps one of the musician's was frying some sausages in the background?! I'm joking,of course!! ;D) The sound has a lovely,rich clarity to it;albeit with the bass increased! In fact,I was amazed by the sound quality of these recordings! :o The 1929 recordings,in particular,are some of the best I've ever heard from that period. The booklet mentions that Rachmaninov wanted to conduct a recording of his Symphonic Dances;but it was vetoed by the record label!! :( :( :( These are magnificent recordings;and not merely of historic interest!

;D

I didn't realise Robert Simpson was Composer of the Week! I'd have listened to some of the program's. (I like listening on a radio*! ::)). There's a live broadcast of his Symphony No 2 next week,with Brabbins conducting the BBC Philharmonic. I'll try and listen. But I may forget or have things to do?!!

* I actually,purposely,listen to programs on Radio 4,on Longwave! ::) ;D FM's okay,though! And DAB is still radio! I'll only listen via the internet if I have to!! ::) ::) 

Now Playing! Bruckner: Symphony No 6    Berlin Philharmonic / Herbert Von Karajan

Like Captain Oates....."I may be some time!" ;D

I'll need that Ohio Light Opera Patience later,though! ;D I haven't listened to the second cd of the set,yet!

Regarding dialogue. Some people don't like it. Allot of people hate it! I prefer some dialogue,generally. That said! Do I really listen,avidly,to every word of it?!! Also,it is nice to hear just the music at times,without chin-wagging,in between. This is where the Glyndebourne/Sargent sets come in handy,for the D'Oyly Carte sets without dialogue. And some of the earlier recordings as well,if you're like me and you don't mind mono and maybe,some hiss,pop and crackle?!! ;D It's true dialogue is hard to bring off in a recording,away from the stage & the action! I do think it's a pity they didn't include it in the D'Oyly Carte Ruddigore,though;because the plot is such fun with the ghosts and curse! Also,now the D'Oyly Carte is gone;and I think it would have been nice to hear them performing the dialogue in Ruddigore and The Mikado (for example). Alas,another piece of history is gone! I do find it interesting that French and German operettas tended to get recorded with dialogue included. It seems that continental audiences are more tolerant of chin-wagging between numbers. I have,nearly,two big shelves filled with recordings of French & German operettas and nearly every one of them includes dialogue. I actually enjoy listening to the bits of dialogue,even though I don't understand or speak a word of French or German!! Yes,I know it's wierd!! ::) ;D
If you enjoy dialogue though,there are the BBC recordings from the 60's and 80's and the Ohio Light Opera recordings have filled in the gaps,when it comes to comes to commercially available recordings. So,problem for dialogue junkies solved,anyway!! ;D :)
Incidentally,I think if I had to pick the best recordings with dialogue (excluding the BBC broadcasts) I would single out the 1959 HMS Pinafore and 1968 Pirates (with Owen Brannigan). The  dialogue in the latter still makes me laugh!

The Glyndebourne sets are beautifully sung and the bigger string section is an added plus! In fact,for the sheer beauty of the singing,the Sargent recordings are hard to beat! Fun artwork,too! I've got to admit,I haven't bothered much with any of the post D'Oyly Carte (the original one) recordings. As you know,I like singers from that era;and the D'Oyly Carte and Sargent recordings are just so good! As are the BBC recordings (It would be nice if they got a cd release one day!). I bought,the Ohio Light Opera recordings for the dialogue. So it was The Sorcerer,Utopia Limited,Ruddigore,Princess Ida........and I liked them,so it sort of expanded from there. I think it is interesting to hear American's doing G & S,and I think it is great that they are bringing this wonderful duo to audiences over there and through their recordings. It would be nice to see more interest here,too! I can't remember the last time I saw a mention of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in the local newspaper's here. I can remember a time when I couln't open a paper without a school or amateur operatic society putting on a production of HMS Pinafore or The Gondoliers (for example). I can even remember the entire school being detained,after assembly,until somebody volunteered for the upcoming production of Ruddigore (I think?). In the end a few hands,finally,went up! (The Deputy Head still able to wield the old bamboo,back,then!! :o ;D)

There's a live broadcast of Robert Simpson's Symphony No 2 on Radio 3,next week. Martyn Brabbins conducts the BBC Philharmonic. Just in case you don't already know?! :)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ebqmzc

I thought you might enjoy reading that,Lionel! ;D I've got to say,I disagree with some of the views expressed at Oakapple. I think that,with the exception of Victoria Sladen,the 1955 recording is rather good. The women and the chorus are excellent;and the score is conducted at a spritely pace. The male singers are not as good. Although,I think I preferred Peter Pratt to John Reed (marginally) as King Gama. That said,Michael Walters at Oakapple doesn't appear to like either of them! I'll have to listen to the earlier recordings of the King Gama role.  I think I have the Henry Lytton recording?! (I'll have to look!) He mentions Martyn Green. I can imagine he would be great in that role? Martyn Green was wonderful in the patter roles! I agree,with Albion,that the BBC recordings of Princess Ida are the best ever. And yes,both are good. I do have the one with Sybil Fawlty.....I mean,Prunella Scales ;D (no part for Manuel or the Major! ;D). And yes,I do think the 1966 recording does have the edge. I,actually,quite like the Ohio Light Opera recording;but it's the weakest one of the series. The cast is,certainly,the least consistent! The women are good,though! As,usual! That said,I wouldn't recommend it,to be honest! It does have the dialogue,though! The Ohio Series is controversial,among Savoyards,mind! At least over here! Oakapple tend to look askance at it. I can't help thinking they just don't like the yanks infiltrating such a hallowed British institution! Their Ruddigore is,actually,my favourite commercial recording of that operetta! Although,I think the 1966 BBC recording with Hyacinth Bucket,no less (Patricia Routledge) is,probably my favourite,out of all the recordings. And the best ever;if you like the dialogue! (The Ohio recording is,suprisingly,good!)The 1962 D'Oyly Carte would have been a front runner for me,if it had included dialogue! (It's still very good!) I'm a big fan of the D'Oyly Carte recordings. I even like their later (70's) recordings,which Oakapple disparage!. As a matter of fact,their 1974 Iolanthe is my favourite recording of the operetta! It's the first one I ever heard,via the Decca Lp set,in my local library. Oakapple give it a rating of one star!! :o :( I also,like the 1977 D'Oyly Carte Gondoliers,very much. Again,it was the first recording of that operetta I ever heard. Again,via the local library! Oakapple awarded it two stars!! :o ::) ;D Thanks to Decca Eloquence I was finally able to acquire those recordings in cd form! I also,quite like some of Sargent's Glyndebourne series for emi. Sargent's Yeomen is my favourite,along with the Marriner (I wish he'd done another one,by the way!). The singing on that set is so wonderful. And,the Yeomen of the Guard is the most operatic of the operettas,as you know. I also like the Sargent recording of The Mikado,which Oakapple award two stars! Yes,it lacks humour,I suppose?! But the singing is top notch. With respect to the quality of the singing it's probably my favourite! I even like Geraint Evans as Ko-Ko.!! Not ideal for the part,I know. But I just love his voice! (And,Geraint Evans in the 1958 Sargent Yeomen is my favourite Jack Point! :o) I also like the 1973 D'Oyly Carte,which Oakapple give two points! :( John Reed is my favourite ever Ko-Ko! Although,Martyn Green is,probably,even better?!! Again,the 1973 recording was my first ever encounter with the operetta. )The local library had all the D'Oyly Carte stereo recordings. Except the 50's Pirates and Mikado! (Decca favoured the John Reed recordings!). The 1957 Sargent Gondoliers is also one of the best,in terms of the actual quality of the singing. It's true that the D'Oyly Carte recordings have more gaiety and sparkle,though.
Of course,the folks at Oakapple know far more about G & S than I do,or ever will! So,I'm not arguing with their verdict on all the various recordings. And as an overall guide to all the recordings that are available,the discography at Oakapple is an invaluable and fascinating mine of information.

I'll need a rest after typing all this! ::) ;D

Gilbert and Sullivan: Patience    Cecily Eliis-Bills (Patience) Kyle Kapp (Bunthorne) Jon Gerhard (Grosvenor) Lady Jane (Julie Wright) Chelsea Basler (Lady Saphir)
                                               Tanila Mandzy (Lady Angela) Boyd Mackus (Colonel) Drake Dantzler (Duke) Cory Clines (Major)
                                               Chorus & Orch of the Ohio Opera /Steven             Albany 2 cd's

The Ohio Light Opera recording complete with dialogue! This arrived today! I've now got all but three of the Ohio Light Opera recording's of the Savoy operas! I like the Ohio light opera recordings of G & S! In fact,I think,in many ways they're a breath of fresh air. They've also got dialogue! I'm in the pro-dialogue faction,by the way! ;D Although,I can do without! The Ohio series got off to a bit of a rocky start,with their Princess Ida and a Grand Duke that wasn't quite as complete as they made out! ::) Thankfully,they seem to have learnt from the reviews,and realised that while a stage production might please an audience 'on the night';you have to meet higher standards when it comes to an actual commercial recording! At their best,I like the feeling of a stage performance,you get,from these Ohio recording's. And,without the obtrusive noise. Apparently,some of the recording's are made 'live'? Some of the recording not as 'live' as they make out!! :o ;D Whatever the case;the 'audience',when they are present,must be the quietest ever!! There is occasional applause or stage noise on some of the recording's. But,I think most of the recording must be made after or before a production. Or maybe,sometimes,a bit of both?! Either way,the audience,when they are there,are either some of the quietest ever......or dead?!! :o ;D Which is good from my point of view (not them being dead!) because I don't like listening to stage noise and applause!! Which is another reason why I have collected these recordings! :) Any clumping feet,shuffling about and repeat rounds of clapping;and,sorry,I don't care how good they are? I wouldn't have bought any more!!

As to the overall musical and dramatic standard of these Ohio Light Opera recording's! And not just this one! The singing is,generally,of a very high standard,imo! The women are,particularly,good! The contribution of the chorus is always of a high standard. I like the orchestra they use. I like the feeling of a small pit orchestra. Yes,the Rpo are superior;but this is more like being in an actual theatre. As to the execution of the dialogue in these performances. I always find it very lively and performed with enthusiasm Again,the feeling of being at an actual performance. I'm a big fan of the D'Oyly Carte recordings;but the dialogue often felt a bit studio bound. Love it as I do! Yes,there is the occasional American accent slipping through. But generally speaking,I think they manage their English accent's very convincingly. Albeit,from the point of view of a G & S operetta!! ;D Anyway,I think there's something rather amusing and intriguing about American's pretending to be English & giving their take on such a hallowed British institution. So,there we are! That's my opinion on the Ohio Light Opera recordings. They are controversial,in some quarter's,I know! But,I like them. And I think this one meets their usual high standard! I'm disappointed that they haven't recorded Iolanthe,though. But the D'Oyly Carte recordings are very good!


Regarding.the Sargent recording of Princess Ida! That's very good. I wouldn't want to be without it. Comparison's are odious,remember! ::) ;D And the Sargent is in stereo. Opinion's among Savoyard's on the best recorded Ida differ! It seems to be regarded as the one with the least satisfactory recording's,overall.The 1955 recording is very good,though,imo. Victoria Sladen is very controversial amongst Savoyards! Probably,the most reviled singer in any G & S recording ever! (see hyperlink below!) I probably need my ears tested (and head examined?!);but I must admit,I didn't think she was that bad! But,hey! What would I know?!! ::) ;D

http://gasdisc.oakapplepress.com/ida-walt55.htm         

Gilbert And Sullivan: Princess Ida      Fisher Morgan (King Hildebrand) Thomas Round (Hilarion) Leonard Osborn (Cyril) Jeffrey Skitch (Florian) Peter Pratt (King Gama)
                                                      Donald Adams (Arac) John Banks (Guron) Trevor Hill (Scynthius) Victoria Sladen (Princess Ida) Ann Drummond-Grant (Lady Blanche)
                                                      Muriel Harding (Lady Psyche) Beryl Dixon (Melissa) Cynthia Morey (Sacharissa) D'Oyly Carte Opera Company / Isidore Godfrey
                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                    The 1955 D'Oyly Carte Princess Ida   Naxos 2cd's

Knowing how widely admired Victoria Sladen's Princess Ida is among Savoyard's I couldn't resist putting this recording on! ;D What a lovely operetta! :) Taken as a whole,I think this is a very enjoyable performance,with some fine performances. Some of the women are particularly good. Particularly,in the duets. The choruses are a delight. I think I'm with the faction that prefer this (marginaly,anyway) to the Sargent,given a choice. But then again,I haven't listened to that recording for a while. (Up next!) This one skips along at a more spritely pace,though. I'm a big fan of John Reed,normally;but I think prefer Peter Pratt as King Gama. A lovely clear transfer,by the way. Naxos have filled out the second cd with the 1931 Columbia recording of highlights from The Gondoliers.

I do have Coke cd's! And I do have an opinion on Coke,for what it's worth! I haven't listened to that Lyrita cd,enough yet,to,really,pass comment. I find him an interesting & intriguing composer,myself. I think his best music is worth listening to. Even,if you're not that impressed,he's certainly an intriguing figure. His life story,on it's own,would make for an interesting film or tv drama;and an entertaining biography,could be written. At best,in the solo piano pieces recorded on the Somm label and the Violin Sonata No 1,on the EM label,he strikes me as a moderately,talented composer. I remember some AMF members being somewhat underwhelmed by the Piano Concertos (and fragment  of one) recorded on the Hyperion label. That was my first impression. The first movement of the Piano Concerto No 3 made me think of Scriabin & some of those Golden age Hollywood movies with Concertante works for Piano and Orchestra intergrated into the score. I was initially underwhelmed,myself,by what followed. The lack of memorable melodies,ruminative passages that appear promising,but seem to noodle away or peter out. Some of the scoring for brass seems crude in places. The mood of the music often appearing pessimistic,even bleak. On subsequent listening sessions,I actually began to feel that some of the apparent shortcomings of the music actually  made it more interesting (at least,for me!). I think I was expecting a conventional late romantic Piano Concerto,in the Rachmaninov vein. With maybe a bit of Addinsell,of Warsaw Concerto,thrown in (albeit,without the catchy tune!). Instead,I get these rather austere,often bleak ruminative outpouring. At times,it sounds more like a stream of conscious outpouring than a conventional concerto. At this point I've got to admit that,I'm not a big fan of allot of those 19th ,early 20th Concertos. It's not that I don't like them;but there are so few really good ones. Allot of them just strike me as empty,vehicles created,solely,for the purpose of showing off the virtuosity of some famous virtuoso-celebrity of the era. Although,now and again you get a cracker! The Alnaes Piano Concerto,being an example. And Stanford's Piano Concerto No 2,is well worth hearing. But then there are other's I've endured,that seemed to go in one year and out the other. (Although,I probably quite enjoyed hearing them at the time?)

Going back to the Coke Piano Concertos! ;D I think the fact that they aren't what I expected is what I found interesting about them. They're almost like Anti-Romantic Piano Concertos. The man obviously had a lot of personal problems and struggled with his mental health and personal demons. This is reflected in the downbeat mood of some of this music. I can almost feel the man's depression at times. Indeed,I can almost imagine the poor fellow reaching for the bottle of pills at the end of the final bar! On the downside! I do think Coke was biting off more than he could chew here! It seems to me that his imagination and ambition outweighed his actual abilities as a composer. He also failed to assimilate the influences of his peers into something that was ultimately and recognisably a personal voice of his own. Also,unlike his hero Rachmaninov,he wasn't a dab hand at some of the worlds greatest ever & most memorable melodies (or tunes!). Although,to be fair! Not many are!! That said,I think it's amazing he achieved as much as he did! His life story is also proof that being born with a silver spoon in your mouth doesn't always guarantee a charmed route through life. As to the Cello Sonatas. As I said,I need another listen. I think they're quite attractive,an interesting listen and rather intriguing. Ultimately,lacking a truly individual voice and memorable themes. I also remember them as being rather austere in character and the argument often allusive and hard to follow. On the plus side,there's probably a bit more going on under the surface than your Benjamin Dale Piano Sonata! An intriguing part of the jigsaw puzzle;but not one to blow your socks off or change your outlook on life! (I remember hearing Bax as a teenager!) A great cover photo,though! The old fag hanging off his lip! ::) ;D

I wouldn't mind a big glass of that other kind of Coke,right now;by the way! As cold as possible! Horrid,sugary stuff,I know! But I'm feeling like a basted chicken,right now! ::) ;D

I'm sure Lionel doesn't mind if I have "I Love Anton Bruckner!" tattoed across my chest (but not my forehead,in case we ever meet! :o ;D)! I did ask for it,anyway! ;D I was just thinking,today! At least there's no post today,so I'm safe from packages of Bruckner cd dropping through my letterbox! :o (No's 8,5 & 6 are on the way! In that order,I think?!)

Kodály:Háry János Cleveland Orchestra /George Szell          CBS Maestro

I put this on,because I'm going through my Prokfiev cd's & it's paired with Lieutenant Kijé. These are both fine performances,that capture all the fantasy & poetry of the scores. The recordings are excellent. I didn't know anything about the 1934 Soviet comedy film,for which Prokofiev wrote the original score;until I looked at the Wikipedia entry,just now.

Prokofiev: Symphonies 1 & 7,Love of Three Oranges-Suite Philharmonia Orchestra /Nicolai Malko       Cfp

These recording have been around for a long time and appear to be regarded as classics. I can remember seeing the cd in the racks in WH Smith,Woolworths and Boots. I had the cfp cassette for a while. Although I never had it on Lp. Recorded in early stereo. They still sound,pretty good,today.

Which reminds me (again! ::)) I've got to get around to replacing the bag in my Bosch vacumn cleaner!