G&S Compilations: Miscellaneous

Gems from Gilbert & Sullivan

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Kenneth Alwyn, conductor
The Westminster Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Faris, conductor

This disc has the overtures to Yeomen and Pinafore conducted by Kenneth Alwyn, evidently taken from the same source as his Verdi / Rossini / Sullivan overtures set. The remainder is vocal highlights taken from the World Record Club recordings of Mikado, Pirates and Gondoliers.

Gems from The Savoy

The Company of Savoyards

This disc contains excerpts from the so-called World Record Club recordings, which in all the re-issues omit the artists' names and give credit only to the anonymous "Company of Savoyards."

Best of Gilbert and Sullivan (1966)

Michael Sammes Singers; Conductor, John Gregory

This disc presents an eclectic mix of G&S selections, drawn from Michael Sammes's series of G&S opera highlights discs: Iolanthe: Peers' Chorus and March Iolanthe: "When all night long" Pirates: "Poor wandering one" Pirates: "When a felon's not engaged in his employment" Yeomen: "Strange adventure" Mikado: "The sun whose rays" Mikado: "The flowers that bloom in the spring" Gondoliers: "Take a pair of sparkling eyes" Pinafore: "I'm called Litle Buttercup" Pinafore: "When I was a lad" Tim Devlin says that the New Zealand issue contains two additional tracks not listed above: "Is life a boon" and "Dance a cachucha."

Music for Leisure 139 (NZ)

This compilation, issued under two different titles, wins J. Donald Smith's "nomination for strangest re-issue of all time." It comprises selections from three different sources:

• Martyn Green's Gilbert and Sullivan, a set of patter song recordings made in 1953.
• Patter Songs from Gilbert and Sullivan, with baritone Nelson Eddy, recorded 1947-1950.
• The Bell Telephone Hour Mikado, a 1960 television broacast starring Groucho Marx as Ko-Ko.

The contents are as follows:

Gilbert & Sullivan Overtures and Favorites

The Gilbert and Sullivan Festival Chorus and Orchestra, with Soloists conducted by Peter Murray

Pye NSPH 7, stereo, 1 LP, 1972 (overtures)
Pye NSPH 16, stereo, 1 LP, 1972 (favorites)
PRT Records WGAS 6750, stereo, 2 LP, 1975 (both)

These two records are excerpts from the Gilbert and Sullivan For All series. The overtures disc contains Yeomen, Gondoliers [abridged], Pirates, Iolanthe, Mikado [abridged], Ruddigore and Pinafore. The "favorites" disc contains various vocal highlights from the operas.

Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Sullivan Entertain

The Gilbert and Sullivan Festival Chorus and Orchestra, with Soloists conducted by Peter Murray

This two record set has contains highlights from the G&S For All recordings of four operas, with each side containing seven tracks from Pinafore, Gondoliers, Pirates and Yeomen respectively. According to Chris Webster, the cover "is a colourful drawing of a victorian drawing room with Mr Sullivan at the pianoforte and Mr Gilbert (presumably) entertaining vocally. The title is printed in the central mirror / picture frame over the mantlepiece."

Gilbert and Sullivan

Stan DeOrsey told me about this disc, and here is his report:

Contents are selections from the New D'Oyly Carte and the New Sadler's Wells sets. The opening number is the Yeomen overture, predating the New D'Oyly Carte's complete Yeomen set. [It would be the same reading presented on Overtures by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. —ed.]

Remaining items are 3 selections from Mikado, 3 from Pirates, 3 from Ruddigore (not Ruddygore??), 4 from Pinafore, 2 from Iolanthe and 2 from Gondoliers. Patience of course was not issued in 91 either and so is excluded. The specific songs are the "standard" ones, no surprises, straight main line.

The Gilbert and Sullivan Collection

This CD presents highlights from the New D'Oyly Carte and New Sadler's Wells recordings. Contents are as follows:

Koch 3-7203-2H1

A Gilbert & Sullivan Gallery/
Gilbert & Sullivan Favourites

Koch 3-7203-2H1, 1 CD, 1993

This CD presents highlights from the New D'Oyly Carte and New Sadler's Wells recordings. It was published under two different titles, but the contents appear to be the same.

The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan

This cassette presents 12 items from the New D'Oyly Carte and New Sadler's Wells recordings.

Telarc CD-80431

Gilbert and Sullivan Highlights Telarc CD-80431, 1 CD, 1995 Telarc [need number], 1 cassette, 1995 This CD presents highlights from the Mackerras/Telarc series of complete recordings.

The Best of Gilbert & Sullivan Arias & Duets

This compilation presents arias and duets from the New D'Oyly Carte, and New Sadler's Wells recordings, and from the English National Opera Mikado. Selections are as follows:

The Best of Gilbert and Sullivan

This CD includes various highlights performed by the New D'Oyly Carte Opera Company under John Owen Edwards. (There are far too many albums with the name "The Best of G&S.")