Sullivan, A: The Yeomen of the Guard: Overture

Recordings: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, London, UK, July 1962 (Ruddigore), April 1964 (The Yeomen of the Guard); Watford Town Hall, Watford, UK, August 1959 (H.M.S. Pinafore), September 1960 (Iolanthe, The Gondoliers), September 1961 (Patience); Decca Studios, West Hampstead, London, UK, May 1965 (Princess Ida), February 1966 (The Sorcerer), December 1967 (The Pirates of Penzance), January 1969 (Choruses), January 1973 (The Mikado), June 1974 (Macbeth), July 1975 (Utopia Limited), March 1976 (The Grand Duke); Kingsway Hall, London, UK, January 1961 (Cox and Box), November 1982 (Overture di Ballo); Whitfield Street Studios, London, UK, February 1977 (Marmion)

In 2011 Decca Eloquence will commence on a series of G&S operetta highlights discs. By way of an ‘overture’, here’s a 2CD set of Overtures from the D’Oyly Carte recordings made over several years by Decca, together with some of Sullivan’s ‘concert overtures’ – Macbeth, Marmion and Di Ballo. Also included is an extremely rare 1969 Decca recording of Sullivan Choruses conducted by James Walker, better known in musical circles as one of Decca’s key recording engineers, but an ardent G&S fan. It receives its first release on Decca CD. A perfect introduction to the set pieces and patter songs in orchestral guise.

These discs present a rich and varied flavour of Britain’s capital city. Offering a diverse and wide-ranging taste of music spanning over three centuries, the pieces on this compilation are evocative of London in all its glory, whether that be light musical cameos of famous locations, to the archetypal Coronation Anthems of Handel and the eponymous symphonies of Haydn and Vaughan Williams. This 2-CD set contains music by some of Britain’s most popular native and adopted composers. The first disc on this compilation offers a nostalgic trip back through British light music, easily recognized for its emphasis on instantly accessible and catchy melodies. Tracks include the popular Yeoman of the Guard overture by Arthur Sullivan, as well as extracts from the London Suites by Dam Busters composer Eric Coates and Dankworth’s Rediffusion London Call Sign. The second disc comprises more traditional pieces, ranging from delicate lute arrangements of Henry VIII’s attributed ditty Greensleeves to Walton’s joyous coronation march Crown Imperial.