Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado
Is there anyone who doesn’t like Gilbert and Sullivan? Their operettas were the height of entertainment in the 19th century and continues to charm us. I’m not sure if this 1936 recording of The Mikado is the entire work or an abridged rendition but it certainly delivers all the fun. The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company is conducted by Isidore Godfrey. This MP3 album is taken off of an old 78rpm set and is, of course, monaural. However it is fine for its time and is excellently transferred by F. Reeder into 92kbps MP3 format. If you are not familiar with the dynamic composing duo of Gilbert & Sullivan, just download and listen. You will be hooked.
Thank you for all the music you post everyday. Your blog is awesome!
Comment by Anonymous — September 10, 2009 @ 4:18 pm
This version includes all the songs but (like most recordings) omits the spoken dialogue. The female leads (except for Pitti-Sing) are nothing to write home about, but the men are some of the best singer-actors ever to record this show. Well worth a listen. (Note that the two topical songs contain the “N-word”, which wasn’t revised out until 1948.)
Comment by Tony Parkes — December 11, 2009 @ 4:33 pm