The
first Decca series
of recordings
of Gilbert
and Sullivan
were made
in the
late ’forties
and early
’fifties.
This then
was in the
early days
of LPs
and just
prior to the
era of
stereo.
The conductor
on all of these recordings was the
inimitable Isidore
Godfrey,
perhaps the
finest Gilbert
and Sullivan
conductor of
his generation.
Of course,
opinions vary
as to
the importance
of this
work in
the Gilbert
and Sullivan
canon of
comic operas.
Considering that The Sorcerer was
the first successful full length G&S
opera (composed in 1877), it is remarkably
assured and well constructed. Thomas
Dunhill in his critical appreciation
of Sullivan’s Comic Operas (1928) does
not rate it highly, but I disagree.
All the ingredients of the later "favourite
numbers" are there - the gavotte
Welcome joy! Adieu to sadness looks
forward to the gavotte in Act 2 of The
Gondoliers, for example, and the
patter song My name is John Wellington
Wells is as good as any of the later
songs.
The plot is rather
predictable, but amusing nonetheless,
when two lovers, Alexis and Aline, call
on the family sorcerer John Wellington
Wells to conjure up a love potion to
ensure that the unsuspecting villagers
fall as deeply in love as they are …
with the obvious comic consequences.
The scene in the second act when Lady
Sangazure, under the love potion’s spell,
meets and falls madly in love with Wells
himself is expertly handled. He is desperate
to avoid her attentions, a little reminiscent
of Koko and Katisha in the second act
of The Mikado, and in the end
he has to pay the ultimate price for
the many mix-ups and remove the spell...
a sad ending for the comic baritone,
much in the spirit of the later Yeomen
of the Guard. Unfortunately Sullivan
doesn’t rise to the occasion at this
point, and misses the chance to put
his musical mark on the Sorcerer’s demise.
What a contrast to the masterly ending
of Yeomen!
Whilst
the sound of the 1953 mono recording
is enjoyable, it is
a little boxy and
of limited frequency range. The
recording certainly
shows its
age as
far as
the diction
of the
chorus and soloists
is concerned
(listen to
the opening chorus
and Beryl Dixon’s (Mrs. Partlet) recitative
and the pronunciation of Lady Sangazure!)
In general,
however, the singing
of both
soloists and
chorus is
exemplary and
Godfrey paces
the work
extremely well
with wonderfully crisp tempi. The above-mentioned
gavotte is expertly performed by Fisher
Morgan (Sir Marmaduke) and Ann Drummond-Grant
(Lady Sangazure). Unfortunately Neville
Griffiths (Alexis) seems to have been
suffering from a severe head cold during
the recording sessions - a strong and
slightly unpleasant nasal tone pervades
his first and second act solos Love
feeds on many kinds of food and
Thou hast the power. Peter Pratt,
not as well known as George Baker, Martyn
Green or John Reed in the ‘patter song’
roles, takes the part of John Wellington
Wells, the eponymous Sorcerer, and does
it justice. Sullivan’s orchestration
for the First act Incantation
scene is masterly, particularly considering
the limited orchestral resources he
had available, and provides a foretaste
of When the night wind howls in
Ruddigore. The duet by Neville
Griffiths and Muriel Harding Oh love,
true love (Alexis and Aline) in
the Finale of Act 1 is beautiful, and
one merely regrets that it isn’t longer!
The second act contains only about half
an hour of music so it is a shame that
we do not have the spoken dialogue.
Jeffrey Skitch (Dr. Daly) is superb
in his solo O my voice is sad and
low where he bemoans the fact that
he is the only person not to have found
a love-potion-inspired partner – that
is, until he unexpectedly meets Aline
who has taken the potion and is on her
way to meet Alexis in the hope of ensuring
life long love! Eventually, with the
Sorcerer’s demise the rightful partnerships
are restored and the opera finishes
with a jolly reprise of the first act
chorus Now to the banquet we press.
Interestingly, the second CD also contains
an historical recording of excerpts
from the opera, also conducted by Godfrey,
made in 1933, which sounds remarkably
good and is a welcome filler.
What of
the competition?
There is a more modern (1966) stereo
recording of excellent quality on Decca,
with the D’Oyly Carte company and Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, again conducted
by Isidore Godfrey. It was recorded
under the direction of Bridget D’Oyly
Carte. The cast is excellent (including
the wonderful Valerie Masterson as Aline,
John Reed as Wells and Donald Adams
as Sir Marmaduke; interestingly he sings
the small part of the Notary in the
present recording). Since it is often
available at a reduced price and offers
a more modern sound with excellent performances
it would be my recommended version.
It also includes the only recording
of The Zoo, a potboiler and curtain
raiser that Sullivan and Rowe produced
in 1875 but was not published and is
rarely performed.
Em Marshall
see also reviews by Ray
Walker and Patrick
Gary
