Pirates of Penzance: MusicNear.com

Music CD 1

The Pirates Of Penzance: Overture
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Pour, Oh Pour The Pirate Sherry
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: When Frederic Was A Little Lad
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Oh, Better Far To Live And Die
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Oh False One
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: What Shall I Do?
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Stop Ladies, Pray
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Oh, Is There Not One Maiden Breast?
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Oh, Sisters, Deaf To Pity's Name
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Pour Wandering One!
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: What Ought We To Do?
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Stay, We Must Not Lose Our Senses
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Here's A First Rate Opportunity
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Hold, Monsters! Ere Your Pirate
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Oh, Men Of Dark And Dismal Fate
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: I'm Telling A Terrible Story
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Oh, Master, Hear One Word, I Do Implore
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act I: Pray Observe The Magnanimity

Music CD 2

The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Oh, Dry The Glistening Tear
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Now Frederic Let Your Escort
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: When The Foeman Bears His Steel
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Now For The Pirates' Lair
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Young Frederic!
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Away Away! My Heart's On Fire
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: All Is Prepared
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Stay Frederic Stay!
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Ah, Leave Me Not To Pine
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: In 1940 I Of Age Shall Be
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: No I'll Be Brave!
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Though In Body And In Mind
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: When A Felon's Not Engaged In His Employment
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: A Rollicking Band Of Pirates We
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: With Cat Like Tread
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Hush, Hush, Not A Word
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Sighing Softly
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Now What Is This, And What Is That
The Pirates Of Penzance: Act II: Frederic Here! Oh Joy!
The Pirates Of Penzance: Overture
The Pirates Of Penzance: Overture
The Pirates Of Penzance: Overture
The Pirates Of Penzance: Overture in C (In Memoriam)

Free Music Notes for Pirates of Penzance

Free Music Review: A slightly better entry in the Sargent Glyndebourne series
Hit: 4 Stars

Baker's portrayal of Major-General Stanley shows him maintaining his touch with G&S. He recorded the role before, but even though this recording does not show him at his finest (he was approaching eighty years old) it still shows his artistic distinction with adequate diction. Richard Lewis, as always, sings with a refined tone as Frederic, but the lyrical edge is somewhat missing here and in Elsie Morrison's Mabel, even though they send shivers down the spine with their "Ah, leave me not to pine" duet. The rest of the cast is adequate, if slightly unacceptable, because James Milligan lacks the villainy that typefies the ideal character of the Pirate King, John Cameron makes the most of his portrayal of Samuel, as does Monica Sinclair as Ruth. But Owen Brannigan's oolid Sergeant of Police makes up for it, for he has had experience in distinguishing his portrayal from performing it regularly. He made much of an impression for D'Oyly Carte to invite him in joining them in their cherishble 1968 recording. The alert and well-disciplined choral singing is well up to standard, and the orchestral playing crisp.

While this PIRATES is reasonably good, the abundance of superb PIRATES recordings (including D'Oyly Carte's 1968 effort with complete dialogue, and the indispensible Mackerras recording on Telarc) prevent this recording from being anybody's first choice. It can only be recommended to those who admire Sergeant, or to those who are extremely curious.