D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1966) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * * * Five Stars. A very strong cast including Donald Adams as Sir Marmaduke and Valerie Masterson as Aline. John Reed makes a believable John Wellington Wells - every line of diction clearly heard. The opening of Act Two is absolutely stunning and a good place to demonstrate the recording. It will be hard to beat this performance.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1971) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * Two Stars. A very competent cast who sing all the notes but lack any emotion. All the dialogue is included which irritates as all sound as if they are at an afternoon tea party instead of being aboard one of Her Majesty's fleet. Christine Palmer as Little Buttercup really disappoints. We won't talk about the seagulls.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1959) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * * * Five Stars. Always hailed as the definitive Pinafore this recording still stands the test of time. There is plenty of atmosphere and all the soloists shine. Thomas Round is, as always, excellent as Ralph Rackstraw and John Reed is ideal as Sir Joseph. All the dialogue is included however there is a very sizable highlights at budget price.

Glyndebourne Festival/Sir Malcolm Sargent (1958) (EMI)
* * * * Four Stars. A very well sung recording indeed. Monica Sinclair is probably the very best Buttercup on disc and John Cameron makes a very special Captain. For once the Glynebourne crowd really sound like they are enjoying making the recording. Orchestra and chorus are nicely balanced.

Soloists/Welsh National Opera/Sir Charles Mackerras. (1994) (TELARC)
* * * * (*) Five Stars. Complete on one CD this is everything you could want in a Pinafore and more. The singing is very polished with most of the cast very familiar to the repertoire. The orchestral playing is breathtaking - sample the Butterfly/Corcoran duet in Act two. The Overture cracks a very fast pace. Richard Suart is an excellent as Sir Joseph and Donald Adams is well cast (as usual) as Deadeye. It's great to have the women's chorus actually sounding 'out at sea' in Act One. The only minor complaint I have is there is a little lack of atmosphere.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1957) (SOUNDS ON CD Licensed from DECCA/LONDON)
* * * (*) Four Stars. A classic recording and the one of the very first Gilbert and Sullivan recordings ever made in stereo. Unfortunately the production is marred by some dodgy tempi. The solo singing is all first-class with Thomas Round and Jean Hindmarsh (as Frederic and Mabel) being at their very best and the 'paradox trio' is absolutely superbly sung with some very hideous laughter from Ann Drummond-Grant as Ruth. Kenneth Sandford is excellent as the Sergeant of Police.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1961) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * Three Stars. Great diction. You get to hang onto every word. However the singing is not of the standard of the Glyndebourne version. Mary Sansom is disappointing in the title role. However Donald Adams as Colonel Calverley is dynamic and John Reed excels as Reginald.

Australian Opera/David Stanhope (1995) (EMI)
* * * Three Stars. Complete on one CD. This is a live recording made at the Sydney Opera House with an exceptionally strong cast lead by Dennis Olsen and Heather Begg. Christine Douglas as Patience has an exceptional voice but thinks she is singing opera instead of operetta. The chorus is a little ragged but does tend to adopt it's own personality in places.

Glyndebourne Festival/Sir Malcolm Sargent (1962) (EMI)
* * * * Four Stars. An excellent cast with the exception of John Shaw as Colonel Calverley who is very shaky and doesn't quite pull it off. George Baker is an exceptional Bunthorne. The orchestra is a delight with every detail of orchestration clearly recorded.

Glyndebourne Festival/Sir Malcolm Sargent (1959) (EMI)
* * * Three Stars. Exceptionally good singing especially in the Act One finale. George Baker is a strong Lord Chancellor but I prefer John Reed on the 1961 recording. John Cameron and Elsie Morison as Strephon and Phyllis are a little too strong in voice for their roles but they certainly seem to be enjoying themselves. Monica Sinclair is an excellent Fairy Queen - she certainly sends chills up the spine with her 'Take down our sentence as we speak it'.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1961) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * * Four Stars. Worth purchasing for John Reed's interpretation of the Nightmare Song. The whole production bounces along with an embarrassingly strong cast including Donald Adams, Alan Styler and Thomas Round. Mary Sansom is a little disappointing as Phyllis. Her voice not matching the others in the cast. Their is some exceptionally fine chorus work. One of the better D'Oyly Carte recordings.

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company/John Pryce-Jones (1991) (THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT)
* * * Three Stars. A recording where the orchestral playing almost upstages the singing. Certainly the best Peers chorus ever recorded. Philip Blake Jones as Strephon is fine in the faster numbers but disappoints in the slower. Richard Stuart is a fine Lord Chancellor but the singers really could have been recorded a little more forward.

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company/Sir Malcolm Sargent (1929) (ARABESQUE)
* * * * (*) Five Stars. This is quite the most exceptional recording of Iolanthe ever made. I mention it as it is almost a benchmark from which all others should be compared. George Baker is in his prime and Bertha Lewis is terrifying as the Queen of the Fairies. The only flaw in the casting is Winifred Lawson as Phyllis. Some might like her Munchkin like voice. This is strange as she possesses a lovely lyric soprano voice as her 1930 Patience proves. This recording is in the Public Domain and the Arabesque transfers are very good.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1954) (SOUNDS ON CD Licensed from DECCA/LONDON)/ (NAXOS)
* * * (*) Four Stars. A classic recording from the fifties. Still holds up well even today. Some top soloists make this recording a joy to listen to. Thomas Round has an exceptional tenor voice and such simple pieces like "Ida was a twelve month old" are sung with much genuine conviction. Donald Adams is the most powerful Arac on record, Peter Pratt is a delight as King Gama, and Fisher Morgan, as King Hildebrand, has the most stunning voice I have heard for some time. Leonard Osborn, as Cyril, makes the most of his kissing song but is a bit too masculine in his solo in "Merrily rings". Of the women Muriel Harding as Lady Psyche is an authoritative teacher with perfect diction. Victoria Sladen has a few problems with the top notes in "Minerva" but has a very strong voice. The chorus are a fraction too recessed. There are a few cuts.

I did a comparison between the Sounds on CD and the Naxos transfer. I was surprised at how good the Naxos transfer was. Much better than many of their previous efforts. There was a nice ambiance around the voices of both issues and a superbly clean sound on both discs. However the orchestral recording was a trifle cleaner on the SOCD recording. For some unexplained reason I noticed a little harshness on the Naxos - especially in the Act 1 finale. I also noticed that Act 3 of the SOCD version was much cleaner than the Naxos - I do not have an answer - maybe the Naxos remastering for this Act was done at a different time. Try 'Whene'er I spoke' and you will notice the difference.
The interesting fillup on the Naxos was the 1931 Columbia highlights which I had not heard before (I don't own a copy of the SOCD transfer of this). I found the transfer first-rate with the voices projecting well.

D'Oyly Carte/Sir Malcolm Sargent (1965) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * Three Stars. A little bit more guts is needed to make this recording really succeed. Everything is nicely sung, except Kenneth Sandford, as King Hildebrand, who is very breathless. With the exception of Philip Potter (Hilarion) and John Reed (Gama) there seems to be a lack of emotion all round. Although the orchestra is well recorded the same cannot be said for the chorus. An excellent fill up with the Pineapple Poll ballet performed by the Philharmonia conducted by its creator, Sir Charles Mackerras.

Ohio Light Opera/J. Lynn Thompson (2000) (NEWPORT CLASSICS)
* * * (*) Four Stars. Although totted as a live recording this must have been recorded at rehearsals as there is no audience presence. This recording contains all the dialogue and also includes 'Come mighty must' which is not on the above recording. Generally a great all-round cast. Elaine Fox, as Lady Blanche, needs more power and Peter Castaldi, as Arac, struggles in his Act 3 song. Ted Christopher, as King Gama could be a bit more aggressive. Christopher Swanson, as Cyril, is a delight in his 'Kiss me' song. The dialogue does grow tiresome on repeated listenings.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1957) (SOUNDS ON CD Licensed from DECCA/LONDON)
* * * * * Five Stars. By far the best recording of the work ever made. Thomas Round is the greatest Nanki-Poo on record, likewise Donald Adams's Mikado and Kenneth Sandford's Pooh-Bah - the latter in far better voice than the 1973 version. The original recording had some bad orchestral passages and odd studio noises. These have now been cleaned up and lovingly re-mastered.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1962) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * * Four Stars. From the opening of the Overture there is a sense of excitement with this recording. The men are in top form (Kenneth Sandford is particularly creepy as Sir Despard) and the little disappointments are with the women who sing well but without interest in what they are singing. They could have been placed a little more forward as well. There are some cuts but the original overture is included in between the Acts.

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1950) (SOUNDS ON CD)
* * * * (*) Five Stars. One of the greatest D'Oyly Carte performances...ever! Underrated Ann Drummond-Grant (Mad Margaret)is excellent. Her Act One scene is certainly one of the best recordings I have ever heard her do. Martyn Green is in his element. Take for example the "As pure and blameless peasant" section in the Finale to Act One. You can actually hear the change in his voice as he takes on his new role as the bad Baronet. Not to be missed.

Soloists/Welsh National Opera/Sir Charles Mackerras. (1995) (TELARC)
* * * * (*) Five Stars. One of the best recordings of this operetta. 'I have a song to sing O' is sung very lightly and floats beautifully over the speakers. The most moving account of this duet on CD. Felicity Palmer and Donald Adams have great fun with their 'Rapture Rapture' duet. This would be the last recording Donald would make. He died in 1996. Every note of the orchestration is clearly heard. The only slight disappointment is Pamela Helen Stephens as Phoebe who doesn't quite seem to understand her 'Were I thy bride' solo.

Soloists/Academy St Martins in the Fields/Sir Neville Marriner (1993) (PHILIPS)
* * * Three Stars. Not my favourite recording of this operetta. Bryn Terfel as Wilfred has no idea of what his character is all about - he sings well but can't act and I dislike Thomas Allen as Jack Point. There are a few really poignant moments. I really loved 'When a wooer goes a-wooing' and Kurt Streit's 'Is life a boon'. The orchestral sound is very veiled. The complete work is available as a twofer (2 CDs for the price of one).

Glyndebourne Festival/Sir Malcolm Sargent (1958) (EMI)
* * * (*) Four Stars. This is a very operatic Yeomen which certainly suits the work and gives the soloists an opportunity to shine. Sir Geraint Evans makes a better Jack Point than a Ko-Ko (see above) and 'When a wooer goes a-wooing' is very moving. It's nice to feel Sargent's hand with the excellent orchestral detail.

Glyndebourne Festival/Sir Malcolm Sargent (1957) (EMI)
* * * * Four Stars. A very successful recording of a very difficult operetta to cast. So many major roles requiring an excellent group of soloists. John Cameron and Richard Lewis stand out as the two brothers. This recording almost makes the grade except for a few sluggish tempos including a lack lustre Cachucha which needs a boot up the bum!

D'Oyly Carte/Isidore Godfrey (1961) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * Two stars. Possibly the worst recording of a G & S Opera that the D'Oyly Carte Company ever made. Even though The Gondoliers is a really difficult Operetta to cast there is really no excuse for the really bad singing that takes place on this recording. It sounds very much over rehearsed. Jennifer Toye and Jeffrey Skitch struggle through their Act One duet and Mary Sansom is intolerable as Gianetta. Thomas Round and Alan Styler as the two Gondolieri are excellent, as is Kenneth Sandford as the Don. Act Two comes together better. If you don't want the dialogue, the Overture or the long Act One opening you might just as well buy the budget release of highlights.

D'Oyly Carte/John Pryce-Jones (1991) (THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT)
* * * (*) Four Stars. A much preferable recording to the D'Oyly Carte listed above. The soloists are all excellent although I much prefer John Reed's Duke of Plaza-Toro to Richard Suart's very laid back characterisation. John Rath, as Don Alhambra, makes sure every word is clearly articulated. David Fieldsend struggles at the end of "Take a pair of sparkling eyes" (which sounds like it was recorded at the end of a heavy vocal session). The women are generally agreeable - Jill Pert makes a great Duchess, and Elizabeth Woolett is one of the best Casildas on record. The strength of this performance is the orchestral playing which is superb.

D'Oyly Carte/Royston Nash (1975) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * (*) Four Stars. Nicely recorded with some fairly outstanding singing. Meston Reid is excellent as Captain Fitzbattleaxe and is well supported by Pamela Field as Princess Zara. John Reed and John Ayldon clown their way through their roles as the Utopian Court Judges. Kenneth Sandford strains a bit in Act One but manages the Christy Minstrel number OK. David Porter as Mr Blushington should never have been allowed into the recording session. Two Overtures and a suite from Victoria and Merrie England make an attractive filler.

Ohio Light Opera/J. Lynn Thompson(2001) (NEWPORT)
* * * * Four Stars. The first complete recording which includes all the dialogue. Nicely recorded with some excellent singing and orchestral playing. Tony Thomann and Lucas Meachem stand out as Scapio and Phantis. Tim Oliver, as Captain Fitzbattleaxe, also stands out and his 'tenors above' song is superb. A much better performance than Meston Reid in the D'Oyly Carte recording above. J Lynn Thompson should be credited for keeping the performance tight and moving it along at a cracking pace. Unfortunately the dialogue does tire with repeated hearings spoilt mainly by the cast declaiming it as if they are performing Shakespeare.

D'Oyly Carte/Royston Nash (1976) (DECCA/LONDON)
* * * * Four Stars. The Grand Duke has so many solo roles that it would be difficult to make a successful recording. The D'Oyly Carte team almost succeed. Kenneth Sandford, singing sotto voce, is excellent as Ludwig. The chorus sound really refreshed - obviously enjoying some new material instead of the standard fare. The recording is well balanced and every bit of orchestral detail can be heard.

The Prince Consort, Edinburgh/David Lyle (2000) (DIVINE ART)
* * * (*) Four Stars. The first complete (without dialogue) recording of this work. Recorded in Edinburgh in June 2000 with the finance and help of the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society. A totally committed recording with some excellent singing and orchestral playing. There are some rough spots (the results of trying to cram an entire opera recording into just one day) but this is made up for by the enthusiasm of the large cast.

The Prince Consort, Edinburgh/David Lyle (1985) (PEARL)
* * Two Stars. The first complete (without dialogue) recording of this work. Disappointing, not helped by a distinct tape rumble throughout. The voices are quite recessed which sound as if the microphones were placed towards the back of a hall. Sometimes the voices disappear completely as in the Act 1 Quartet "I'm the Sultan's vigilant Vizier." Christine Watson (Sunbeam), Mary Timmons (Rose-in-Bloom) and Richard Bourjo (Hassan) stand out from the soloists. The chorus are confident. The orchestra are generally very good. However there is some badly recorded percussion.

Soloists, Southwark Voices. Hanover Band/Tom Higgings (1999) (BBC)
* * * (*) Four Stars. The highlight of this performance is the excellent orchestral playing bringing out every nuance of Sullivan's delicious score. All the soloists are very competent but lack enthusiasm which is a shame as this recording has everything going for it. I think the problem is a lack of rehearsal time. Try as I might I had great difficulty understanding the lyrics. Sally Harrison (Rose-in-Bloom) stands out vocally and Richard Suart tries to do something with his role. The fill-up on these CDs are an excellent collection of Overtures with an outstanding Mikado.

The Prince Consort, Edinburgh/David Lyle (1982) (PEARL)
* * (*) Three Stars. This is one work that really needs a professional recording. There is a vast improvement in the singing and recorded sound over the Prince Consort's Rose of Persia (above). The disappointment here is the orchestra which is just embarrassing in places. There is also an obvious audience so sections must have been recorded at performances as well as rehearsals. The singing is exceptionally first class. Mary Timmons and Jinty Smart stand out among the women. Alan Borthwick has an excellent tenor voice. Tempos seem to favour the slightly slow side and some numbers need to performed in more of an Irish jig style.

A Gilbert and Sullivan Gala (1994) (CBC RECORDS)
* * * * (*) Five Stars. An excellent compilation featuring some of the very best Canadian singers, plus the ever talented Richard Suart in the patter roles. The recording starts with one of the best recordings of the Iolanthe Overture that I have heard, wonderfully executed by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bramwell Tovey. All the performers sound as if they are thoroughly enjoying themselves. Tempos are very brisk and its great to hear clearly every word of the Nightmare Song as sung by Richard Suart. Maureen Forrester melts the soul in her two big arias (Iolanthe and The Mikado). This almost perfect recording is spoilt by a silly version of Three Little Maids (sung in falsetto by Stuart and Tovey) and some irrelevant snippets of dialogue.