Patter Trio, from "Ruddigore"

[janspek33]

Im sorry,but i enjoy the pirates of penzance version more. Kevin Kline is god

[LWall2000]

Yes, Gilbert and Sullivan "double dipped" (Thespis to Pirates for one) but the only reason you think this belongs in Pirates is because of that somewhat ghastly production done by Linda Ronstadt where, for some unimaginable reason, they included it.

[flyingtadpole]

Enjoyed this immensely. But goodness me, some of the comments! Ah well, as I can't sing, I can rein in my critic's urge and keep my enjoyment intact!

[flyingtadpole]

Enjoyed this immensely. But goodness me, some of the comments! Ah well, as I can't sing, I can rein in my critic's urge and keep my enjoyment intact!

[Dianaemanuel]

Way, way too fast! Pity - because the cast is good. However, the lyrics get totally swallowed up before the audience can appreciate them.

[oboewizard]

I agree with stoatsiana in general, though this particular trio does not, in my opinion, suffer, from being performed a bit on the frenetic side. It is from "Ruddigore" by the way - not Pirates (the famous trio from that show is the wonderful line: A Most Ingenious Paradox - borrowed later for a wonderful book about G & S). The characters are Sir Rupert (otherwise known as Robin Oakapple), Sir Despard (with the hat), and Mad Margaret.

[RossiniSoprano]

@oboewizard I just noticed this comment. It's not Sir Rupert who is Robin Oakapple, but Sir Ruthven. Sir Rupert was the First Baronet of Ruddigore, and it's he who incurred the 'witch's curse' of the subtitle of the opera.

[oboewizard]

@RossiniSoprano Yes - of course - Must have had a senior moment! Thank you and all the best!

[TheLordGenki]

The first two actors struggled with the pasing of the song. Sometimes they lagged behind the orchestra, and other times they were rushing. I've heard better performances of the song. Much better than I can do, so I can't really complain though.

[disgustedoffended]

wait this is from piarates of penzance or did gilbert and sullivan double dip?

[FinalFreek]

what group is this?

[RossiniSoprano]

@FinalFreek This is the Festival Production from the International G&S Festival in England.  The principals send in audition tapes, are chosen by the directing staff, and then come together for 7 days at the Festival to put the show together. The chorus auditions on the first day of the rehearsal period.

So it's not a group, per se.

[RossiniSoprano]

Well, Gilbert himself gives us a *bit* of a clue in the song itself when he says "this particularly rapid, unintelligible patter isn't generally heard, and if it is, it doesn't matter!"

[stoatsiana]

Doyle Carte had it right. The patter songs were not designed to test the singers, but to add to the frenetic value of the action on the stage. This video keeps making the singers (not actors) feel like they are always catching up. Badly done. Martyn Greene in a patter song would be galavanting around on stage and riding a goat cart mid song. Slow it down, add action. That was the original intention.

[PeterCarmo16]

DUDE WITH THE TOP HAT: BRILLIANT!

bravi to all three amazing.

(just for fun i'd like to see this song done well at twice the speed like the last verse of "both sides of the coin")

[bundleHastings]

Hatless man has serious articulation issues. Sir William would have had him sacked.

[rwexelblat]

Well sung -- and equally important, well acted.

[jackpoint188]

Ghastly and doleful definitely DO NOT apply to this performance which is generally fast, bouncy and in character. In short my favourite version.

[jackpoint188]

My mistake. I was thinking of the ladies normal response to the aged men they are persuing because of the potion.

[RossiniSoprano]

Actually, the duet between Sgt. Meryll and Dame Carruthers near the end of Yeomen of the Guard contains the phrases "ghastly, ghastly" and "doleful, doleful", sung over and over again.

But the question remains as to why they are being applied in this case.

[tatboi1]

Ghastly! Doleful!

[rosuav]

Wrong show, I think - this isn't Yeomen! :)

[junkb0x99]

I first heard this song in a concert. Out of hundreds of people in the audience, I was one of maybe a half dozen to bust out laughing at the line about "unintelligible patter". The people immediately around me couldn't understand what the singers were saying, and thus couldn't get the joke!

[Jeny40000]

matter matter mattermattermattermatter matter!!!!!!!

[Bfdidc]

Gilbert and Sullivan sometimes liked to challenge their singers and this is definitely one of their trickier songs. Kudos to this trio for their rendition.

[jackpoint188]

I love this performance. Part of the fun is the feigned breathlessness. It adds to their characterization.

[mwojm]

@jackpoint188 feigned?! I've been practicing this, and i don't think it's put on!

[TRWolf]

Oh it's Buxton too? I wanted to see Pirates there but never got chance, however I'm there TODAY seeing Mediaeval Baebes, heh.

[TRWolf]

Nice costume and set, but I think the breathing needed working on so that some of the ends of words werent sliced off, if that makes sense? Aside that, very good!

[Jabe88]

I love this...

[rosuav]

they are going to be among that person's preferred styles of music/etc. Now, I'm not a great expert on music (RossiniSoprano is, though), but I know when someone's in time and when they're not; and I've heard enough songs sung really badly to know when one is sung well. It's my belief that you don't truly know a show until you've worked it - no matter how many times you sit in the audience and watch it, or watch video clips on Youtube, you still don't know it until you've followed through an

[rosuav]

entire season of rehearsals and performances. I'd like to see you in any one of these three parts in this song (yes, take Margaret if you feel so inclined!) and see if you can manage to be perfectly in time with an unfamiliar orchestra. If you haven't tried it, do so... and I think you'll realise that the discrepancy here is really insignificant - so it really doesn't matter......

[icedrummer17]

Wow, should of taken it a lot slower.

[RossiniSoprano]

Really....why? btw, it's "should *have*", not "should of".

[icedrummer17]

because it was too fast for the singers to do it "goodly"

[dementedc]

Meh. Timing was terrible. It's just too fast for the singers and it sounds really bad. See how they're completely off at the end? Meh again.

[RossiniSoprano]

Too fast for the singers? I thought the tempo was great; did you not understand every word I sang? Clearly, the Robin did not like the original tempo, as he slowed it down somewhat, but the conductor went with him, so problem solved. Not sure what you mean by 'it sounds really bad'....that's a bit vague. Can you explain? And yes, it *was* off at the end, because we could not hear the orchestra. If it's too slow, it's not patter.

[harunrathore]

I thoroughly enjoyed that Patter Trio. It is a real shame that the opera is so underestimated. RossiniSoprano, if you happen to have the duet "I once was a very abandoned person" and the ensuing "Basingstoke" dialogue, would you please enclude it...?

[winston5610]

Putting this song in "Pirates of Penzance is like adding Mona Lisa's head to the right of Jesus in "The Last Supper". If it were supposed to be there, the artists responsible for the respective works would have put them there. I would argue that "Ruddigore" should be heard more often so more people could hear this delightful trio in its intended context.

[Tareltonlives]

It's more like putting the Last Supper in the Sistine Chapel. It works nice and the aesthetics are fine, but it just seems incongruous.

[Hollow0Man]

lovely just... lovely ^_^ <3

[Griwhoolda]

Well done!

[lupinsgirl12]

wonderful.

far from unintelligible patter :)

[clownrus]

I prefer this song in Pirates of Penzance.

[boycontralto]

These three are priceless. I especially love the look on Margaret's face. Well done!

[dlobron]

Well done! Brilliant!

[MIKETEDDY94]

great!

[ISayPorter]

Shurely if it was "Buxton 07" as advertised, this means that:

a) the audience were all G&Sers; and

b) everyone had 'one' rehearsal with the orchestra and did their damnedest to get it right

Looks and sounds great to me. Never heard Ruddigore, doing it from scratch next week.

[ISayPorter]

O bugger. I find myself 'volunteered' for Sir Ruthven's bit in this very video. "Add to favourites" is in order, I feel.

[stevtomato]

this is so funny! and you guys did it quite very well indeed! =D

[fosterpilkington]

Actually, all things considered you did this well! A conductor who probably thinks you can go "Red Lorry Yellow Lorry etc." at the same tempo does not help! Yes, more rehearsal would have fixed such this. Yet, all in all entertaining stuff! Best Wishes SFP

[lordvoldemort1]

nice costumes, nice set. I know its quick, but poor diction, and out of time with the orchestra in places. shame

[RossiniSoprano]

We had ONE rehearsal with the orchestra (earlier that same day), and the conductor kicked off the tempo faster than Tim was comfortable. I tried to stay with them in my verse, and then Mart, who is from Estonia (and for whom English is his third language), wanted to go faster....fun!

[lordvoldemort1]

And does an audience want excuses for poor performances?!? I think not.

[RossiniSoprano]

The audience loved it, and called for encores. No excuses necessary, except to people like you. I was explaining the situation to you, but apparently you weren't really interested to know what actually was going on. Shame

[elionwy18]

Well ... it really doesn't matter.

[wickedfeylady]

Mattermattermattermatter

[gregumsdagreggy]

after all, this patter is particularly rapid and unintelligible.

[wickedfeylady]

It isn't generally heard and if it is it dosen't mattter!

[winston5610]

I had heard this music precisely twice before finding your posting: once in performance by The Atlanta Lyric Theater Company and again a few years later in a revue including excerpts from many G&S operas by the same troup. Never heard it on radio, tv, or record, but from my first hearing it joined The Lord Chancellor's song from "Iolanthe" as my co-favorite patter song. Thank you for this posting, and see also my comment about including this in "Pirates." I challenge lordvoldemort1 to do better!

[RossiniSoprano]

Woooooohoooooo!