This was the second more-or-less complete set issued by G&T, capitalizing on publicity surrounding the repertory season W. S. Gilbert personally supervised at the Savoy during 1906-7. Like the earlier 1906 Mikado, the cast were an ad-hoc team of studio artists called the Sullivan Operatic Party (S.O.P.). As seen above, casting the roles consistently did not occur to anyone, as most of the sides were meant to be purchased individually anyway (though they were also bundled as a set).

The single-sided catalogue numbers shown below, which do not even adhere to a consistent numbering scheme, clearly indicate that the items in the set were released at different times. However, once the set was complete, they were issued together in a box with a descriptive booklet, in December, 1907 (just in time for Christmas, one might speculate).

The HMV re-issue, on the other hand, was clearly designed to be purchased as a set, as shown by the relatively consistent numbering (even though discs were still available individually). Still, there are anomalies that indicate the marketing considerations that governed recordings of the time. The two tenor arias, for example, were issued on the same disc (B409), even though they come at disparate points in the opera. And, since there were originally an odd number of single-sided discs, a selection had to be designated to stand by itself. The fact that "Rapture, rapture" was chosen may indicate that the omission of this number in stage performances had already become customary. (The reason could also be simply that it was the "left-over" 10-inch side after all the others had been allocated.)