The Michael Sammes Iolanthe (1966)

Mary Thomas, soprano
Helen Landis, contralto
Nicholas Curtis, tenor
John Camburn, baritone
Michael Sammes, baritone

The Michael Sammes Singers
Orchestra conducted by John Gregory

Phillips 6641 241 9299 316
Phillips 6641 241 9299 316

Michael Sammes made numberous recordings in the 1960s of highlights from musicals and operettas. His G&S output includes several discs dedicated to individual operas, plus a Best of Gilbert and Sullivan disc consisting of highlights from all the others. The singers are not credited with specific roles, but presumably Sammes sang the Lord Chancellor. Helen Landis was the contralto on all the Gilbert and Sullivan For All recordings and obviously sings the Fairy Queen here.

The recording is not in my personal collection, but Chris Webster provided a list of the selections:

Side 1Side 2
  1. Tripping Hither — Iolanthe
  2. Good Morrow Good Mother
  3. And None Shall Part Us
  4. Loudly Let the Trumpet Bray
  5. The Law is the True Embodiment
  6. For Riches and Rank
  7. To Say She Is His Mother
  8. Henceforth Strephon
  1. When All Night Long
  2. Strephon's a Member of Parliament
  3. Britain Really Ruled the Waves
  4. In Vain To Us You Plead
  5. Oh Foolish Fay
  6. Love Unrequited
  7. My Lord A Suppliant At Your Feet
  8. Soon As We May, Off and Away

Geoff Dixon provided the following comments:

Much of the my review of Mikado applies also to Iolanthe. The numbers are heavily cut, and the Peers' Chorus is a pale shadow (if not a travesty) of what it should be. The chorus is so thin as to be almost imperceptible, and again the Finale to Act I is mauled beyond recognition. Soprano and contralto are good enough, but taken as a whole there are simply not enough forces for the job in hand.

Issue History
DateLabelFormatNumberComments
1966 WING (Philips) Stereo LP WL-1112  
1966 Ditto Cassette DTO 10244A Also contains Mikado
1967-8? Fontana Stereo LP SFL-13032  
197-? Philips International Stereo LP 6625 005 [U.K.]
6641 241 [Australia]
Two-record set, "G&S Extravaganza, Vol. 1," including the Michael Sammes Mikado and Iolanthe