The 1961 D'Oyly Carte Gondoliers

Cast
Duke of Plaza-ToroJohn Reed
LuizJeffrey Skitch
Don AlhambraKenneth Sandford
MarcoThomas Round
GiuseppeAlan Styler
AntonioMichael Wakeham
FrancescoJoseph Riordan
GiorgioGeorge Cook
AnnibaleMichael Wakeham
Duchess of Plaza-ToroGillian Knight
CasildaJennifer Toye
GianettaMary Sansom
TessaJoyce Wright
FiamettaDawn Bradshaw
VittoriaCeinwen Jones
GiuliaDaphne Gill
InezJeanette Roach

D'Oyly Carte Opera Chorus
New Symphony Orchestra of London
Conductor: Isidore Godfrey

Recorded in September 1960

London 425 177-2
London 425 177-2
Decca 473 632-2
Decca 473 632-2
London A-4351
London A-4351

This recording continued the welcome trend started with the 1960 Pinafore and Iolanthe of including all the dialogue. It is the strongest recording of the opera in stereo and, like the legendary 1927 recording, belongs in every listener's collection.

At the time this recording was made, technology did not permit The Gondoliers with complete dialogue to fit on the usual four record sides. Consequently, the opera was issued on five sides, with the sixth given over to D'Oyly Carte's first-ever recording of Cox & Box. It was issued simultaneously on stereo on mono LPs and has been re-issued on CD and cassette (but not with Cox & Box, which had its CD re-issue with Ruddigore).


Belart 450-009-2
Belart 450 009-2
Decca Eloquence 450-009-2
Decca Eloquence 450 009-2
Issue History
DateLabelFormatNumberComments
1961 Decca Mono LP LK 4402/4
LKA 4402/4
With 1961 Cox & Box The Decca catalog numbers containing 'A' are Australian pressings.
Stereo LP SKL 4138/40
SKLA 4138/40
London Stereo LP OSA-1323
Mono LP A-4351
1965 Decca Mono 45rpm DFE 8633 Highlights
Late 1960s Decca Stereo LP 9BB 162/7 Six-LP set that also included the 1957 Mikado and the 1964 Yeomen
1986 Decca Stereo LP 417 254-1 Digitally remastered
CD 417 254-2
Decca/London Cassette 417 254-4
1990 London CD 425 177-2
1993 Belart/ Karussel/
Decca Eloquence
CD 450 009-2 Highlights. The Decca Eloquence label is a later NZ/Australia packaging under the same catalogue number.
2003 Decca CD 473 632-2  
2003 Decca CD 473 631-2 24-CD set including the complete Decca G&S series on CD (13 G&S operas, plus Cox and Box and The Zoo).