My husband and I met in May of 1988. We were part of the cast of Iolanthe. I was Leila and one of the peers. Their were not enough men. My husband was one of the frogs and one of the peers in the men’s chorus. We have been married for 31 1/2 years. We performed the show at the Washington Crossing outdoor theater. It is in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
We were at this performance, took my father in law for his 80th birthday, sitting on top of Jo Brand, that is to say in the box above her. What is missing is the narration by Ian Richardson, very witty and ending with the comment "That you might think this a fairy story, but I could not possibly comment" An unforgettable afternoon
Wow! This took me right back to my days singing G&S. Funny how after 50 years I can still remember most of the words and music. With Sarah Connolly as Iolanthe this was a fun and very spirited Iolanthe. Well done!
When we got married Barados Festival Choir was rehearsing for a performance of Iolanthe, under the direction of the late Norma Bowen. My husband was member of the cast and therefore this production is forever linked to our lives. We will celebrate our 37th anniversary later this month, and I consider video an early gift.🎉
Iolanthe was the first G&S I saw when I was in elementary school, performed by middle school students, and even watching that amateur production, I was hooked and when I went to that middle school I was a part of the Spring G&S musicals the three years I was there.
Some of the best performances of these great songs I've heard in quite a while. Personally, I could have done without the Jo Brand links - but beautifully sung, with a superb full orchestra.
as part of the BBC proms there were constraints. of course we would all have loved to see the whole thing, but the way we must think is that we are blessed to have any new quality G&S. Personally I think the proms should do one every year, in whatever format.
Lovely rendition. Jo Brand doesn't add much with her snarky narration. Fortunately I was raised on Iolanthe, so I fast forward through those bits. Many thanks for posting the vid
What a brilliant performance of Iolanthe , principal singers all , chorus , orchestra , conductor . This is one of the best performances I have heard , sung straight , but with none of the humour lost , just wonderful . Thank You Jim Manson !!!
David Barneby I couldn't agree more. Did you by any chance see any of a Pinafore broadcast on PBS from several seasons ago. One of the worst things I've ever seen and the best example of distorted G&S I can think of. Extra beat driven percussion was added which ironically slowed down most numbers in order to stuff in the irrelevant crap. The so called acting resembled how I've heard bad vaudeville described. The number of really satisfactory G&S videos I've seen I could count on two hands. Ohio LIght Opera in general does their works very well. This summer I'll be seeing RUDDIGORE.
mich sturge Hi mich , I'm glad you enjoyed this concert performance of Iolanthe . No , I didn't see the Pinafore broadcast on PBS . There are some dreadful amateur productions of Gilbert and Sullivan that find their way onto You Tube . I was an actor in my youth and know that even farce should be played straight , the same applies to G&S . Sullivan's music is particularly beautiful , albeit that the songs are written for lighter voices , the operas should be ranked with Rossini comic operas . I am an opera lover , appreciator of beautiful voices and fine singing ; I hate to see/hear G&S operas reduced to near slapstick comedy and total loss of the beautiful music . I will take 1504trevor's advice and see the BBC prom version of HMS Pinafore .
+David Barneby Yes! I think Gilbert and Sullivan operas are most funny when even the most improbable situations are played straight, as though there is no other way in the world that this could happen. Camp and slapstick severely detract from the G&S world. (I am also an opera lover , and appreciator of beautiful voices and fine singing. It's refreshing to read someone else say so.)
+Arkelk2010 Thank you for your kind reply . It is nice to know there are other people who share ones appreciation of opera and fine singing voices . I appreciate voices big or small , but beautiful . I lived in Italy for a number of years and used to attend concerts for young singers seeking recognition . I often heard them singing with volume beyond the capacity of their voice . Speaking to them afterwards , they would say they have to sing big to sing Verdi , one girl was losing the whole central focus of her voice . I have been a fan of Salvatore Fisichella a belcanto tenor . I met him after an opera together with his entourage of devoted students . We discussed singing within the voice , he said yes , Devi Appoggiare .
Back when I was able to listen more and had a better ear, I used to comment on whether I thought the singers, mostly students at the Wolf Trap Opera Company, were singing good roles for their voices. Most were, fortunately, but every now and then I would wonder if it were an off day, or a bad choice.
Well that was just wonderful. What excellent singers! Thanks Jo Brand. But it's a pity they cut some of the best bits out it - said I to myself - said I!
The great shame of this broadcast was to use Jo Brand as a presenter, instead of what the audience were treated to: an incredibly witty narration, written by Ian Hislop and delivered by Ian Richardson in his best Francis Urquhart. For those in the Hall, it remains one of the most fun and fondly remembered Proms of all time.
I have no idea who Jo Brand is or what she normally does, but she comes across as totally talentless. I can't fathom why anybody would have chosen her for this role- but then I have to say that I found the whole presentation to be lacking: if that's the best line-up that could be found for Iolanthe at the time, it's a sad look-out for G&S in the UK.
I love the interpolated cadenza for Phylis at 30:23. The score only has a held note, but interpolating the cadenza is right in the style of bel canto opera (which Sullivan loved to both honor and lampoon).
"Into quarantine ( quarantine, quarantine) , Quarantine, quarantine He must go Into quarantine he must go!" I bet someone is writing the full Covid 19 parody right now -- G and S connects so easily to modern culture and audiences.
I notice Jo Brand gets some poor references here. I have to admit that I was surprised to hear her voice & accent at first, but soon began to enthuse over her very witty commentary. "Bow down, ye lower middle classes"! Come off your high horses. Sing boom.
Sigh. The University of Michigan Savoyards kicked me out of "Iolanthe" because my granny died and their "attendance" protocols were very strict. However, I did "Pirates" and "Yeomen" after that.
Brialliant performance and thank you for uploading. Jo Brands snide commentary I can live without however. Jeez, she has no idea of the historic context of this operetta, bloody woman is just using it as an excuse to score cheap points.
I wanted to share this wonderful rendition with my students who will be performing "Iolanthe" this coming summer, however, the narrator, Jo Brand, forced me to forgo that possibility - Too bad!
I love G & S and Iolanthe is special. I also loved Jo Brand's comments; what a wonderful lens through which to view. I'm sure WS would have commented and even Sir AS might have smiled.
I always love G&S, but particularly when sung by voices like these. Every soloist is off-the-charts superb, chorus is great too. Ashley Holland is a wonderfully rich-voiced Mountararat. I only wish the telecast could have been more musically complete, as the performance evidently was. Private Willis is missing altogether!
A master class in how to do Gilbert and Sullivan, pay scrupulous attention to musical values and let the works speak for themselves. What a pity that the overture and first few moments of the opening are missing. I join one other comment that I could well do without the running commentary.
Wonderful, fresh and lively performance, but a few cuts were evident, For instance I missed "Blue Blood" song and Chancellor's "When called to the Bar..." Otherwise, perfect.
About as good as it gets. Principals, chorus, orchestra and conductor all superb. Pity about Jo Brand (of whom I am generally a fan) but you can't have everything, I suppose....
I've watched this many times.1. The performance is terrific. Voices, chorus, conductor, orchestra, all first-rate. Nice to hear Strephon well as sung for a change.2. Too bad about the cuts. About a third of the score is missing.3. Jo Brand is annoying.
Hi, Jim. I didn't find Jo Brand "annoying" : I think many people would welcome a brief explanation of the story as it went along : not everyone knows about G & S , but the Proms might get them interested....
A fine performance. Two caveats though. Why on Earth did the original programmers replace the witty Ian Richardson's live commentary and the audience's amused positive response with the detached synopsis from Jo Brand (whom I adore, but not here)? And, no disrespect to Ms Glover, who does an admirable job, but what a shame Sir Charles Mackerras did not conduct this, his favourite Savoy Opera, here or anywhere else for the BBC (including the famous Radio 2 series). If anyone knows of a recording by Mackerras, do please enlighten me!
I can't remember the Proms including potted G. and S. versions. Perhaps it was just the broadcast. In the old days it was a G. and S. Prom of highlights from the operettas. I'd like to hear Phyllis's cadenza but also the other version of "Is life a boon?" "Yeomen". Some people mentioned under-acting & I can't stand the opposite. The slap-stick "director" Who "did" E. N. O. so-called "Iolanthe" and "Pinafore" has just made "the Widow" dirty for Glyndebourne.
The BBC didn't, but the promenaders did - I was standing in the middle of the front row of the Arena, directly in front of Anne-Marie Owens and at the Invocation to Captain Shaw, I donned a yellow toy fireman's helmet - you can just make out the moment in the closeup when she first catches sight and a faint flicker of a smile crosses her face.
Chris Cann, what splendid audience participation you showed! Your headpiece was historically appropriate because the unsuspecting Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw KCB is noted in Wikipedia for introducing brass firefighting helmets.
Michael Adsetts No, Hastings Curves is right and you are wrong. As a parliamentary cheer, hear him, hear him! is first recorded in the late 17th century and continued into the 19th; the reduction to hear! or hear, hear! occurred by the late 18th century.
My dear Gama Catai, if it's not right, it's not right and not all correct. And that's the long and the short of it. :) You CAN play a Chopin Etude in the manner of a Lizst Etude, but, as Miss Ball once famously said, "That ain't right. I knew he had that camera angle wrong, that just ain't right."
It's obvious in Act 1 that the Lord Chancellor is excellent, but the nightmare song is outstanding, and he makes it look easy. My jaw dropped. ruclips.net/video/e2F3OWd0o9w/видео.html
Iolanthe is a bit odd. The finale of Act 1 is long but full of fire. Except for the Chancellor's Nightmare Song, the rest of the show is rather sluggish until the very end.
Now, THIS is the style of thing precisely. The secret to playing G&S is to perform it with the highest musical qualities and with attentive sincerity, not as mere silliness on the stage. The silliness is already there, in the situations and in the text (words and in the music itself). As everybody that's somebody knows, the art of great comedy lies in making it funny for the audience, NOT the character - something is truly funny when the CHARACTER on stage does NOT KNOW it is funny, but takes it all quite seriously. (Consult Lucille Ball and all the rest about this.) Most college and amateur (not to mention rare professional, which can be even worse) productions of late make the whole enterprise a FARCE. These are not low vaudeville farces, and when played as such, their everlasting glow is dimmed into twilight. They are light OPERAS - the musical and vocal qualities must be of the highest level and the situations, though comical and ridiculous, embody true, sincere, heartfelt, REAL human emotions which must be sincerely expressed. And there's way too much stage business that distracts from the music in most modern productions, but that's a general thing that has gone wrong in this age of musical illiteracy (nobody delights in a good tonic pedal anymore) and movie mania with its attention to the visual aspect of things as predominant. Bravi tutti.
there is really no need to get this up in arms about University and amateur companies having fun with some great material. is it /actually/ hurting you if some companies like to ham it up a little bit? nope. if you want to watch straight versions of the shows, you go right ahead, but don't crap on the rest of us on the way to the theatre. 'age of musical illiteracy' i can't even
Catai I don't mind them hamming it up a bit and I am quite prepared to accept performances that are not as great as the top professionals, but some of the stuff uploaded to YT is so bad it makes me cringe: dancing off-time and singing so out of tune it's embarrassing.
The fact is, G&S more often gets amateurish productions than it does professional ones, and MANY people regard G&S as low class, 'twee', just lower in musical/entertainment quality because of that. I'm an opera singer, and many of my singer friends have a snobbish attitude toward performing G&S for that reason, despite my protestations to the contrary. Of course, schools, colleges, and community theater/amateur operatic societies will continue to perform G&S (and some to a very high standard), and we want them to, but it is professional productions, like those at the International G&S Festival in Harrogate every August, and its associated National G&S Opera Company, and this one, that do complete justice to this wonderful material.
I agree. I spent a good chunk of my childhood by taking part every year in a University opera (with the rest of my family). The best operas they put on were actually the Grand Operas - I Lombardi, Rienzi, Ruslan and Ludmilla to name but a few - because the most important thing about the Grands is the passion so it was easier to get away with the occasional amateur wobbliness. When they did G&S though it was never as good because to carry it off it really does require the kind of precision and timing most amateur groups just don't really possess. It comes down to playing to the strengths of the type of company in the end and can be seen quite clearly if you surf some of the performances in the side bar...
Was this the full show, are bits missing in this video? Too many songs missing - Strephon's A Member Of Parliament, and how can you do Iolanthe without Private Willis's song? This is what comes of amateurs attempting to do a professional G&S afficianado's job. Disappointed, nowhere near as good as the Pinafore prom, a decent link man would have served it better.
+Phil Haley My thoughts entirely. If anything I would have thought that a concert performance would have been a good opportunity to include Strephon's usually deleted aria, but instead half of Act II is missing.
At the end, Jo Brand mentioned 'Private Willis', sad the broadcast left it out , a funny song. My husband "sang" this with a local group, and its words still ring bells : "When in that house M.P.'s divide, If they've a brain and cerebellum too, They've got to leave that brain outside, And vote just as their leaders tell 'em too ...."
I can't stop playing this. I wish I had found this when my father was still alive he would have loved this. Is there any way of buying a recording of this I haven't found it anywhere so far.
If you like G&S, you might be interested in: 1. The annual International Gilbert & Festival Festival in Buxton and Harrogate (usually end July throughout August except this year due to COVID-19) - information can be found our website www.gsfestivals.org (also the dates for the 27th Festival in 2021 includinvg fringe events and info on the all-day Festival Club) - 2. www.gsopera.tv. where you can purchase memorable G&S performances at the Festival since 1994 for a very modest price, download it and it'll be yours for4ever to watch and enjoy - on the www.gsfestivals.org you can also find interesting info on becoming a member (with very attr5active benefits), join the Giant Cash Bonanza, search for interesting things in the shop, and join our G&S themed river cruises with original cast members and full orchestra. I am sure you'll find something interesting. It would be nice to welcome you in our "band of enthusiasts". Best wishes
Great stuff blah blah blah, (really), but what happened to Pvt. Willis's song? He was there for the bows, and it doesn't seem reasonable that a production clocked at 1:13:16 is trying to stick to any semi-rational time constraints. Oh, well. Jane Glover is of course great, and if any of you have not read her book "Mozart's Women", run right down to your bookstore or library and get it. Now. Really.
@@mikewalsh6168 It's true that the Judge in Trial by Jury sings something similar (hardly surprising when you remember that Gilbert studied law) but in Act I of Iolanthe the Chancellor sings "Said I to myself, said I" which is what Kinto Openbook The Wise referred to!
If the BBC really wonders why so many people loathe it, they might wish to consider the effect of the unnecessaryfeminisit and political (and in parts vulgar) cracks of the compere they provide for this performance.
Sort of disconcerting to have this video start as if they've skipped over the overture and are already "in the midst of things". I don't like the narrator, Brand. She seems uninterested and bored and just reading off a teleprompter. Fortunately, the actual music and performers and conducting are exemplary. Do yourself a favor and skip to about 4:40, where things begin properly.
Musically... it's fine... but the woman doing the narration totally kills the enjoyment of this broadcast. And what happened to the overture? Not at all what I wanted.
My husband and I met in May of 1988. We were part of the cast of Iolanthe. I was Leila and one of the peers. Their were not enough men. My husband was one of the frogs and one of the peers in the men’s chorus. We have been married for 31 1/2 years. We performed the show at the Washington Crossing outdoor theater. It is in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
Lord love you. Keep on singin'.
We were at this performance, took my father in law for his 80th birthday, sitting on top of Jo Brand, that is to say in the box above her. What is missing is the narration by Ian Richardson, very witty and ending with the comment "That you might think this a fairy story, but I could not possibly comment" An unforgettable afternoon
Wow! This took me right back to my days singing G&S. Funny how after 50 years I can still remember most of the words and music. With Sarah Connolly as Iolanthe this was a fun and very spirited Iolanthe. Well done!
When we got married Barados Festival Choir was rehearsing for a performance of Iolanthe, under the direction of the late Norma Bowen. My husband was member of the cast and therefore this production is forever linked to our lives. We will celebrate our 37th anniversary later this month, and I consider video an early gift.🎉
I was in a production of Iolanthe in 1965. This proms performance took my breath away. Stunning. Spellbinding.
The diction and musical discipline of the Chorus are stunning.
I don't think I've seen another performance where you could actually understand the full chorus patter sections of the Act I finale!
Is it just me, but actually seeing an Operetta performed live like this, sends chills up my spine. So wonderful
Iolanthe was the first G&S I saw when I was in elementary school, performed by middle school students, and even watching that amateur production, I was hooked and when I went to that middle school I was a part of the Spring G&S musicals the three years I was there.
Brilliant. I saw a wonderful production of Iolanthe at Stratford in Canada about 25 years ago. This was even better.
ENO showed us how to perform G&S operettas with a grand opera standard of both singing and playing. It's stunning!
GOrgeous singing from Sarah Connolly as Iolanthe...Brava!
Perfect, just the way it should be. Sheer delight. Honors the music and wit equally -- G & S deserve no less.
amen
Iolanthe has some of the most beautiful music of all the Savoy Operas
Oh, it's fairy music if I ever heard any! 😊🙂
Yes, I think it's the most consistently perfect of all Sullivan's scores. With a Mendelssohnian grace and lightness, and exquisite orchestration.
Some of the best performances of these great songs I've heard in quite a while. Personally, I could have done without the Jo Brand links - but beautifully sung, with a superb full orchestra.
I actually enjoyed the Jo Brand quirky sarcasm, replacing (most often) badly delivered lengthy dialogues... :)
as part of the BBC proms there were constraints. of course we would all have loved to see the whole thing, but the way we must think is that we are blessed to have any new quality G&S. Personally I think the proms should do one every year, in whatever format.
Thanks so much! Lively and fun. Fantastic singers.
Gregorian I
The Chorus is fabulous!
Indeed they are :)
Fabulous and evokes some of the happiest memories I have. Wow!
Lovely rendition. Jo Brand doesn't add much with her snarky narration. Fortunately I was raised on Iolanthe, so I fast forward through those bits. Many thanks for posting the vid
Wow fabulous singers, just as it should be. Puts all the other YT uploads to shame. Singing at its very best! Thanks Jim.
The period from 30:55 to the end of Act 1 is just about my favourite passage of music from anything.
I think the conductor is Jane Glover. She is the kind of conductor of the (mens) chorus I dream of !
Sounds so Doyly! Perfect
What a brilliant performance of Iolanthe , principal singers all , chorus , orchestra , conductor . This is one of the best performances I have heard , sung straight , but with none of the humour lost , just wonderful . Thank You Jim Manson !!!
David Barneby I couldn't agree more. Did you by any chance see any of a Pinafore broadcast on PBS from several seasons ago. One of the worst things I've ever seen and the best example of distorted G&S I can think of. Extra beat driven percussion was added which ironically slowed down most numbers in order to stuff in the irrelevant crap. The so called acting resembled how I've heard bad vaudeville described. The number of really satisfactory G&S videos I've seen I could count on two hands. Ohio LIght Opera in general does their works very well. This summer I'll be seeing RUDDIGORE.
mich sturge
Hi mich , I'm glad you enjoyed this concert performance of Iolanthe .
No , I didn't see the Pinafore broadcast on PBS . There are some dreadful amateur productions of Gilbert and Sullivan that find their way onto You Tube . I was an actor in my youth and know that even farce should be played straight , the same applies to G&S . Sullivan's music is particularly beautiful , albeit that the songs are written for lighter voices , the operas should be ranked with Rossini comic operas . I am an opera lover , appreciator of beautiful voices and fine singing ; I hate to see/hear G&S operas reduced to near slapstick comedy and total loss of the beautiful music . I will take 1504trevor's advice and see the BBC prom version of HMS Pinafore .
+David Barneby Yes! I think Gilbert and Sullivan operas are most funny when even the most improbable situations are played straight, as though there is no other way in the world that this could happen. Camp and slapstick severely detract from the G&S world. (I am also an opera lover , and appreciator of beautiful voices and fine singing. It's refreshing to read someone else say so.)
+Arkelk2010
Thank you for your kind reply . It is nice to know there are other people who share ones appreciation of opera and fine singing voices . I appreciate voices big or small , but beautiful . I lived in Italy for a number of years and used to attend concerts for young singers seeking recognition . I often heard them singing with volume beyond the capacity of their voice . Speaking to them afterwards , they would say they have to sing big to sing Verdi , one girl was losing the whole central focus of her voice . I have been a fan of Salvatore Fisichella a belcanto tenor . I met him after an opera together with his entourage of devoted students . We discussed singing within the voice , he said yes , Devi Appoggiare .
Back when I was able to listen more and had a better ear, I used to comment on whether I thought the singers, mostly students at the Wolf Trap Opera Company, were singing good roles for their voices. Most were, fortunately, but every now and then I would wonder if it were an off day, or a bad choice.
Incredible! Loved every moment. Thank you.
Brilliant performance, thank you for posting
A delightful and beautifully sung presentation. I couldn't help smiling at 'Hansard' on the Peers' scores. Gilbert would have approved.
38:49 onwards - I love this song so much.
Well that was just wonderful. What excellent singers! Thanks Jo Brand. But it's a pity they cut some of the best bits out it - said I to myself - said I!
The great shame of this broadcast was to use Jo Brand as a presenter, instead of what the audience were treated to: an incredibly witty narration, written by Ian Hislop and delivered by Ian Richardson in his best Francis Urquhart. For those in the Hall, it remains one of the most fun and fondly remembered Proms of all time.
I have no idea who Jo Brand is or what she normally does, but she comes across as totally talentless. I can't fathom why anybody would have chosen her for this role- but then I have to say that I found the whole presentation to be lacking: if that's the best line-up that could be found for Iolanthe at the time, it's a sad look-out for G&S in the UK.
Jane Glover's conducting is one of the major pluses.
Beautifully performed! Bravi!!
13:05 The Peers all read from Hansard! Priceless.
It's so cool how this saves the twist for "I am thy wife"
Beautiful. Thanks uploading!
What a cast.
The best of all the G & S opera's ever, so love Stephon and The Fairy Queen.So 2016 Britexit.
Absolute bliss
I love the interpolated cadenza for Phylis at 30:23. The score only has a held note, but interpolating the cadenza is right in the style of bel canto opera (which Sullivan loved to both honor and lampoon).
mjmacmtenor
"Into quarantine ( quarantine, quarantine) ,
Quarantine, quarantine
He must go
Into quarantine he must go!"
I bet someone is writing the full Covid 19 parody right now -- G and S connects so easily to modern culture and audiences.
in for a penny in for a pound, it`s vaccines that make the world go round
Can't wait for the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan group to do this in the spring!
I notice Jo Brand gets some poor references here. I have to admit that I was surprised to hear her voice & accent at first, but soon began to enthuse over her very witty commentary. "Bow down, ye lower middle classes"! Come off your high horses. Sing boom.
Sigh. The University of Michigan Savoyards kicked me out of "Iolanthe" because my granny died and their "attendance" protocols were very strict. However, I did "Pirates" and "Yeomen" after that.
I'm well familiar with the tyrannies of lesser but pretentious G&S groups, my sympathies. Glad you got to do "Pirates" and "Yeomen", though.
I’d love to see “Princess Ida” Proms.
Or the "Yeomen."
It’s too bad they cut out “In Vain to Us You Plead”, that’s such a cute song between the choruses.
Brialliant performance and thank you for uploading. Jo Brands snide commentary I can live without however. Jeez, she has no idea of the historic context of this operetta, bloody woman is just using it as an excuse to score cheap points.
A shame that this is cut, I expect something to come up and it doesn't, rather an insult to Sullivan. It's such a good performance other that that.
I wanted to share this wonderful rendition with my students who will be performing "Iolanthe" this coming summer, however, the narrator, Jo Brand, forced me to forgo that possibility - Too bad!
No way you're a teacher? And decide to play this? Amazing
@@jid1623 I'm sorry but I can't quite follow what you're attempting to say.
@@methuenyoungpeoplestheatre5894 nothing at all I just like your move of letting the kids perform such a mesmerizing play just that..
@@jid1623 Thanks I appreciate that. Take Care & Stay Well.
@@methuenyoungpeoplestheatre5894 you too 😊
I love G & S and Iolanthe is special. I also loved Jo Brand's comments; what a wonderful lens through which to view. I'm sure WS would have commented and even Sir AS might have smiled.
I always love G&S, but particularly when sung by voices like these. Every soloist is off-the-charts superb, chorus is great too. Ashley Holland is a wonderfully rich-voiced Mountararat. I only wish the telecast could have been more musically complete, as the performance evidently was. Private Willis is missing altogether!
6.00 my fave :)
A master class in how to do Gilbert and Sullivan, pay scrupulous attention to musical values and let the works speak for themselves. What a pity that the overture and first few moments of the opening are missing. I join one other comment that I could well do without the running commentary.
th commodore or whoever he may be gives a fabulous performance here -oratorio format works superbly
Wonderful, fresh and lively performance, but a few cuts were evident, For instance I missed "Blue Blood" song and Chancellor's "When called to the Bar..." Otherwise, perfect.
About as good as it gets. Principals, chorus, orchestra and conductor all superb. Pity about Jo Brand (of whom I am generally a fan) but you can't have everything, I suppose....
I've watched this many times.1. The performance is terrific. Voices, chorus, conductor, orchestra, all first-rate. Nice to hear Strephon well as sung for a change.2. Too bad about the cuts. About a third of the score is missing.3. Jo Brand is annoying.
i wish it was complete Score
Hi, Jim.
I didn't find Jo Brand "annoying" : I think many people would welcome a brief explanation of the story as it went along : not everyone knows about G & S , but the Proms might get them interested....
A narration is one thing. It's the wisecracks I could do without.
A fine performance. Two caveats though. Why on Earth did the original programmers replace the witty Ian Richardson's live commentary and the audience's amused positive response with the detached synopsis from Jo Brand (whom I adore, but not here)? And, no disrespect to Ms Glover, who does an admirable job, but what a shame Sir Charles Mackerras did not conduct this, his favourite Savoy Opera, here or anywhere else for the BBC (including the famous Radio 2 series). If anyone knows of a recording by Mackerras, do please enlighten me!
I can't remember the Proms including potted G. and S. versions. Perhaps it was just the broadcast. In the old days it was a G. and S. Prom of highlights from the operettas. I'd like to hear Phyllis's cadenza but also the other version of "Is life a boon?" "Yeomen". Some people mentioned under-acting & I can't stand the opposite. The slap-stick "director" Who "did" E. N. O. so-called "Iolanthe" and "Pinafore" has just made "the Widow" dirty for Glyndebourne.
Where is Good morrow, good mother? Its absence is a loss.
54:18 The BBC could at least have provided a Captain Shaw for the Fairy Queen to address her song to.
Hear hear!
The BBC didn't, but the promenaders did - I was standing in the middle of the front row of the Arena, directly in front of Anne-Marie Owens and at the Invocation to Captain Shaw, I donned a yellow toy fireman's helmet - you can just make out the moment in the closeup when she first catches sight and a faint flicker of a smile crosses her face.
Chris Cann, what splendid audience participation you showed! Your headpiece was historically appropriate because the unsuspecting Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw KCB is noted in Wikipedia for introducing brass firefighting helmets.
Michael Adsetts No, Hastings Curves is right and you are wrong. As a parliamentary cheer, hear him, hear him! is first recorded in the late 17th century and continued into the 19th; the reduction to hear! or hear, hear! occurred by the late 18th century.
My dear Gama Catai, if it's not right, it's not right and not all correct. And that's the long and the short of it. :) You CAN play a Chopin Etude in the manner of a Lizst Etude, but, as Miss Ball once famously said, "That ain't right. I knew he had that camera angle wrong, that just ain't right."
Tolloller: I heard the minx remark, she'd meet him after dark inside St James's park and give him one!
Phyllis: 29:40
starbug1409 that whole medley is perhaps my favourite moment in the whole of G&S' oeuvre
must be the sauciest line in the whole of G+S :-)
The tempo is a bit too fast in some parts
It's obvious in Act 1 that the Lord Chancellor is excellent, but the nightmare song is outstanding, and he makes it look easy. My jaw dropped. ruclips.net/video/e2F3OWd0o9w/видео.html
March of the Peer sis the finest of all G & S items???????
+Dazzily
yes.
To all the Jo Brand negative voters: Remember, Faint Heart never won Fair Lady!
Iolanthe is a bit odd. The finale of Act 1 is long but full of fire. Except for the Chancellor's Nightmare Song, the rest of the show is rather sluggish until the very end.
Superb if you can filter out Jo Brand.
Is it just me or does anyone else notice the clarinets at 29:01??
Now, THIS is the style of thing precisely. The secret to playing G&S is to perform it with the highest musical qualities and with attentive sincerity, not as mere silliness on the stage. The silliness is already there, in the situations and in the text (words and in the music itself). As everybody that's somebody knows, the art of great comedy lies in making it funny for the audience, NOT the character - something is truly funny when the CHARACTER on stage does NOT KNOW it is funny, but takes it all quite seriously. (Consult Lucille Ball and all the rest about this.) Most college and amateur (not to mention rare professional, which can be even worse) productions of late make the whole enterprise a FARCE. These are not low vaudeville farces, and when played as such, their everlasting glow is dimmed into twilight. They are light OPERAS - the musical and vocal qualities must be of the highest level and the situations, though comical and ridiculous, embody true, sincere, heartfelt, REAL human emotions which must be sincerely expressed. And there's way too much stage business that distracts from the music in most modern productions, but that's a general thing that has gone wrong in this age of musical illiteracy (nobody delights in a good tonic pedal anymore) and movie mania with its attention to the visual aspect of things as predominant. Bravi tutti.
there is really no need to get this up in arms about University and amateur companies having fun with some great material. is it /actually/ hurting you if some companies like to ham it up a little bit? nope. if you want to watch straight versions of the shows, you go right ahead, but don't crap on the rest of us on the way to the theatre.
'age of musical illiteracy' i can't even
Catai I don't mind them hamming it up a bit and I am quite prepared to accept performances that are not as great as the top professionals, but some of the stuff uploaded to YT is so bad it makes me cringe: dancing off-time and singing so out of tune it's embarrassing.
Yes, I totally agree. I have seen some of the worse productions made by amateurs and students that destroy the true quality of all G & S operettas.
The fact is, G&S more often gets amateurish productions than it does professional ones, and MANY people regard G&S as low class, 'twee', just lower in musical/entertainment quality because of that. I'm an opera singer, and many of my singer friends have a snobbish attitude toward performing G&S for that reason, despite my protestations to the contrary. Of course, schools, colleges, and community theater/amateur operatic societies will continue to perform G&S (and some to a very high standard), and we want them to, but it is professional productions, like those at the International G&S Festival in Harrogate every August, and its associated National G&S Opera Company, and this one, that do complete justice to this wonderful material.
I agree. I spent a good chunk of my childhood by taking part every year in a University opera (with the rest of my family). The best operas they put on were actually the Grand Operas - I Lombardi, Rienzi, Ruslan and Ludmilla to name but a few - because the most important thing about the Grands is the passion so it was easier to get away with the occasional amateur wobbliness. When they did G&S though it was never as good because to carry it off it really does require the kind of precision and timing most amateur groups just don't really possess.
It comes down to playing to the strengths of the type of company in the end and can be seen quite clearly if you surf some of the performances in the side bar...
Was this the full show, are bits missing in this video? Too many songs missing - Strephon's A Member Of Parliament, and how can you do Iolanthe without Private Willis's song? This is what comes of amateurs attempting to do a professional G&S afficianado's job. Disappointed, nowhere near as good as the Pinafore prom, a decent link man would have served it better.
+Phil Haley My thoughts entirely. If anything I would have thought that a concert performance would have been a good opportunity to include Strephon's usually deleted aria, but instead half of Act II is missing.
At the end, Jo Brand mentioned 'Private Willis', sad the broadcast left it out ,
a funny song.
My husband "sang" this with a local group, and its words still ring bells :
"When in that house M.P.'s divide,
If they've a brain and cerebellum too,
They've got to leave that brain outside,
And vote just as their leaders tell 'em too ...."
These are hardly amateurs!!?
I can't stop playing this. I wish I had found this when my father was still alive he would have loved this. Is there any way of buying a recording of this I haven't found it anywhere so far.
If you like G&S, you might be interested in: 1. The annual International Gilbert & Festival Festival in Buxton and Harrogate (usually end July throughout August except this year due to COVID-19) - information can be found our website www.gsfestivals.org (also the dates for the 27th Festival in 2021 includinvg fringe events and info on the all-day Festival Club) - 2. www.gsopera.tv. where you can purchase memorable G&S performances at the Festival since 1994 for a very modest price, download it and it'll be yours for4ever to watch and enjoy - on the www.gsfestivals.org you can also find interesting info on becoming a member (with very attr5active benefits), join the Giant Cash Bonanza, search for interesting things in the shop, and join our G&S themed river cruises with original cast members and full orchestra. I am sure you'll find something interesting. It would be nice to welcome you in our "band of enthusiasts". Best wishes
Great stuff blah blah blah, (really), but what happened to Pvt. Willis's song? He was there for the bows, and it doesn't seem reasonable that a production clocked at 1:13:16 is trying to stick to any semi-rational time constraints. Oh, well. Jane Glover is of course great, and if any of you have not read her book "Mozart's Women", run right down to your bookstore or library and get it. Now. Really.
I think that there was also the Friendship number, so taking out both of those saves both time and a soloist.
@@BethDiane Here I am five years older, and still no Pvt. Willis. I'm not even half immortal, you know. Get with it.
Where is "when i went to the bar"? that's one of the big numbers
Thats from trial by jury
@@mikewalsh6168 It's true that the Judge in Trial by Jury sings something similar (hardly surprising when you remember that Gilbert studied law) but in Act I of Iolanthe the Chancellor sings "Said I to myself, said I" which is what Kinto Openbook The Wise referred to!
If the BBC really wonders why so many people loathe it, they might wish to consider the effect of the unnecessaryfeminisit and political (and in parts vulgar) cracks of the compere they provide for this performance.
Wonderful music, wonderful singing, but... the narration? Very poor.
Good performance from a very good chorus.Pity about Mr.Suart,as usual pulling faces, changing accents etc as is his wont in Gand S.
Sort of disconcerting to have this video start as if they've skipped over the overture and are already "in the midst of things". I don't like the narrator, Brand. She seems uninterested and bored and just reading off a teleprompter. Fortunately, the actual music and performers and conducting are exemplary. Do yourself a favor and skip to about 4:40, where things begin properly.
Stellar performance!!! (Excepting the silly cow that keeps interjecting BS commentary).
I hate it when they use the books... bloody amateurs!
Musically... it's fine... but the woman doing the narration totally kills the enjoyment of this broadcast. And what happened to the overture? Not at all what I wanted.
Jo Brand has the MOST whiney, horrid voice and totally ruins this.
They play this on a loop in hell