W.S. Gilbert & Alfred Cellier: The Mountebanks & Alfred Cellier: Suite Symphonique [SACD Hybrid Multi-channel]

This recording will come as a revelation to most listeners! A chronic source of friction between Gilbert and Sullivan was the librettist's fascination with an idea which made no appeal at all to the composer - namely, a magic lozenge or potion which would transform the taker into whatever he or she pretended to be. Sullivan never agreed to setting a libretto based on this idea, so eventually Gilbert took it to another composer, Alfred Cellier - and a splendid job he made of it. This is a marvellous score: very different from Sullivan's style, but not only appealing in itself but fully matching Sullivan's gift for setting Gilbert's witty and tricky lyrics. My only cavil is that the detailed and highly informative notes in the accompanying booklet don't include a synopsis; and since the situations that arise from the distribution of the magic potion show Gilbert at his craziest (characters transformed to life-size clockwork models of Hamlet and Ophelia, for example), some guidance for the uninitiated would have been helpful. But buy the CDs anyway, and revel in the excellent performances of this hidden gem of Victorian light opera.

As a Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiast I have often wonder what Alfred Cellier's music for The Mountebanks was like. The plot of the libretto is Gilbert at his most bizarre, and it was, in various guises, turned down repeatedly by Sullivan and I can see why! It is not surprising that a synopsis is not suppled with the cd. I downloaded a copy of the libretto and followed it along while listening to the music which helped give an idea of how the opera progresses - a complicated plot to the extreme! Cellier's score is very pleasant to listen to, delightful at times, without being in Sullivan's class, and certainly makes the cd worth buying. The performances are excellent.

Such a gem. I particularly enjoyed the elegant sound of soprano Soraya Mafi. What beautiful pieces of music! I would love to hear more.

I found the recording disappointing. Mainly because the diction of nearly all the principal characters was terrible. The orchestra was wonderful.

If anyone is thinking of buying The Mountebanks without knowing Gilbert and Sullivan, I suggest they try those operettas first.Alfred Cellier was immersed in the G and S works, so when Gilbert himself offered him a libretto totally Gilbertian, it was inevitable that much of Cellier's music called Sullivan to mind.Sometimes he borrows an exact phrase, influenced by the same rhythms and inflections Gilbert gave to Sullivan. Nevertheless there is much to delight here, with moments of beauty.The orchestration is exquisite and surpasses that of Sullivan at times whilst the BBC Concert Orchestra (as always, I believe) are on top form, very well conducted by John Andrew.The performance is clearly well prepared and rehearsed by all. The singers all do a fine job, even when hampered by Gilbert's awkward and preposterous lyrics. Especially lovely is Soraya Mafi as Teresa, who luckily has the best music. The notes by J. Donald Smith are exhaustive but annoyingly there is no summary of the plot. Recommended to those who like Victorian operetta.

Excellent

It's not Sullivan, but it's not Êdward German either! "Plain English" and "Put a penny in the slot" are highlights for me.

Well sung, recorded and played

I have been listening to this for many months in my car. It has very funny lyrics and really fun music. I like the large cast they assembled and all the tempos suit the music. I particularly like the ACT 1 bickering between the women and the ACT 2 songs by the robots.

Wonderful to finally have this work in a professional performance! Kudos to all involved. The singing is uniformly good, with an especially lovely Teresa with real trills, and the characterful, rich Bartolo of John Savournin.