Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance

I agree with the other 5 star reviewers. This is a fine production of this wonderful comic/parody operetta. Staid? Well, that's part of the fun. It's ridiculousness combined with its cleverness is what makes it great! It is simply wonderful that this performance is available on CD.

A small flaw - in days of LPs, a much higher level of distortion was acceptable. This CD preserves that distortion, so don't be surprised. But the quality of the performance overcomes any defects. The Mona Lisa was not thrown away because the paint became cracked.

If you're looking for a traditional recording of Pirates, complete with all the dialogue and cues, you can't do any better than this D'Oyly Carte Company recording. "Pirates of Penzance" is one of the best-known and best-loved of all the Gilbert & Sullivan operas. It is about a young man, Frederic, who turns 21 and is out of his indentures to the Pirate band. He meets and falls in love with a young woman named Mabel, and is prepared to atone for his involuntary association with the pestilent scourges by sweeping them from the face of the earth. Unfortunately, he discovers to his consternation that from a singular coincidence, possibly owing to the agency of an ill-natured fairy, he was born in leap year on the 29th of February, and was indentured to the pirates until he reaches his 21st birthday. And going by birthdays, he is only 5 and a quarter. Since Frederic is the slave of duty, he reluctantly rejoins the Pirates. You'll just have to listen to a recording to learn the rest, if you don't know it already :)

As someone who is currently in a production of Pirates, I know first-hand what fun it is. The old D'Oyly Carte Company was the premiere performer of the G&S operas for many years, and this recording is from their prime, with such greats as John Reed, Donald Adams, and Valerie Masterson. The more you listen to or see Pirates, the more you appreciate it. Buy or download this recording and listen to it without your parents, or frequently (if you don't get that, never mind).

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.

It is almost imposible to find a flaw in this production. Valerie Masterson is wonderful as Mabel, John Reid is fantastic as the Very Model of a Modern Major General, Donald Adams makes a great pirate king & Owen Branigan's Police Sergeant is Superb.
Well worth buying but it is best if accompanied by the libretto so you can get the most of Gilbert's dialogue.

For newbies: *Pirates* is indeed one of the most pleasurable of the G&S shows. While not the most satirical, not the most ambitious, it is perhaps the most perfectly realized. Particular treat: wonderful music and lyrics for the chorus.

For newbies: the D-Carte Company produced the premieres of the G&S operettas with Gilbert and Sullivan. Until some point well into the 20th c (1980's?) the company performed and recorded the repertory. Thus, there is a rare historical cachet to anything D-Carte.

The Good on this recording: a sly, sonorous, and expressive Police Sgt; sensitive duet singing by Frederick and Mabel; anchoring tempi; a strong chorus.

The Bad on this recording: J. Reed as Major-General is really hard for me to listen to...his instrument is dreadful AND he manages to not be amusing. On the whole I think sounds as if the cast has been performing this show for decades. There is dignity here, but little light or life. I'm not looking for some tarted-up reimagining, but it all strikes me as stodgy.