On FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 21, 1997 at 8 PM, NEGASS will visit Brooks Concert Hall at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester to catch a free concert: the first-ever performance of the Broude Brothers' soon-to-be-published piano-vocal performance version of TRIAL BY JURY, preceded by performances of the operatic works which inspired Sullivan's parodies. The performance, by the Holy Cross Chamber Singers, will be conducted by Bruce Miller and accompanied by Eric Schwartz. A reception will follow the performance.
As those of us who read last month's Bray know, Broude Brothers Limited of NYC and Williamstown, MA are publishing this as part of its ongoing G&S Critical Edition project. People who have the afternoon free can attend a 3:30 PM presentation on the project by President/Publisher/ Executive Editor Ronald Broude, followed by a question/answer period and another reception. In case you get lost and need to talk to Holy Cross people for more info, you can refer to both events as parts of the Music Department Colloquium Series with the overall title Minding the Why's and Wherefore's: Preparing the New Critical Edition of the Savoy Operas.
Dick Freedman has offered to arrange car pools for those of us who don't want to travel alone, or who have no car. And Sheldon and Alice Hochman, who live in that area, have offered to look into restaurants for people who have time to drive out there early enough for dinner. See the masthead (last page) for contact info!
HOW TO GET THERE: Bruce Miller writes: From East - West: Take Mass Pike to Exit 10 (Auburn-Worcester). Pay toll; follow signs CAREFULLY (there are many choices after tolls) to I-290 East. Take I-290 to Exit 11, "College Square" (there is no exit 10, it skips from 9 to 11). Bear right at end of ramp and take first possible right turn onto College Street. Start to go up hill; enter college through large double iron gate. At security stop ask for directions for parking and Brooks Concert Hall.
From South: Take I-395 to Worcester, which turns into I-290 at the Route 20 interchange. Use above directions to Exit 11 on I-290, "College Square".
From North: Take I-495 to I-290 or take I-190 South to I-290 into Worcester. Get off I-290 at Exit 11 "College Square" - bear left on exit ramp and follow signs to "College Square" (road makes a U-turn under I-290 back to College Square." Follow directions to college as given above.
OCTOBER 26TH MEETING: An enjoyable time was had by all in the Spontaneous MIKADO at Emmanuel College. The cast was as follows:
| THE MIKADO....... | Walt Howe |
| NANKI-POO........ | Arthur Blume |
| KO-KO................. | Neal Addicott |
| POOH-BAH........... | David Euresti |
| PISH-TUSH........... | Bill Schneider |
| GO-TO................. | Dick Freedman |
| YUM-YUM........... | Bridget Copley |
| PITTI-SING........... | Rebecca Consentino |
| PEEP-BO............... | Lucy Lim |
| KATISHA............ | Sarah Consentino |
| PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT.....Victor Troll |
There were obvious weaknesses in performance, as one would expect with no rehearsals, but Bridget Copley and the Consentino sisters were outstanding. There was a problem in that the college had unexpectedly put a lock on the piano, keys were nowhere to be found, and nobody had the needed lock-picking skills. Luckily, a backup (and reportedly greatly inferior) piano was there, and the pianist was able to deal with its shortcomings.
Those practicing their Mikado parts were interrupted by the chords of Hail, Poetry and the dozen or so NEGASS members who recognized it as the start of the meeting. Quite a number of the Emmanuelers readily joined in. I explained the tradition, made a quick pitch for NEGASS, and announced a couple of upcoming shows and meetings. I then yielded the floor for the overture, in which Mike Bromberg lent a couple of hands.
The stage was a raised platform at the end of a large auditorium, and people came forward to sing and then returned to their seats. In addition to the leads named above, a half dozen showed up for the men's chorus and a couple more than that for the women's chorus. The crew consisted of one person on lights, Mike Bromberg, I suspect, having taken on the chore when the men's chorus was offstage.
Carl Weggel provided robust refreshments between the acts, having taken on the responsibility when he had learned that the usual refreshment committee would be unable to attend. The door prize, a NEGASS T-shirt, was won by Peter Gamache. A small honorarium, in the form of a complimentary NEGASS membership, was given to the accompanist.
-- DICK FREEDMAN
| We are taking a break in December. January is still TBA. February will be our usual Last Minute Light Opera, produced by Patricia Brewer. March and April are still TBA; May, We presume, will be our usual Sudbury retrospective. And in June we'll hold elections, and start all over again. More News As It Breaks...
-- mlc |
~ NEXT BRAY COPY DEADLINE: December 14 ~
Next Bray Stuffing: December 21. Call Us at (617) 253-5810 during the day, at (781) 646-9115 evenings and weekends, or at mlcar@mit.edu at any time, for directions to Our arbored home. -- mlc
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome We New Member Lee Patterson of the Hancock County G&S Society. Lee has been a member-in-a-way, as representative of Hancock County, and has enhanced several LMLO meetings with his strong tenor voice and fine presence. His "new" membership is really an excuse to receive two copies of the Bray, so that he can share one with his friends while retaining the other for his personal perusal. Hearty Greetings Offer We!
Have you renewed your membership? $15 will do it! Send your light insult to
Bill Mahoney, c/o NEGASS, PO Box 367, Arlington, MA 02174, with what dispatch ye may! --- mlcSteve Malionek gleaned this quote from the Autumn 1996 Issue of GASBAG:
"Astonished at the wonderful power you have developed and terrified at the thought that so much bad music may be put on record forever."
Apparently, these were words recorded by Sir Arthur Sullivan on a wax cylinder by inventor Thomas Edison in the late 1800's. This recording was among 10,000 cylinders, 25,000 plastic discs and several tinfoil recordings found recently at Edison's former laboratory in West Orange, NJ, now the Edison National Historical Site.
Janice Dallas gleaned this one from SavoyNet:
I once came across this memorable line about Sullivan's music in a collection by Henry and Dana Lee Thomas entitled Forty Famous Composers (Halcyon House - 1948, page 276): "...the music of Sullivan was a music written for angels - not in their hours of worship, but in their moments of play."
-- AL GRAND Savoyid@aol.com
and Janice netted this one, too:
I have some news I have been authorized to pass on to SavoyNetters that I trust will gladden the hearts of at least some of you... Harry [Benford]informed us that he is beginning work on the long-awaited THIRD EDITION of his invaluable Gilbert and Sullivan Lexicon.
Harry asked me to appeal to SavoyNetters to help him in this worthwhile endeavour. He is not on the list, so any comments, corrections to previous editions, new material etc. should be sent to him either by email at harben@umich.edu or by mail at
6 Westbury Court, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48105
…Further to my last announcement; I just had a message to Harry Benford's email bounce back to me, so it may be inactive (Harry thought it was working, but...) So just to be sure, I'd use his snail mail address if you want stuff to get to him. Thanks.
So let's pitch in, everybody; as some writer whose name escapes me once commented, such an opportunity may not occur again.
-- RONALD I. ORENSTEIN
Perhaps a fellow Savoyarder can shed light on a question which has hounded me like Katisha:
In Alan James' The Illustrated Lives of Gilbert & Sullivan, James tells an anecdote wherein the writer P. G. Wodehouse spoiled a joke Gilbert was telling in company by laughing too soon. "Gilbert's eyes seared him like a flame, giving him a glare of pure hatred."
Does anyone know anything more about Gilbert & Sullivan and Wodehouse? Under what circumstances was Wodehouse at Gilbert's home? Does any one have any other Gilbert and Sullivan/Wodehouse information? I am a member of The Wodehouse Society (as well as the New England Gilbert & Sullivan Society), and would like to prepare a little talk for the next annual Wodehouse convention (which isn't for quite some time). Wodehouse quotes or alludes to Gilbert and Sullivan about three or four times in his books, and I would like to find more about their influence on his writings.
Anyone with information, please e-mail me at DronesClub@aol.com
Thanks - - MIKE EVANS
| An interesting URL for RUDDIGORE aficionados, provided by Rebecca Consentino:
http://math.idbsu.edu/gas/ruddigore/discussion/discuss_home.html |
OH, BASS ONE! Karen and I attended the BSO's opening night gala, which featured the Welsh bass baritone, Bryn Terfel. After the concert we went back stage to see him (Karen is a huge fan). During our conversation I mentioned how much I enjoyed his vocal performance as Wilfred Shadbolt in the St. Martin in the Fields recording of YEOMEN with Sir Neville Marriner. He then told us that he was hoping to make a recording of just Gilbert and Sullivan arias, which he said had never been done.
Something to look forward to.
-- LONNIE POWELL
A PROVOCATIVE EXCHANGE. Lisa Berglund responded via email to last month's meeting review: The report of the Sears and Connors concert contains a couple of errors. It states that the final song of the performance was "The More I Read the Papers, the Less I Comprehend," and that the encore was "Our Love is Here to Stay." In fact, these numbers are the verse and the chorus of the same song. [As We recall, these were in fact presented as separate pieces, as Janice reported - one as "The last piece he wrote", the other as an encore, serving as the Sears & Connor "theme song," following extended applause - with no mention of their connection (of which We personally were unaware) --mlc] A sentence in the previous paragraph also implies that the lyricist for Damsel In Distress was Yip Harburg (it was Ira Gershwin).
I am puzzled by the statement that songs like "Who Cares?" from Of Thee I Sing are "G&S takeoffs"--how? The debt owed in patter songs by Hart or Harburg or Ira Gershwin I recognize, and I agree that the plot of Of Thee I Sing is very Gilbertian. [We think they did say something to the effect that the plot of that particular show was Gilbertian, not the song. - mlc] However, I would appreciate a more thorough explanation of how the aforementioned ballad derives from Gilbert, since it doesn't suggest either his patter songs or his ballads, at least not to me.
To which We responded: Lisa - thanks for your note. I've forwarded it to Janice Dallas, the reviewer, for her comments. I'd love to print your note and a reply! Since Janice had no ready reply, We replied Ourself with the notes inserted above, and also a response to Lisa's last paragraph, from which We take this opportunity to excerpt and expand:
Although I thoroughly enjoyed the pair's polished and well-presented program, I personally did not entirely agree with Sears & Connors' ideas of what G&S is about. I felt that songs like "Lydia the tattooed lady" and "Sawing a woman in half" were pure vaudeville. They also seemed to hold the common American idea that patter was a G&S invention, whereas it is actually a centuries-old staple of Italian opera-buffa. Like many others, S&C seemed to think that any rapid rhythmic rhyming (as comparable to limericks by Lear as to libretti by Gilbert) was obviously G&S-derived. On another topic, one of them commented that "Gilbert was ahead of his time in being rather risqué" - which shows an unfortunate lack of understanding of Gilbert's campaign to create family entertainment to which middle-class gentlemen could bring their wives and daughters, in contrast to the risqué French fare available before.
Lisa replied: Marion-- You could certainly put together an interesting article on the way in which Gilbert's rhyming technique is perceived, correctly or incorrectly, as an influence on show tune writers. It's been a recurrent subject of discussion on SavoyNet. Myself, I find that of the Broadway lyricists Cole Porter is the most consistently influenced by Gilbert; for example, he often writes specific "patter" sections of songs. Maybe the question the article (or discussion) in the Bray should try to answer is, just what is a "Gilbertian" lyric? It's worth noting as well that most people tend to think of the patter songs when they think of Gilbert, but of course he also wrote songs like "Is life a boon?" "Love is a plaintive song," "Oh, happy young heart" and "He loves! If in the bygone years."
To which We replied by urging Lisa, as an obvious expert in both G&S and Broadway, to write the article, while putting in Our own oar: My idea exactly! It's not just patter that makes Gilbert's works immortal - patter, as I said before, is an old Italian Opera staple. It's the masterly plotting and pacing of his shows -- the brilliant combination of sentiment and comedy (best exemplified, in my opinion, by the emotional rollercoaster at the end of Act II of YEOMEN, but found to some degree throughout his works -- look at the mood swings in that incredible Frederic/Mabel scene!) that forms a perfect setting to show off the type of skillful wordplay that was actually quite common in Victorian England. {At this point, Our husband, Jim, put in his oar, speculating on the possible influence upon Gilbert of the French playwright Scribe, who was honored for his well-crafted plays and opera libretti.]
As for the songs you mention - Ah, yes - the "present a thesis, then present its antithesis," rhetorical ballad - amazing how moving a lawyer's technique can be when used in well-thought-out argument.
Gilbert was not creating new techniques in his shows. It was all there - patter, rhetoric, etc. - he even borrowed plots (you're familiar with the Maritana/YEOMEN bit, I'm sure). But so did Shakespeare (he stole plots whole from Greek & Roman authors), and so did Mozart (listen to his music in the context of his age!). Why do they live in the public mind, while only scholars remember their contemporaries?
The disappointing response from Lisa: I don't think I could oblige with an article for Bray right now, as I am seriously bogged down at work. To do justice to the question of Gilbert's lyrics I would need to read the criticism, which I don't know very well. Unfortunately, I'm in the midst of writing my necessary-for-tenure book and until I finish that I shouldn't take on any other projects, however interesting.
The conclusion: We don't have the article We'd like to have. Is there anyone out there who's ready to try to write it? Any comments would be welcome! -- mlc
News Flash! - Just as We were putting the Bray to bed, another article came in which We will gleefully print next month, tracing the influence of Classical playwrights - yes, Greek and Latin stuff - on Gilbert. Did you know patter went back that far?! We look forward to your response! --mlc
DAME RUMOUR WHISPERS (is she a liar?!): Boston Academy of Music gave a preview of their upcoming PIRATES at the Newton Free Library recently -- did anyone catch it? Review, anyone?
GILBERT AND SULLIVAN ON SONY In my review of Telarc G & S offerings, I feel it only fair to give the five Sony sets equal time. In the order in which they appeared, we have MIKADO (S2K 58889), PIRATES (S2K 58892), GONDOLIERS (S2K 58895),IOLANTHE (S2K 58898), and YEOMEN (S2K 58901). All feature the Chorus and Orchestra of the D’Oyly Carte Opera under the baton of John Pryce Jones. None include the dialogue.
These are all extremely well-sung productions (of that there is no matter of doubt) and, except for a rather breathless MIKADO, well-paced ones to boot. The GONDOLIERS is perhaps the most satisfying version available and the only one of the five Sony offerings that does not include any "lost" material. The Act II finale of the PIRATES set restores a weak echo to the "hardly ever" gag from you-know-where, which was rightly dropped since it kills the musical flow at that point.
The MIKADO has restored the first stanza to the Nanki-Poo/Yum-Yum anti-love duet in Act I, while IOLANTHE gives back "Fold your flapping wings" to its Strephon. (It is about as musically interesting as "Come mighty Must" but still welcome.) The YEOMEN does not have the extra stanzas in praise of Leonard Meryll (as does Telarc) but does add as a bonus "A laughing boy" (which was included on the second LP D'Oyly Carte recording that never made it onto CD), "A jealous torment," and the earlier 6/8 version of "Is life a boon?"
Therefore to those who have no other versions of these works, I can with no reservation whatsoever recommend all but the MIKADO set - remembering that what is too fast-paced for me might be a boon to you. The total timing with the extra material is just over 84 minutes; against which, if you will, compare other versions.
Having grown up with Lytton, Baker, and Green in the comic leads, I find their successors Richard Stuart (Duke, Chancellor), Eric Roberts (Ko-Ko, Major-General), and Fenton Gray (Point) a jot lacking in that comic flair that the older three managed to put into their interpretations. The tenors, David Feldsend (Fairfax, Marco), Philip Creasy (Tolloller, Frederic), and the wonderfully named Bonaventura Bottone (Nanki-Poo), are all ringingly clear, if not as twinkle-voiced as was Derek Oldham on almost all the older 78 versions.
And as there will probably never again be a basso profundo like Richard Watson from the mono-LP days, there is no point in lamenting the somewhat lighter voices in these Sony sets.
What is interesting is that Strephon is played as a comic role (at least vocally) and not as a handsome son-of-a-Watteau as was Alan Styler. On the other hand, such a treatment of the role does lessen the bite of the added song about Fagin.
Admittedly some of the contraltos on past recordings have left a bit to be desired vocally. Not so with Jill Pert (Carruthers, Duchess, Queen) and Susan Gorton (Ruth, Katisha), who are convincing in these parts.
I am told that Sony has lost the contract with the D'Oyly Carte and that group will continue to record on another label. I sincerely hope these five Sony sets will stay available, all the more so because London is withdrawing all its G & S sets (gasp!) from their catalogue. (If you have a spare UTOPIA on London CD to sell, please let me know.) So, as I said, except for the MIKADO (and I could be wrong there), these are fine choices for your first or second recordings of these works.
And thanks to Mr. Sean O'Sullivan of Sony for making them available to me for review. With such a name, how could he have not!
--FRANK BEHRENS
The author retired from the NYC school system in 1991 and has been lecturing on American music, opera, and G&S in and around Keene, NH since then. It is Utopia Unlimited, he reports.
| Al Grand writes: To get an update on my Yiddish G&S
project I invite you to visit my website at What is not on that website is the very latest news regarding a Boston production. The Jewish Theatre of New England, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton Center MA 02159 is aiming for a Nov. 1998 production of Yiddish PIRATES. … Anyone in the Boston area who wishes to support this production or to get further information should contact the producing director - David Mladinov at (617) 558-6480 Fax (617) 527-3104. Unfortunately no e-mail address. -- AL GRAND |
The Boston Academy of Music plans four performances of PIRATES at the Emerson Majestic Theater over the Thanksgiving weekend. For information on these and other BAM programs, call (617) 242-0055.
Valley Light Opera plays Friml's The Vagabond King [yes - We know it isn't!] on 11/7-8 and 14-15 at 8 PM, and 11/9 at 2 PM,. Tickets are $12 for adults; $9 for students or senior citizens. Purchase your tix via The Town of Amherst, Leisure Services Department, 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA 01002. Janice Dallas tells Us: VLO has a website at http://www-ims.oit.umass.edu/~dial129/vlo
For info contact producer Jacqueline Haney McDowell at jmcdow@external.umass.edu or 413-253-9614…. Directions, as printed in the audition flyer: "To reach the (Amherst Regional) High School from the center of Amherst, take Main Street east to Triangle Street, turn left at the Traffic light (by Bruno's Pizza). Take the first right turn, alongside the playing fields, then take the first left into the school parking lot. We'll use the Main entrance."
Zoe Daniels and Abe Mills (last seen in last winter's Sudbury Savoyards' YEOMEN) are featured dancers in the Savoyard Light Opera Company's upcoming The Most Happy Fella by Frank Loesser [yes, We know it's not...], running Nov 7,8,9 and 14, 15, 16 (8:00 F,S and 2:00 Su).
MITG&SP's fall show, RUDDIGORE will be performed 11/14-15 and 21-22 at 8 PM; 11/16 and 23 at 2 PM. Their next show, TRIAL, is planned for February 6, 7, & 8 -- auditions will be held in early January. PIRATES is planned as their spring '98 show. E-mail savoyards-request@mit.edu or call 253-0190 for directions or more info.
The Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players plan MIKADO for 12/4-6 & 11-13 at 8 PM; and 12/6,7 & 13 at 2 PM at the Agassiz Theatre, Radcliffe Yard at Harvard. Production will be by John Cearley and Jennie Connery, with direction by Jose Zayas and music direction by Bradford Chase. For more info, reach HRG&SP via tmoore@fas.harvard.edu, or by phone at 617-496-4747.
The North Kingstown Players, a brand new group based in RI, will perform IOLANTHE Nov. 13 (dress/with audience) 14, 15 and possibly 16. Call 401-295-1907 or send e-mail to jch@ids.net for directions and info.
This winter The Sudbury Savoyards, who donate proceeds from their very professional productions to a fund for the relief of world hunger, plan a double bill of PINAFORE and TRIAL. Lead auditions will be held 12/1 and 3 (note: as usual, chorus is welcome without audition - just show up on 12/1, if you can, for an introduction to the company) and performances will be in mid-late March of '98. Kathy Lague, Sudbury's frequent Star Soprano, will be Music Director for both productions, and Stage Director for PINAFORE, while frequent Star Tenor Bill Kuhlman will be Stage Director
of TRIAL. Visit Sudbury's (new) Web site at
http://www.sudburysavoyards.org/
or call 978 443-8811 for more information.
Hancock County G&S Soc. plans IDA for February 6, 7, 13 and 14 at 8:00 PM and February 8 and 15 at 2:00 PM. Directors are Kathleen Lake and Bob Bahr. To reserve tickets, call the Grand Box Office [(207)667-9500] after Dec. 15, weekdays 10-4. For more info try calling Lee Patterson at (207) 244-4044.
PO Box 367, Arlington, MA 02174-0004 Send electronic contributions to our new e-mail address: negass@iname.comPresident RICHARD FREEDMAN: (617) 630-9525; e-mail: rnf@null.net Vice-President PATRICIA BREWER: (617) 323-3480 (617) 983-1635; e-mail mark_woodruff@htrans.com Members at Large: NEGASS membership dues are $15 and up. Please send membership inquiries to Bill Mahoney C/O the above address. The NEGASS Web Page is located at |