Folio Archives 459: The Complete Savoy Operas by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan 1994
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1wcarter
The Complete Savoy Operas by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan 1994
Many of these are the light operas that everyone knows and loves. From The Pirates of Penzance and Mikado to HMC Pinafore and Iolanthe, you may well have been involved in school-days renditions of these popular musicals.
Between the little-known Thespis written in 1871, and the last and seldom performed Grand Duke in 1896, Gilbert and Sullivan wrote the lyrics, music and stage directions for fourteen light operas. All were financed by the entrepreneur Richard D’Oyly Carte and first performed at the Savoy Theatre in London which was specifically built by him to showcase the productions.
These two volumes have the complete lyrics and stage directions for all fourteen operas, but no music, presented in chronological order. If you know the opera, you tend to sing along as you read the text.
There is a thirteen page introduction by Fredric Woodbridge Wilson that includes brief biographies of Gilbert and Sullivan, the background of how the operas were first produced and the influence of D’Orly Carte.
Volume one has fourteen leaves of plates featuring contemporary photographs of actors and stage sets, posters and programmes in colour and monochrome, and has xxi + 321 pages. Volume two has eighteen pages of similar style plates, and 344 pages. The frontispiece of volume one is a photo of Gilbert and of volume two a photo of Sullivan.
Each volume is quarter bound in red cloth with gilt spine titling and grey cloth boards. The red endleaves are printed with a GS pattern in dark brown. The grey cloth two-volume slipcase has a colour poster design by David Eccles printed on paper pasted to the front and back, and it measures 25.2x16.3cm.
There was a second similarly styled reprint of this book in 2001.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
Many of these are the light operas that everyone knows and loves. From The Pirates of Penzance and Mikado to HMC Pinafore and Iolanthe, you may well have been involved in school-days renditions of these popular musicals.
Between the little-known Thespis written in 1871, and the last and seldom performed Grand Duke in 1896, Gilbert and Sullivan wrote the lyrics, music and stage directions for fourteen light operas. All were financed by the entrepreneur Richard D’Oyly Carte and first performed at the Savoy Theatre in London which was specifically built by him to showcase the productions.
These two volumes have the complete lyrics and stage directions for all fourteen operas, but no music, presented in chronological order. If you know the opera, you tend to sing along as you read the text.
There is a thirteen page introduction by Fredric Woodbridge Wilson that includes brief biographies of Gilbert and Sullivan, the background of how the operas were first produced and the influence of D’Orly Carte.
Volume one has fourteen leaves of plates featuring contemporary photographs of actors and stage sets, posters and programmes in colour and monochrome, and has xxi + 321 pages. Volume two has eighteen pages of similar style plates, and 344 pages. The frontispiece of volume one is a photo of Gilbert and of volume two a photo of Sullivan.
Each volume is quarter bound in red cloth with gilt spine titling and grey cloth boards. The red endleaves are printed with a GS pattern in dark brown. The grey cloth two-volume slipcase has a colour poster design by David Eccles printed on paper pasted to the front and back, and it measures 25.2x16.3cm.
There was a second similarly styled reprint of this book in 2001.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2LesMiserables
Look excellent.
3LesMiserables
In fact, I am enabled. Just purchased the set.
4A.Nobody
When reading a similar production - the G&S librettos as published by the Limited Editions Club - I found YouTube to be a valuable resource for watching various performances of the operas - either particular songs or the entire opera. It certainly enhanced my enjoyment.
5boldface
>1 wcarter:
I love this set. It's beautifully produced in every way, with the sort of good cloth covers sadly lacking in many of Folio's current editions. These volumes are an ideal companion to my old CDs of the classic D’Oyly Carte productions of the early 1960s. In my humble opinion, John Reed's patter songs have never been bettered.
I grew up with Gilbert and Sullivan in school productions, in which I participated, at age 11, as a Fairy in the chorus of Iolanthe.I never looked back. My only excuse is that it was a boys only school and needs must.
I love this set. It's beautifully produced in every way, with the sort of good cloth covers sadly lacking in many of Folio's current editions. These volumes are an ideal companion to my old CDs of the classic D’Oyly Carte productions of the early 1960s. In my humble opinion, John Reed's patter songs have never been bettered.
I grew up with Gilbert and Sullivan in school productions, in which I participated, at age 11, as a Fairy in the chorus of Iolanthe.
