Gilbert & Sullivan Choruses (1969)

The Chorus of the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
with John Reed, John Webley,
& Clifford Parkes

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: James Walker

Recorded at Decca Studios, West Hampstead
22–23 January 1969

World Record Club SLZ 8401
World Record Club SLZ 8401

This is a compilation of G&S choruses sung by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. It was a new recording, and not merely a re-issue of previously-available material. The selections are as follows:

Side 1Side 2
Iolanthe
"Loudly Let the Trumpet Bray"
"Strephon's a Member of Parliament"
With Strephon for your foe"
The Pirates of Penzance
"Pour, oh Pour The Pirate Sherry" (Samuel: John Webley)
"Hail, Poetry"
"With Cat-like Tread" (Samuel: John Webley)
H.M.S. Pinafore
"We sail the ocean blue"
"Over the bright blue sea"
"Sir Joseph's barge is seen"
Ruddigore
"Welcome gentry"
The Mikado
"Behold the Lord High Executioner! (Ko-Ko: John Reed)
"Comes a train of little ladies"
Trial By Jury
"Hark, the hour of ten is sounding"
Patience
"The soldiers of our Queen"
The Yeomen of the Guard
"Here's a man of jollity"
"Tower Warders" (Second Yeoman: Clifford Parkes)
Princess Ida
"Mighty maiden with a mission"
"When anger spreads his wing"
The Sorcerer
"With heart and voice"
"Ring forth Ye bells"
The Gondoliers
"Dance a Cachucha"

Mel Moratti had these comments:

This is an interesting collection of choruses from eleven of the comic operas, nicely recorded in something called "Deramic Sound." Whatever sound was used certainly helps a track like "Over the Bright Blue Sea," where the women really sound in the distance. There are quite a few obvious omissions, especially opening choruses to the second acts (and a lot of first act ones as well), of the operas featured. Besides Iolanthe, there is nothing from the Act One finales either. Numbers like "Welcome Gentry" and "Hark the Hour of Ten" end in the tonic instead of changing keys as in the originals. Several items are presented out of sequence. e.g. "Ring Forth, ye Bells" follows "With Heart and with Voice". The performances are certainly splendid and the three available soloists shine.

Issue History
DateLabelFormatNumber
1969 Decca Mono LP DML 722
Stereo LP SML 722
World Record Club
(New Zealand)
Stereo LP SLZ 8401
Sounds on CD 2005 CD VGS254