"As welcome as flowers that bloom in the spring."
CDs:
What's wrong with this picture?
On a deliciously mild January 4th, 2007, on the first day of the 110th Congress, I went up to Capitol Hill for a reception and found several trees already in bloom -- this while Union Station was still sporting its Christmas wreaths.
Flash-forward to Saturday, April 7th, the day before Easter. I get up to find the dogwoods in bloom -- and a dusting of snow over everything. Welcome to a topsy-turvy world.
Some years back, Mike Leigh used that title, Topsy-Turvy, for his one of his films, a memorable depiction of the partnership of librettist W.S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan, the team who delighted audiences with an array of singing sailors, pirates, lovers, and misanthropes. The movie, a retelling of the creative process behind The Mikado, was poignant, lyrical, quirky, and often very funny, and like their well-loved works, it was rooted in the Victorian era.
A hundred years after that partnership, more than 50 years into the reign of another queen, Gilbert and Sullivan are still with us. The other week I had the pleasure of attending a performance of The Pirates of Penzance at Blair High School. It was genuinely mind-boggling to consider that kids born in the last decade of the previous century could get into Victorian entertainment, but get into it they did, with impressive results.
A charismatic Pirate King? Check.
Mabel played by a sweet little comedienne with a dazzling voice? Check.
And perhaps best of all, a droll major-general who has a way with a patter song? Check, and they tell me the boy who sang the part was only a sophomore! Well, he certainly stopped the show with his rapid-fire rendition of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General."
Of course, this being the DC area, it was duly updated with topical lyrics that had Major-General Stanley boasting that he could name the only Republican in Takoma Park and indeed was responsible for key policies in No Child Left Behind. This, of course, brought down the house.
Updating G&S is can be something of a game for political junkies who want to indulge their inner Mark Russell. I once went to a local production of Iolanthe which featured references to Oliver North and Whitewater. If that sounds goofy, it has nothing on Iolanthe itself, which blurs the lines between Fairyland and Parliament.
Then again, in W.S. Gilbert's librettos, everybody took it on the chin -- liberals, conservatives, the police, the military, the legal system. The first G&S production I saw, for example, Princess Ida, covered everything from evolution to radical feminism to cross-dressing.
Yes, I know that W.S. Gilbert sometimes cranked out material that sets off the Don Imus-O-Meter for the Racially Offensive. Modern productions take an axe, if you will, to the politically incorrect verses of Ko-Ko's famous list song in The Mikado, leaving in the best parts of one of the great musical rants of all time. Of course, like the gang at Blair High School, you can always spice things up by adding your own verses.
But of course you also should not overlook Sullivan's music, which has insinuated its way into both British and American culture, to the point where we can scarcely imagine a musical theater (and comedy) without it. Raise your hand if you remember Tom Lehrer's recital of the elements to the tune of a patter song, or the various send-ups of G&S that made their way into the TV variety shows of yesteryear.
But in case you missed all that, or would like to start over again, the CDs listed above will jog your memory and/or intrigue you enough to round up tickets for the next Washington Savoyards production.
If you want to acquaint yourself with G&S's best-known works, the 29 tracks on The Ultimate Gilbert and Sullivan Collection are very heavy on the Big Three, namely, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado. Patience, The Gondoliers, and The Sorcerer receive just one track apiece.
Here the male singers have pride of place, in that introductory patter songs, choruses, bass-baritone solos, and the like form the bulk of the performances. There is some sprightly ensemble work, as well as romantic solos, but the ladies are generally underrepresented. Since Sullivan wrote delicious material for the female voice, perhaps a follow-up set is in order.
The 11 tracks on the very listenable overture disc include the expected material from Pinafore, Pirates, and Mikado, then throw in tantalizing treats from Iolanthe, The Yeomen of the Guard, even Princess Ida. Listen to these overtures if you want a better sense of the legacy of Arthur Sullivan -- a must for anyone who values the musical theater. He wrote bold choruses and deft ensemble material (Check out the selections from The Mikado on the Decca disc), but also poignant and graceful melodies.
Some years back, I went to a Washington Savoyards production of The Yeoman of the Guard down at Duke Ellington High School. On the way out, two little girls were skipping as they sang Elsie and Jack Point's closing song. That's Gilbert and Sullivan for you.
- Malcolm Sargent/Pro Arte Orchestra: Gilbert & Sullivan: Favorite Overtures (Seraphim)
- Various artists. The Ultimate Gilbert & Sullivan Collection (Decca)
What's wrong with this picture?
On a deliciously mild January 4th, 2007, on the first day of the 110th Congress, I went up to Capitol Hill for a reception and found several trees already in bloom -- this while Union Station was still sporting its Christmas wreaths.
Flash-forward to Saturday, April 7th, the day before Easter. I get up to find the dogwoods in bloom -- and a dusting of snow over everything. Welcome to a topsy-turvy world.
Some years back, Mike Leigh used that title, Topsy-Turvy, for his one of his films, a memorable depiction of the partnership of librettist W.S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan, the team who delighted audiences with an array of singing sailors, pirates, lovers, and misanthropes. The movie, a retelling of the creative process behind The Mikado, was poignant, lyrical, quirky, and often very funny, and like their well-loved works, it was rooted in the Victorian era.
A hundred years after that partnership, more than 50 years into the reign of another queen, Gilbert and Sullivan are still with us. The other week I had the pleasure of attending a performance of The Pirates of Penzance at Blair High School. It was genuinely mind-boggling to consider that kids born in the last decade of the previous century could get into Victorian entertainment, but get into it they did, with impressive results.
A charismatic Pirate King? Check.
Mabel played by a sweet little comedienne with a dazzling voice? Check.
And perhaps best of all, a droll major-general who has a way with a patter song? Check, and they tell me the boy who sang the part was only a sophomore! Well, he certainly stopped the show with his rapid-fire rendition of "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General."
Of course, this being the DC area, it was duly updated with topical lyrics that had Major-General Stanley boasting that he could name the only Republican in Takoma Park and indeed was responsible for key policies in No Child Left Behind. This, of course, brought down the house.
Updating G&S is can be something of a game for political junkies who want to indulge their inner Mark Russell. I once went to a local production of Iolanthe which featured references to Oliver North and Whitewater. If that sounds goofy, it has nothing on Iolanthe itself, which blurs the lines between Fairyland and Parliament.
Then again, in W.S. Gilbert's librettos, everybody took it on the chin -- liberals, conservatives, the police, the military, the legal system. The first G&S production I saw, for example, Princess Ida, covered everything from evolution to radical feminism to cross-dressing.
Yes, I know that W.S. Gilbert sometimes cranked out material that sets off the Don Imus-O-Meter for the Racially Offensive. Modern productions take an axe, if you will, to the politically incorrect verses of Ko-Ko's famous list song in The Mikado, leaving in the best parts of one of the great musical rants of all time. Of course, like the gang at Blair High School, you can always spice things up by adding your own verses.
But of course you also should not overlook Sullivan's music, which has insinuated its way into both British and American culture, to the point where we can scarcely imagine a musical theater (and comedy) without it. Raise your hand if you remember Tom Lehrer's recital of the elements to the tune of a patter song, or the various send-ups of G&S that made their way into the TV variety shows of yesteryear.
But in case you missed all that, or would like to start over again, the CDs listed above will jog your memory and/or intrigue you enough to round up tickets for the next Washington Savoyards production.
If you want to acquaint yourself with G&S's best-known works, the 29 tracks on The Ultimate Gilbert and Sullivan Collection are very heavy on the Big Three, namely, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado. Patience, The Gondoliers, and The Sorcerer receive just one track apiece.Here the male singers have pride of place, in that introductory patter songs, choruses, bass-baritone solos, and the like form the bulk of the performances. There is some sprightly ensemble work, as well as romantic solos, but the ladies are generally underrepresented. Since Sullivan wrote delicious material for the female voice, perhaps a follow-up set is in order.
The 11 tracks on the very listenable overture disc include the expected material from Pinafore, Pirates, and Mikado, then throw in tantalizing treats from Iolanthe, The Yeomen of the Guard, even Princess Ida. Listen to these overtures if you want a better sense of the legacy of Arthur Sullivan -- a must for anyone who values the musical theater. He wrote bold choruses and deft ensemble material (Check out the selections from The Mikado on the Decca disc), but also poignant and graceful melodies.Some years back, I went to a Washington Savoyards production of The Yeoman of the Guard down at Duke Ellington High School. On the way out, two little girls were skipping as they sang Elsie and Jack Point's closing song. That's Gilbert and Sullivan for you.
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