Malcolm Sargent served as musical director for he
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1926 to 1928 so he was well familiar with the Gilbert and Sullivan tradition. His recordings of the operettas from productions at Glyndebourne during the late '50s and early '60s have very high musical standards, both in the quality of the vocal soloists and the lively, polished performances by the
Pro Arte Orchestra and
Glyndebourne Festival Chorus.
Sargent's readings are sometimes a little too refined, though, and miss the loopy absurdity that marks the most successful Gilbert and Sullivan performances. Patience is one of Gilbert's oddest and silliest librettos, but it didn't inspire Sullivan's most memorable work. The music doesn't match the text's eccentricity, and in a performance as sedate as this one, it doesn't seem especially fun.
Elsie Morison, John Cameron, and John Shaw are standouts in the cast, as are Monica Sinclair and
George Baker, who additionally seem to be having a good time. The album also includes a performance of Sullivan's "Irish" Symphony by
Charles Groves leading the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. The 35-minute piece was written in an era when British composers simply didn't tackle symphonies, and while it may not have broken new musical ground, it's impressive in its ambition, scope, lyricism, and strong sense of symphonic development. The orchestra's playing isn't especially polished, and there are some serious intonation issues.