G&S Overture Discs (1950–1969)
 London CM 9050 |
Gilbert & Sullivan Overtures (1951)
New Promenade Orchestra
Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
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).
| Date | Label | Format | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Decca | LP | LLP 398 |
| 1953 | Decca | LP | LXT 2609 |
| 1960 | London | LP | CM 9050 |
| 196-? | Decca Ace of CLubs | LP | ACL 93 |
 London LD 9007 |
D'Oyly Carte Overtures, 10" LPs & EPs (1955?)
New Symphony Orchestra
of London
Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
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.
| Date | Label | Format | Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955? | Decca | 10" Mono LP | LW 5024 | Mikado and Pinafore overtures |
| London | 10" Mono LP | LD 9007 | ||
| 1955 | Decca | 10" Mono LP | LW 5172 | Pirates and Iolanthe overtures |
| 1955? | Decca | 10" Mono LP | LW 5226 | Ruddigore and Gondoliers overtures |
| 1955? | Decca | 10" Mono LP | LW 5227 | Yeomen, Sorcerer,and Ida overtures |
| 1955? | Decca | 45rpm | 71118 | Yeomen overture and possibly one or two others. This disc could be the same as LW 5227, but this has not been confirmed. |
 Decca CEP 543 |
Overtures to Pirates and Mikado
New Symphony Orchestra of London
Conductor: Isidore Godfrey
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.
| Date | Label | Format | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Decca | 45rpm | CEP 543 |
 RCA LM-2302 (Same cover also used for early pressings of LSC-2303, with the addition of a "Living Stereo" banner along the top) |
Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures (1959)
Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Alan Ward
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 |
| Date | Label | Format | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | RCA | Mono LP | LM-2302 |
| Stereo LP | LSC-2302 | ||
| 1962 | RCA Camden | 7.5ips 4-track stereo reel-to-reel | CTR-732 |
| 1967 | RCA Victrola | Mono LP | VIC 1196 |
| Stereo LP | VICS 1196 |
Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures (1959)
Pro Arte Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Malcolm Sargent
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.
| Date | Label | Format | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | HMV | Mono LP | XLP-20003 |
| Stereo LP | SXLP-20003 | ||
| HMV Australia | Mono LP | OXLP-20003 | |
| Stereo LP | SOXLP-20003 | ||
| Angel | Mono LP | 35929 | |
| Stereo LP | S-35929 | ||
| 196-? | HMV | Stereo LP | SXLP 30172 |
 HMV Concert Classics SXLP-20032 |
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.
| Date | Label | Format | Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | HMV Concert Classics | Mono LP | XLP-20032 | |
| Stereo LP | SXLP-20032 | |||
| 2001 | EMI | CD | 5744682 | 16-CD set containing all nine of the Sargent "Glyndebourne" G&S recordings, plus various overtures and Sullivan orchestral works. Includes the overtures to Cox and Box, The Sorcerer, and Princess Ida from this recording. |
 World Record Club LZ-7119 |
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.
 Columbia Music Treasures DMS94 5747 |
| Date | Label | Format | Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963? | Columbia Music Treasures | Stereo LP | DMS94 5747 | One record, "Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures" |
| 196-? | World Record Club | Stereo LP | LZ 7110 | |
| 1970 | Columbia Record Club | Stereo LP | S2S 5030 | Two-record set, "Verdi and Rossini Overtures / Gilbert and Sullivan Overtures" |
