Arthur Sullivan, Sir Charles Mackerras, Richard Suart, Thomas Allen, Michael Schade, Rebecca Evans, Felicity Palmer, Donald Adams - Gilbert & Sullivan: H.M.S. Pinafore / Mackerras, Welsh National Opera

Pinafore is a hit that never fails in production, and that gets performed everywhere, from elementary schools with piano accompaniment to full-scale extravaganzas in major opera houses and theaters. In fact I would go so far as to say that rarely in the history of music has there been a happier marriage of words and music than Gilbert and Sullivan, and this piece is one of their best. --David Hurwitz Amazon.com

When I was a lad, I heard this sung...

The Gilbert & Sullivan 'H.M.S. Pinafore' has long been one of my favourite musical productions. Fun, witty, with just the right amount of complication and resolution, this turns on the Captain (and a right good captain, too) and his crew as they await the inspection by the Ruler of the Queen's Navy, the (deliberately overblown) Rt. Hon. Sir Josephn Porter, K.C.B., First Lord of the Admiralty, who among his various quirks is that he's never been to sea, and really despises those who use four-letter words (even the now-innocuous 'damn!'). The Captain (and right good captain, too) never uses such terms - what, never? - no, never, well, hardly ever... Of course, he does end up uttering the Big Big D and the most inauspicious of occasions.

And this is the Queen's Navy?

Yes, in G&S fasion. The songs are about love, finding one's place and hope in life, and about duty (according to Leo McGarry on the 'West Wing', all of Gilbert & Sullivan works are about duty). Duty, station, and the preservation of order (a right good order, too, in Victorian sensibilities) win out over all, which brings about the added benefit of love.

Pinafore has remained a mainstay of American musical theatre since it opened - indeed, since even before it opened, as when Gilbert & Sullivan arrived in New York to bring their production, there were already half a dozen other productions taking place in various states of rewrite and disrepair. This performance, under the direction of Sir Charles Mackerras, is true to the original.

Mackerras and the Welsh National Opera orchestra and chorus are a smashing setting for the performance. The vocal talents of Richard Stuart as the pompous Porter, Thomas Allen as the right good Captain Corcoran, Rebecca Evans as Josephine, and Felicity Palmer as Buttercup are truly wonderful. Michael Schade, donald Adams, Richard Van Allen, and Valerie Seymour round out a wonderful cast. The cast has both musical talent and comedic timing and delivery that makes this performance a true success.

There is vibrance and life to the music continuously; it has energy that soars when needed and recedes graceful for the quieter parts. The recording quality is very good, only occasionally dropping out for the quiet parts a bit further than my stereo prefers. I have three different performances of Pinafore on disc; this is the one I tend to reach for most often.

September 26, 2005

Just another Pinafore

Although I don't disagree with the other reviewers I've read on specific points, this Pinafore just doesn't do much for me. Musically, it's very strong, but this recording just doesn't excite me like other Pinafores (NDOC) or other Mackerras G&S (Mikado) do. Donald Adams is, of course, a competent Deadeye, but he doesn't stand out as much as I'd expect of him. The only truly superior performance on this CD is Thomas Allen's Captain Corcoron.

This recording does have two things going for it: they got it onto one disc, and it's usually priced lower than most other recordings. If you're looking for a Pinafore recording, this is a fine one. But if you think you want to add some more variety to your Pinafore collection (this was my sixth Pinafore), I'd recommend the Sadler Wells version over this one. February 24, 2003

The perfect PINAFORE! Rebecca Evans shines!

Musically, you could not ask for a better PINAFORE.

The cast is superb! Donald Adams is a topnotch, menacing Dick Deadeye. Felicity Palmer has a full, round, dark sound and tackles Little Buttercup with what seems to be ease, and sings every note, showing off the expansive range required for the role. Richard Van Allan (whose voice I usually find to be quite heavy) as the Boatswain's mate, sings fully, and does a great rendition of "For He is an Englishman." Richard Stuart as the Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., the "ruler of the Queen's Navee," is deadpan and understated in his comic delivery. Thomas Allen delivers Captain Corcoran's entrance number ("I am the Captain of the Pinafore") in good voice, and with sly timing. He performs equally well for the rest of the album, also being of very good voice in his "Fair Moon" song. Michael Schade has a very dark, beautiful sound for a tenor, and is quite delightful on "A Maiden Fair to See," and sings his "Nightingale" madrigal quite handsomely. And John King and Phillip Lloyd Evans (both as the Carpenter's mate) and Valerie Seymour (as Cousin Hebe) are all as vocally strong as the remainder of the cast, and deliver stellar performances.

But the true star of this album (at least for me) is Rebecca Evans as Josephine. She sings "Sorry Her Lot" quietly, plaintively, and has excellent control at the end with the notes building to the beautiful close. She is also very dramatic with her sound, as is quite apparent on my FAVORITE track on this album: her dramatic, operatic scena "The Hours Creep on Apace." She approaches each note with such force, an example is her singing on the phrase "my GUIL-ty heart is quaking." Most sopranos who essay this role (even the D'Oyly Carte Grande Dame Valerie Masterson), back off and/or falter out on "guilty," but Evans plows right into it, and sings it beautifully with full force. She builds and builds to a dramatic climax in this song, and it pays off. Her rendition is nothing less than awesome. Evans singing with Schade in the "I/He humble, poor, and lowly born" section of the Act Two Finaletto, builds and builds up to "he is an Englishman--behold me/him!", where it finally releases, and allows Van Allan to let loose the "He is an Englishman" theme. It is one of the album's most breath-taking moments.

Mackerras leads the orchestra through all of the songs quite well, with everything at a nice, brisk tempo when it needs to be, but never too fast. And the Overture seems to be more perfect here than anywhere else on disc (the drum-roll and the percussion beat alone at the top of it are enough of an example of that). The exciting highlights of the disc for me are the Act One finale (track 17) and just about everything in Act Two, but especially the Finaletto of "Carefully on tip-toe stealing/He is an Englishman" and Josephine's scena. In fact, Act Two is a non-stop run of musical "hits" in a row: "Things are seldom what they seem," "The hours creep on apace," "Never mind the why and wherefore" (in a high energy reading here that leaves me breathless every time); ""Kind Captain, I've important information" (sung menacingly and with gusto by Adams and Allen); and then through to the finale. And the musical counterpoints and harmony on "O joy, o rapture unforseen!" can be clearly heard on this album, and it is indeed a joy!

This album is *NOT* to be avoided--BUY! BUY! BUY! July 10, 2001

Mackerras's new coat of paint

This third entry in the Mackerras/Telarc series enables the feeling of a new coat of paint on the hull of the indelible and delectable H.M.S. Pinafore. Indeed, Mackerras gives the piece an added sheen and an added sparkle that seems to be lacking in other recordings, even D'Oyly Carte's latest TER recording. Of the first-rate star-studded cast, Richard Suart makes a delightful, dry-timbred Ruler of the Queen's Navee, He has a remarkable facility for relishing the role, and it might be safe to say that he manages to give John Reed a run for his money. Equally fine is Thomas Allen's polished Captain. His singing really has a sense of conviction to do everyone, even his crew, proud. In the romantic rolse, Michal Schade's heady-tones portrayal of Ralph Rackstraw shows his determination to win the hand of Josephine, who is nicely, romantically and sweetly characterised by Rebeca Evans. Oh. I almost forgot to mention how delightful Felicity Palmer's Little Buttercup sounds. There is certainly something rosy about her portrayal to make her sound fruity and good. In the minor cast, I should talk about Donald Adams' villainous Deadeye. Thirty-four years after contributing positively to Decca's Godfrey D'Oyly Carte set, he still has never lost touch. What, never? Well - hardly ever! And he manages to still underpin the villainy in the character so vividly, even without dialogue this time around. And Richard van Allan makes a superb Boatswain, in a role that is specially suited to him. The choral contributions are first-rate, the orchestral playing delectable, and Mackerras conducts the music with more style and wit than Godfrey, with perfectly-judged tempi. The crystal-clear and atmospheric Telarc recording caps off a delightful rendering of the opera and makes this recording, or rather ALL the Telarc Mackerras G&S recordings, set to eclipse all others, even D'Oyly Carte's. January 27, 2001

A joy to listen to!

This sparkling rendition of HMS Pinafore really is a joy to listen to. Mackerras and the Welsh National Opera bring a freshness to the piece that is lacking in other more stylised recordings. Lyrics and music are well balanced and the orchestra and performers bring some musical clout to one or two of the more serious numbers, but without losing the overall sense of fun and lightheartedness of the rest of the piece. The rendition of the lyrics and music is so fresh that it is hard to believe that this was written over a century ago - you sense you can hear the beginnings of the modern musical. Mackerras is also particularly good at judging the tempo of each number. Among the main soloists there is not a weak link, with some beautiful singing and great characterisation. One final point: there is no dialogue - this is probably a plus as I find that G&S (and other) show dialogues rarely sound good in recordings. I would recommend this as an excellent introduction to G&S. September 12, 2000

More reviews at Amazon.com ...