Mikado Comp

This Telarc recording made in 1991 is conducted by the Brittish-born Sir Charles Mackerras and stars the English talents of the Welsh National Opera- Donald Adams (who was also a star of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company) as the Mikado, Anthony Rolfe Johnson as Nanki Poo, Richard Stuart as Ko-Ko, Richard Van Allan as Poo-Bah, Marie McLaughlin as Yum Yum and Felicity Palmer as Katisha.
The Welsh National Opera, with its Chorus, are experienced in singing English vocal music. The Welsh have a fine tradition in singing beautifully in English and indeed they do deliver a superb performance. Nevertheless, they seem second best next to the talents of the original D'Oyly Carte Opera under the baton of conductor Sir Isidore Godfrey. The singers are not all giving their best- namely Richard Van Allan, Richard Stuart or Marie McLaughlin. The parts for Ko-Ko and Yum Yum should be star performances but Stuart and McLaughlin are mediocre. Stuart can never compare to John Reed, the ultimate Ko-Ko and legend in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Valerie Masterson is the greatest soprano who ever sang Yum Yum. McLaughlin's voice is darker and deeper than the lighter, youthful, sweeter-voiced Valerie Masterson. The only good singers in this recording are Athony Rolfe Johnson as Nanki Poo and Felicity Palmer as Katisha.

The Mikado was launched successfully at the Savoy in 1885. Gilbert and Sullivan set the light opera in Japan, though they were masking English and Victorian society. The story revolves around Nanki Poo's plan to marry Yum Yum. Katisha, the commanding daughter-in-law elect of the Mikado Emperor, wants to have Nanki Poo for herself. Felicty Palmer delivers a sensational Katisha. Her mezzo-soprano voice is dramatic, full of fire and fury and power- as in the finale to Act 1 where she interrupts the impending wedding of Yum Yum and Nanki Poo. The Mikado is set to Japanese-style music, imitated by the orchestra in five meters. The best samples for this type of music are found in the opening chorus "We Are Gentlemen Of Japan" and in "Miyasama Miyasama" the entrance march of The Mikado. Once again only Anthony R. Johnson and Felicity Palmer are the real treats here. Felicity Palmer makes a fine Katisha, second only to the more impressive Christene Palmer (I wonder if they were related ?) of the D'Oyly Carte Opera. Marie McLaughlin sounds too mature for Yum Yum who is supposed to be a "little maid from school" after all. And when compared to Valerie Masterson, McLaughins' The Sun Whose Rays is too deep sounding. But this is still a great way to get you into Gilbert and Sullivan.

There's a lot to like in this Telarc version, but I think the decision to keep in on one disk caused too many compromises. And, of course, Telarc never completed the series. So if you want a full G&S set, you turn to what, in my opinion, is the best set. That would be the Decca (London) versions now available in a budget box with 24 CDs. These are by the D'Oyly Carte company, recorded under the authority and with the assistance of the company in the 50's and 60's, mostly. The Decca recordings are excellent and hold up extremely well against modern recordings which are not as "G&S authentic".

Conductor Sir Charles Mackerras has always been a champion of the music of Arthur Sullivan. In the early '90's, he began to record the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas with Telarc. Like the Sargent recordings of the '50's, Mackerras uses mostly opera singers--veterans of Covent Garden and of the English and Welsh National Operas--but he secured the services of two veteran Savoyards, Richard Suart and the late Donald Adams. Mackerras planned to record at least seven of the Savoy operas, perhaps more, but was forced to suspend the series--due to lack of funding as I understand. This fine recording of The Mikado, fortunately, was one of the four he was able to complete.

Musically, this is a superb album. It is good to have Adams' famous portrayal of the Mikado in a splendid digital recording, and Suart, D'Oyly Carte's "patter" specialist at that time, is a superb Ko-Ko. Anthony Rolfe Johnson is a marvelous Nanki-Poo, and the veteran Richard Van Allan is a capable Pooh-Bah. The other singers are less well-known, but generally very good. Nicholas Folwell stands out as Pish-Tush, with a ringing "Our great Mikado" and a rock-firm contribution to the "cheap and chippy chopper" trio. Mackerras conducts superbly, with generally brisk tempi, but able to relax the pace when the situation calls for it--e.g, in the last part of the "little list" song, where his pacing allows Suart to emphasize the "apologetic statesmen" segment.

None of the dialogue is included, and there are a few cuts to the score, most notably the second verse of the "little list." The less than memorable overture is also eliminated. The plus side of these cuts is that the entire operetta fits onto a single CD--an excellent value.

If your primary interest is in a well sung and played "Mikado," this recording is a likely first choice. Even if you are in the "must have the dialogue" camp, or you simply can't do without Ko-Ko's reference to "that singular anomaly, the lady novelist," you'll probably find this an enjoyable supplement to other recordings.