G&S Overture Discs (1950 - 1969)

London CM 9050

There are several issues of this recording, which I believe are the same. Bruce Miller supplied the album cover shown here, the back of which contains advertisements for the D'Oyly Carte stereo recordings up to Iolanthe (1960). For operas recorded in stereo after 1960, the mono recordings from the 1950's are advertised.

The credit to the New Promenade Orchestra, however, seems to establish that the overtures on this record are from the mono series. I am assuming it is the same disc that Chris Webster has reported as "Overtures to the Gilbert and Sullivan Operas" (Decca LXT 2609, dated 1/53) and its re-issue on the Ace of Clubs budget label (ACL 93).

London LD 9007

These are overture discs taken from the D'Oyly Carte monaural sets recorded in the early 1950s. I suspect that there are more of these discs yet to be discovered than those shown here.

Ten-inch LPs never really caught on, but as these issues show, Decca obviously took them seriously for a little while. Chris Webster gave me the date 1955 for the Pirates/Iolanthe disc. Dates for the others are uncertain.

Decca CEP 543

This EP disc contains the overtures to Mikado, Pirates. From the date and the pairing, one would assume these are drawn from the stereo releases the same year.

RCA LM-2302 (Same cover also used for early pressings of LSC-2303, with the addition of a "Living Stereo" banner along the top)

This disc contains the following overtures: Mikado, Yeomen, Ruddigore, Iolanthe, Pinafore, and Pirates. The conductor, Alan Ward, was a D'Oyly Carte assistant musical director from 1930-1949 and also conducted a 1966 Pirates for RCA, with Martyn Green.

Bruce Miller reports that the record jackets carry the legend, "Recorded in England." However, Chris Webster (who is based in the U.K.) says that after years of diligent searching, he has never come across a U.K. pressing.

RCA Camden CTR-732

RCA LSC-2302

This disc contains the following overtures: Mikado, Gondoliers, Yeomen, Pirates, Pinafore, and Iolanthe. The contents of this disc and Sargent's 1961 More Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures have been re-issued on CD. The liner notes indicate that the Pirates overture was recorded in 1959, and since Sargent's complete Pirates was not recorded until 1961, one would assume the overture was recorded at one of the Iolanthe sessions.

More Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures (1961) Pro Arte Orchestra Conductor: Sir Malcolm Sargent This disc includes the overtures to Cox & Box, Sorcerer, Patience, Ida, and Ruddigore, plus Sir Edward German's Three Dances from Henry VIII and Three Dances from Nell Gwyn. The contents of this disc and Sargent's 1959 Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures have been re-issued on CD. Issue History Date Label Format Number 1961 HMV Concert Classics Mono LP XLP-20032 Stereo LP SXLP-20032

HMV Concert Classics SXLP-20032

Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures (1963) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Kenneth Alwyn Recorded 4—5 April 1963 EMI No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London This disc contains the overtures to Gondoliers, Mikado, Iolanthe, Pirates, Patience, Pinafore and Yeomen. The material was re-issued in 1970 on a two-record set that also included Verdi and Rossini overtures. The latter set indicates that the copyright of the Sullivan material is 1963, but the 1963 disc itself has no date.

World Record Club LZ-7119

Columbia Music Treasures DMS94 5747

More G&S Overtures