Sullivan and Rowe - The Zoo
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- Опубликовано: 5 янв 2021
- The BBC's recording of Sullivan and Rowe's 'The Zoo', first broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 3.55pm on New Year's Eve 1972. The first professional performance since 1879.
This recording made off-air from BBC Radio 3 on 28th December 1988.
Aesculapius Carboy ... John Boulter
Elizabeth Smith ... Joy Roberts
Thomas Brown (the Duke of Islington) ... Leslie Fyson
Laetitia Grinder ... Lissa Gary
Mr. Grinder ... Ian Wallace
Narrator ... Cormac Rigby
BBC Concert Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Ashley Lawrence
Produced by David Rayvern Allen
'The Zoo' is a one-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson, writing under the pen name of Bolton Rowe.
Benjamin Charles Stephenson (1839 - 22 January 1906) was an English dramatist, lyricist and librettist. After beginning a career in the civil service, he started to write for the theatre, using the pen name "Bolton Rowe". He was author or co-author of several long-running shows of the Victorian theatre. His biggest hit was the comic opera 'Dorothy', which set records for the length of its original run.
His writing collaborators included Clement Scott and Brandon Thomas, and composers with whom he worked included Frederic Clay, Alfred Cellier and Arthur Sullivan.
'The Zoo' had its first public performance on 5th June 1875 at the St. James's Theatre in London (as an afterpiece to W. S. Gilbert's 'Tom Cobb'), concluding its run five weeks later, on 10 July 1875, at the Haymarket Theatre. There were brief revivals in late 1875, and again in 1879. The score was not published and was inherited by Sullivan's nephew Herbert after the composer's death. It stayed in the Sullivan family until Herbert's widow's death in 1957.
Terence Rees purchased the composer's autograph at auction in 1966 and arranged for publication with a vocal score by Garth Morton. Its first amateur performance was by the Fulham Light Opera in 1971.
The story concerns two pairs of lovers. First, a nobleman, who goes to the zoo to woo the girl who sells snacks there. He tries to impress her by buying and eating all of the food. The other couple is a young chemist who believes that he has poisoned his beloved by mixing up her father's prescription with peppermint that he had meant for her.
The opera is in one act without spoken dialogue. 
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Please note that the first couple of seconds are missing.
Very nice! If it's opera/operetta/ musical the roles were "played" by so-and-so. I learnt recently that John Boulter was Anna Dawson's husband! Both Leslie Fyson and Kenneth Sandford could sing both tenor and baritone and were good actors. I'll try the Volksoper, Vienna production on RUclips!
Chris,I never knew this broadcast existed. Thank you so much.
This is the best recording of The Zoo that I know of--thanks for uploading it! I particularly favor Eliza's song here, because she doesn't merely recite a list of all her gifts and who gave them, but actually tells us the story. In fact, the acting from all the performers here is just what you need for a broadcast where there are no visuals....everyone worked really hard to help us hear the story....bravi tutti!
I have always loved the sound effects from the animals. They always make me smile.
It's a shame that Sullivan's lovely melody at 19'19", played by the oboe during the Duke's song "accustomed as I am to public speaking" should only ever be background to what amounts to talk-singing....I'd love to sing that! Also, this Grinder is perhaps the only singer I've ever heard sing the correct notes at 23'33", so you can hear the chord change there.
This excellent performance shows the benefits of professionals serving the music with serious intent next to those other comparatively amateur productions on RUclips that left me the impression of having heard a minor work of the master.
This Grinder is Ian Wallace, one of the original cross-over singers, equally at home in opera and Flanders & Swann. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Wallace_(bass-baritone)
The opening aria is not too different from 'A wand'ring minstrel I (Mikado).
The first few notes are, but for the most part it mostly makes me think of Edwin's second song in "Trial by Jury".