Recommend me recordings of Gilbert and Sullivan operas _with_dialogue_

Cafe Society
1

I own different recordings of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works (my favourites are the generally most popular, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado). This box set is adequate for browsing, and I like the voices overall; some versions like this recording of The Mikado I like for the clearer e-nun-ci-ation of the lyrics (which are an issue for me as a non-native speaker of English). I am no expert on singing but it seems to me that there is some sort of trade-off between a ‘fuller’ voice and the actual words being clearly understandable.

Where all recordings that I own fall down is that they omit the spoken dialogue, i.e. compared with a real performance the pieces are a bit disjointed to me and full of non sequiturs.

Can you recommend any good complete recordings (i.e. ones including the dialogue)? The singers making an effort to make the lyrics clearly understood would be a bonus.

2

Recordings by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company are probably your best bet. Here is their web site.

D’Oyly Carte was the official producer of the original Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas, and I believe this company retains most of the traditions from that era, including the spoken dialog.
Roddy

3

How about DVDs of G&S? One of the best productions ever is about to come out on DVD: The Pirates of Penzance, made in 1983.

4

I realize that G&S DVDs are rather thin on the ground, but I don’t think this production was worth preserving. The leads, with the notable exception of Kevin Kline, were execrable. Just MHO.
Roddy

5

Well, I enjoyed it when I had it on videocassette, It’s over-acted, but that’s appropriate for G&S, and Linda Ronstadt’s singing is simply gorgeous.

6

Not if you’ve ever heard it like it’s supposed to be sung. I can’t find a decent version on Youtube, although there are a couple that are better than Ronstadt. So just check out a CD from the library and listen to what G&S light opera singing is supposed to sound like.
Roddy

7

My favorite “Gilbert and Sullivan” (sorta):
A Meticulous Analysis of History

8

I have a G&S Aria collection on my Ipod, and a few of the PBS DVDs as well. Naxos also had a historical recording with [I believe] Sir Arthur at the baton, which I rented from the Public Library and is a curiosity moreso than a recording I’d love to hear again and again.

My friend in Montreal, the Film Studies graduate and screenplay writer, he fell in love with Savoy through watching Topsy Turvy, and he actually bought the soundtrack for it. It’s not my favorite recording, but it’s not terrible, either. The diction is pretty good, as well!