Search - Arthur Sullivan, Isidore Godfrey, New Symphony Orchestra of London :: Gilbert & Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore

Wonderful!

E. Savadge | 10/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is wonderful! It has the complete dialogue, so you can listen to it and it sounds like you're actually at the theater. I thought the music was so good, I actually saw the operetta! Any G&S fan or non-fan will love this! I even listened to it with a friend who doesn't like opera, and she found it funny."

Still the best

Bethanie Innes | Tamworth, NSW Australia | 02/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoyed this production. It has a different style to the later D'Oyly Carte productions but it still has a great enrgy & the best cast. Jean Hindmarsh is second only to Valerie Masterson as Josephine and John Reid is the only Sir Joseph Porter worth listening to. All in all it is a great recording but make sure you have the libereto to get the most out of the great dialogue"

The Ultimate G&S Recording

Aronne | 02/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is the D'Oyly Carte's most highly praised recording. That praise is not given in vain. Everything here is fabulous. Fabulous cast, fabulous orchestra, fabulous sound (especially for 1959), and a fabulous price.



John Reed does noticeably better on this recording than he does in the later, 1971 Phase4 Pinafore. He catches the dry humor of Sir Joseph perfectly, and is excellently matched by Jeffery Skitch's flexible Captain Corcoran. Skitch is the only baritone I know of who recorded "Fair moon" in the higher D-major key. Most stick with the C major version.



Thomas Round is a model Ralph ("Rafe") Rackstraw, with Jean Hindmearsh singing well as Josephine opposite him.



My only reserve (though it is hardly even that) is Joyce Wright as Hebe. She does excellently, but does not impart the humor of her part as delightfully as Pauline Wales did in the 1971 recording.



This Pinafore beats all others. It contains dialogue, sounding as though it were performed live. This recording should be the basis to any G&S fan's collection!"