Sir Arthur SULLIVAN
Written by Sydney Grundy
Haddon Hall
The Prince Consort, Edinburgh,
conducted by David Lyle.
The divine art record company
21201.
Crotchet
£19.99
AmazonUK
£17.99
This recording was undertaken in association with the Sir Arthur Sullivan
Society. It is two medium priced CDs in a slim format case with an attractive
booklet containing good notes by Alan Borthwick and a full libretto.
The light opera was written in 1892 when Sullivan was at the height of his
powers, having recently written The Gondoliers and his romantic opera Ivanhoe.
Sullivan was barely on speaking terms with Gilbert and had to collaborate
with a different librettist Sydney Grundy (although the G. & S. combination
was later to produce Utopia Limited and The Great Duke).
Grundy's plot is based on an actual historical incident, the elopement of
Dorothy Vernon and her lover John Manners from Haddon Hall her ancestral
home. The period had been changed by a century to involve royalists and Puritans.
The public reaction was mixed, the Sullivan's music being highly praised
but Grundy was not seen as a satisfactory replacement for Gilbert. It ran
for 204 performances and was popular for several years but it was difficult
to stage and is now seldom played.
The music is most impressive, full of good tunes and many unique touches
to differentiate it from the G. & S. operas. The Scottish numbers and
orchestral bagpipe effects are hilarious; there is a storm scene which brings
that of Rigoletto to mind; the brief appearance of La Marseillaise and Yankee
Doodle Dandee are most unexpected. The use of the chorus is very effective
with excellent choral writing. At times there is a slightly autumnal feel
to the music which well reflects the romantic nature of the story. The
orchestration is perhaps fuller than many of the other Savoy Operas with
the brass more in evidence and there is the usual expressiveness of the woodwind.
The Prince Consort was formed in 1972 by a group of semi-professional musicians
as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. Later it was expanded and augmented in
collaboration with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Edinburgh. The performance
throughout is very professional. It is perhaps unfair to pick out particular
singers, but I was especially impressed by the singing of Mary Timmons as
Dorothy and by Ian Lawson as Rupert. The chorus is excellent and the orchestra
plays well although the violins seem slightly undernourished in places. David
Lyle conducts with style.
The recording is good, but it is important to play the music at a reasonably
high volume as the sound has a rather distant effect when played softly.
It is good to see the recorded repertoire extended to such good effect and
these discs can be recommended to all who like light opera.
Arthur Baker
See also review by Paul Conway
