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For many years, this was the only Ivanhoe recording available, but
today it must be regarded as a mere curiosity. As Phil Sternenberg observed,
"it [sounds] as if someone recorded it by hiding a Walkman
in his coat pocket while he was watching a performance."
Clifton Coles added:
I have it on cassette, and it's awful. Someone in the audience is taping it,
and he obviously has a cold. In some places, he can't sit still, so the tape
recorder is scratching against something, like the inside of his coat. And you
can hear somebody whispering to somebody else at one point.
However, what it lacks in taping quality, it makes up for in energy. One or
two voices (and the orchestra) may be ragged, but the singers are giving it
their best — not like the Price Consort soloists,
who seem to be annoyed to be in front of a microphone, tired, and unsure
of their command of the English language.
The duet between Rebecca and Brian is shortened, as is Act III, scene 2, when
Richard pardons Maurice de Bracy, apparently reflecting alterations Sullivan
made for the Berlin première. The march preceding Brian and Maurice's
first entrance is also shortened.
BTW, the duet between Rebecca and Brian is truly a fine piece of music writing,
and in the hands of a good director could be quite dramatically powerful. It
took me a while (forgive me my stupidity) to realize that Brian doesn't want
to marry Rebecca, but wants to set her up as his mistress — I'm not sure if
the arrangement is to be made public. "Chastity" is not the same thing as
"Celibacy" — and Rebecca reminds him that his vow is of "poverty and chastity."
Perhaps her anger is aimed at Brian for seeking riches and power as well as
for keeping her as a mistress? Any thoughts?
My favorite musical moment in Ivanhoe is the templars' chorus "Fremuere
principes." The tympani roll in the 2nd verse before "Nobis sit victoria" sends
chills down my spine.
Terry Carroll added:
Except for a few off notes and the fact that the female voices have barely any
diction, it is an acceptable version of the Opera. The sound actually is very
good for a "pirate," and there is not too much audience noise — certainly not
enough to be distracting. I don't believe it was ever in stereo; certainly my
original copy was mono.
The biggest problem with the set is that it came with no libretto. Before the
advent of the internet, it was impossible to ever know what was going on. You
could follow the action when the males were singing, but as soon as a female began,
that became impossible. Your interest quickly began to flag as your mind began
to wander. Recently I transferred the set to CD myself, and with a little
"de-popping" the sound is very good. I was also able to download the libretto
from your site, and along with separating the sides into separate tracks I know
know better what the opera is about.
The 1982 issue on Legends is apparently a "pirate" of the original performance.
According to J. Donald Smith, one of the stereo tracks is defective, but "if
one shuts off the offending channel, it is listenable." I am told that this
recording was broadcast on the BBC in about 1972, before the record came out,
and some listeners may have copies taken off the air.
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