Arthur Sullivan & W.S.Gilbert - The Yeomen of the Guard (1993 Marriner recording) - No. 2. "Though tear and long-drawn sigh" & "The prisoner comes to meet his doom" (Kurt Streit, Thomas Allen, Sylvia McNair, Jean Rigby, Bryn Terfel)

I'm more and more falling under the spell of the topsy-turvydoom of the British power duo, Gilbert & Sullivan, especially after hearing "The Yeomen of the Guard", possibly, their best, most openly operatic and less topsy-turvy work.

A thorough libretto can be found here:

http://www.karadar.com/Librettos/sullivan_YEOMEN.html

No. 10 (noted are the order in which the pieces appear in the opera). Aria - "Though tear and long-drawn sigh". Elsie has but one aria in the work but it is one of the more intense pieces: Elsie has just been married to Fairfax and laments the fact that her married life will be all too brief, as she is completely sure that her groom will not live through the night. As most of Sullivan's ballads, the piece is given in couplet form but a wonderful crescendo of sound and emotion is achieved (particularly, in the use of rising string figures), thus a simple song is made into a true rise of feeling.

No. 11. Finale (only half of the finale is presented to save some time) - "The prisoner comes to meet his doom". The original finale is actually seventeen minutes long, including a lengthy ensemble, as the Yeomen greet "Leonard" (Fairfax in disguise). The presented piece starts midway through the finale, as the tower bells toll, announcing the beginning of the execution. A chorus of common people begins to sing a solemn prayer which is then elaborated by the additional of Elsie's voice to the morning music. Just as the prisoner is supposed to enter, the music changes its' direction, as Fairfax and the two yeomen sing a furiously confused couplet, narrating the absence of Fairfax himself (with all the cast and the whole chorus adding their voices to the repeat). A number of phrases/reactions to the occurrence is then given, with a special place given to Point's lightning-fast verse where he tries to dismiss the possibility that Elsie's husband is still alive, making his prospects rather slim.

Here is a list of performers who appear in these selections:

Robert Lloyd - Sir Richard Cholmondley,
Kurt Streit - Colonel Fairfax,
Stafford Dean - Sergeant Meryll,
Thomas Allen Jack Point,
Neil Mackie - First Yeoman,
Anthony Michaels-Moore - Second Yeoman,
Bryn Terfel - Wilfred Shadbolt,
Sylvia McNair - Elsie Maynard,
Jean Rigby - Phoebe Meryll,
Anne Collins - Dame Carruthers.

Hope you'll enjoy :)!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Gilbet
• Sullivan
• comic
• opera
• Savoy
• D'Oyly
• Carte

[petuniaon123]

Where was this staged in 1993 not sure, are there any videos available with visuals

[LindoroRossini]

These excepts, to my knowledge, are available only in audio form :). They come from Marriner's operatic studio recording of the work, sensitively sung and featuring most of the Gilbert's delightful dialogue. Not a video production but definitely one of the best representations of the work that I had the pleasure to hear :).

[Pathtith]

This is a lovely version. Nice to hear G&S being taken seriously musically and dramatically........... It's not just a last resort for schools and AmDram socs...

[bhandsdes]

No matter how many times I hear this, it's always new and wonderful. Thanks, LR.

[90lysander]

I think "Though tear and long-drawn sigh" is one of the most moving pieces Sullivan ever composed, and McNair's rendition is certainly lovely. Thanks for uploading.

[cbranalli]

i have loved this opera for 50 odd years - even singing in the chorus with the Sudbury Savoyards in Massachusetts. i have heard numerous excellent versions of this - Gilbert and Sullivan's masterwork - but i must say - this recording is superlative.

charles ranalli

albuquerque

[barehands007]

Thanks for making some of the my favorite moments in oper(etta) available.

Though I love the continuity of the end of the first act (with Were I Thy Bride and Oh Sergeant Meryll), I thank you for what you've made available.

Thank you for appreciating G&S (this their best, IMHO).

[gamgee87]

here's a picture. I actually think it's Bryn Terfel behind Jean Rigby....which would make sense, of course! :-)

[gamgee87]

There was a picture on earlier CDs. I think it showed Sir Thomas Allen, Sylvia Mcnair, Jean Rigby and...maybe the tenor?

In any case, they are in costume, if you can find the picture.

[thebaroquegirl1]

I love the picture! What is it?

[cuddlyable3]

Last resort LOL