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CD Review
Gilbert & Sullivan
The Sorcerer / The Zoo *
The D'Oly Carte Opera Company
Donald Adams, David Palmer, Stanley Riley, John Reed
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Isidore Godfrey
* Meston Reid, Kenneth Sandford, John Ayldon, Julia Goss
* Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Royston Nash
Decca 473659-2 125m ADD
This is the tenth release in Decca's period release of the famous Gilbert & Sullivan operas that were legends in the 50's and 60's when they were released.
'The Sorcerer' includes some of the most memorable moments in the whole Sullivan operetta canon. From the very first notes in the overture, there are a wealth of good tunes that culminate in some lovely choruses. Isidore Godfrey's direction is full of knowledge and common sense and I would say that it supersedes the contemporaneous recording by Sargent pretty easily.
'The Zoo' is a 1977 recording and here the early sparkle of the D'Oly Carte Company seems to have fizzled out. Still, there is a lot to enjoy here and the operetta is very rare with this being, I believe, its only recording.
As in other issues, notes are sparse and just relegated to short plot synopsis. However, fans of such legendary Decca recordings will not hesitate to acquire these G&S landmarks.
Copyright © 2003, Gerald Fenech
