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more effective than one might expect, Co., 3029 N. Fourth St., Arlington, Va. bert's lyrics are up to his highest stand- with a good sonority at moments when 22201). ard, but some are as good as he ever the viola is scored below the bass. But turned out. and the book's satire is wider the bass does need a little extra help GILBERT and SULLIVAN: Utopia, in scope, sharper in point than anything front the engineers: even though it oc- Ltd. (excerpts); Trial by Jury he had previously written. The burden cupies its own channel in stereo, it fails of the thing is this: Utopia, a South Pa- now and then to come through strongly Ann Hood (s). The Princess Zara (in cific island kingdom, lolls through his- enough. The Pro Arte has that extra Utopia) and The Plaintiff; Jean Allister tory under the rule of King Paramount zip which sets it above the usual modern (c). The Lady Sophy (in Utopia); Thom- the First. an amiable despot who must standard of well -tailored competence. as Round (t). Capt. Fitzbattleaxe (in answer for his actions to two ambitious Sound is clean as can be. S.F. Utopia) and The Defendant: John Reed wise men. Scaphio and Phantis. They (b), Scaphio (in Utopia) and The control him by means of Tarara. the Learned Judge: Kenneth Sandford (bs). Public Exploder. who is under instruc- DVORAK: Symphony No. 7, in D Phantis (in Utopia) and Counsel for the tions to blow up the king at the first minor, op. 70 Plaintiff: Donald Adams (bs). King Para- sign of defiance. mount the First (in Utopia) and Usher; This more or less stable situation is London Symphony Orchestra, Istvan Anthony Raffell lbs). Mr. Goldbury (in disturbed by the return of Princess Zara, Kertesz. cond. Utopia); D'Oyly Carte Opera Chorus: Paramount's eldest daughter, who has LONDON CM 9402. LP. $4.98. Orchestra of The Royal Opera House. been sent away to England for a proper LONDON CS 6402. SD. $5.98. Covent Garden. Isidore Godfrey. cond. bringing up at Girton. She brings with LONDON A 4155. LP. $4.98. her as escort Capt. Fitzbattleaxe and a You might call this work Dvofák's Eng- LONDON OSA 1155. SD. $5.98. platoon or so of The First Life Guards; lish symphony. as opposed to his New Lady Sophy, a proper English governess; World with its American overtones. Writ- When Utopia. Ltd.. the last but one of and a group of half a dozen gentlemen ten for the Philharmonic Society of the G & S collaborations. was first collectively dubbed The Flowers of Prog- London, it was published as the corn- produced by the D'Oyly Carte in 1893. ress. whose mission is to see to it that poser's Second Symphony and had been it received widespread critical appro- Utopia is Anglicized completely. The played and recorded under that designa- bation. and enough popular acceptance Utopians. fully aware that Great Britain tion. In fact it is the Seventh chrono- to achieve a run of 257 performances- represents all that is noble and pure in logically, and with the belated discovery a moderate success. Shaw went so far the world. are eager to learn. The army of the wealth of Dvorák's symphonic as to say he had enjoyed it more than and navy are reorganized by Fitzbattle- legacy, an enlightened scholarship gives any of the previous Savoy operas. though axe. the Utopian court is instructed in it its true number. I am coming to re- the tone of his review makes it clear correct drawing -room protocol. and near- gard it as the most unjustly neglected that this was due in part to sheer re- ly every other area of Utopian life is symphony of the entire late- nineteenth- lief at restoration of the partnership. reformed in accordance with English century literature. Altogether lyric and After the first production had run its practice. But the key transformation is charming yet building to impressive cli- course. Utopia pretty much plummeted in the hands of Mr. Goldbury, a corn - mactic pages. it is exactly the sort of from sight -D'Oyly Carte has never pany promoter, who in his song "Some music to please the ear with familiar revived it. and it has never before been Seven Men Form an Association" ex- structural materials while teasing the recorded. plains that Utopia must be changed from imagination with the development of a It is not quite true -as London's a limited monarchy to a monarchy, fresh set of musical ideas. note -writer states -that it has not since limited -it must, in other words, incor- Kertesz displays the kind of sensi- been accorded professional production. porate, for as is well known, a corpora- tivity and insight that go far beyond the Dorothy Raedler's American Savoyards. tion in economic straits has but to de- surface features of the score. Moreover, a decidedly professional group, have clare bankruptcy, dissolve, and re -form in he has the services of one of the very produced it in New York twice within the order to escape financial embarrassment. best of the English orchestras, and he past decade, with substantially different Not only the government, but each in- is backed up with extremely bright, full, casts, and with no little success. The dividual citizen, is incorporated, each richly colored sound from the recording Lyric Theater Company of Washington, a Utopian declaring a capital investment crew. His chief rival is George Szell, semiprofessional company, has also pro- and maximum liability of eighteen pence. whose Cleveland performance is some- duced it twice, and has now issued the But Scaphio and Phantis-both of what more subtle in its effects but less first complete recording in a limited whom love Zara -are opposed to these persuasive in its sonics. The Kertesz edition. This album is supplemented by reforms; their lucrative business deal- disc. I suggest, is probably preferable London's group of excerpts, which fill ings are repeatedly confounded as indi- for those who are getting to know this out the D'Oyly Carte's new recording vidual debtors declare corporate bank- music, while Szell will remain the choice of Trial by Jury. ruptcy. and their hold over the King is of those already familiar with its merits. An obvious reason for Utopia's disfa- rendered null, since it is obviously im- R.C.M. vor is its difficulty. The Raedler revivals possible to blow up a corporation. They were extremely enjoyable affairs, because foment revolution. and things are at a of the company's stylistic cohesiveness, sticky pass when Zara happily remembers EFFINGER: Little Symphony No. 1 the knowledgeable direction. and the the missing ingredient: government by -See Imbrie: Concerto for Violin general excellence of the principals. But party. This. of course. solves all prob- and Orchestra. Utopia is an opera that calls for full or- lems since any measures enacted by one chestra and chorus. a ballet complement, party are bound to be repealed forthwith and a stage and auditorium of reasonable by the other. The opera ends with a GILBERT and SULLIVAN: Utopia, size and good acoustical properties. These chorus in praise of English wisdom and Ltd. the American Savoyards are unable to righteousness. provide, and it is the chief merit of the This framework provided Gilbert with Marion Scodari (s). The Princess Zara; Lyric Theater's recording (apart. of a broad platform, enabling him to poke Carroll Mattoon (c). The Lady Sophy; course. from its very existence) that, into nearly every aspect of English gov- Barry Morley (t), Capt. Fitzbattleaxe; though the orchestra is just passable and ernment and society. Utopia's satire is Jerry Holloway (b), Mr. Goldbury; Pe- short on strings, it gives us at least a sweeping. and it is rather less good - ter Kline (b), King Paramount the First; fair idea of Sullivan's scoring, which is natured than was Gilbert's habit -it is Thomas Jones (bs), Scaphio; Gregory perhaps subtler and more imaginative great fun. but sometimes bitter fun, not Wise (bs). Phantis; et al.; Chorus and here than in any of the earlier operas. calculated to warm the heart of a stock Orchestra of the Lyric Theater Company Perhaps this is the place to say that. broker, bureaucrat. or social snob. Sul- (Washington. D. C.). John Landis. cond. on the basis of merit. Utopia's absence livan responded with a brilliant score. LYRIC THEATER. Three LP. $11.75 from the repertoire is a clear -cut case The patter song is conspicuous by its (available on order from Lyric Theater of criminal negligence. Not all of Gil- absence, except when Scaphio and Phan- 132 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE www.americanradiohistory.com.

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