The 1931 Gondoliers [abridged]

The 1931 D'Oyly Carte Gondoliers [abridged]

***Cast***
Duke of Plaza-Toro	George Baker
Luiz	Webster Booth
Don Alhambra	Sydney Granville
Marco	Derek Oldham
Giuseppe	Leslie Rands/ Leonard Hubbard
Antonio	Stuart Robertson
Duchess of Plaza-Toro	Essie Ackland / Nellie Walker
Casilda	Alice Moxon
Gianetta	Muriel Dickson
Tessa	Beatrice Elburn
Fiametta	Phyllis Evens

Conductor: Malcolm Sargent

Recorded in London
March 9 - May 2, 1931

The Gilbert and Sullivan News — June 1931

***Related Pages***
Recordings of The Gondoliers
The D'Oyly Carte Abridged Electrical Recordings
The G&S Archive's Gondoliers Page

This recording was the last of three abridged sets issued in 1931. All three were made rather quickly, and it seems they were motivated by competition from the rival Columbia label, whose abridged sets on 10" discs appealed to budget-minded buyers who did not have the equipment for playing the 12" discs that HMV used on the complete sets. As the 1927 Gondoliers was one of the best-selling D'Oyly Carte recordings ever, it made sense to put out a version of the popular opera for buyers who did not want a complete recording.

Sounds on CD VGS 247 [Cover by Matt Bland]

Arabesque Z8095-2

Issue History

Date	Label	Format	Number	Comments
1931	HMV	78rpm (10")	B3866/71 in Album 127	Manual side couplings
ca. 1940	HMV	78rpm	B7012/7	Drop auto side couplings
1981	EMI	LP	SHB 74	With 1930 Patience
1982	Arabesque	LP	8095-2L
1982?	Arabesque	Cassette	9095-2L
1988	Arabesque	CD	Z8095-2
2003	Sounds on CD	CD	VGS 247	Includes four HMV abridged sets: 1931 Pirates, 1931 Yeomen, 1931 Gondoliers, and 1933 Sorcerer
2003	78s2CD	CD	GS22	Includes four HMV abridged sets: 1931 Pirates, 1931 Yeomen, 1931 Gondoliers, and 1933 Sorcerer

Recording Details

Side Nbr	Matrix Number	Selection	Rec. Date
1	0B626-1	List and learn	9 Mar 31
2	0B673-2	See, see, at last they come to make their choice	23 Mar 31
3	0B674-1	We're called gondolieri	23 Mar 31
4	0B653-2	In enterprise of martial kind	16 Mar 31
5	0B654-1	When a merry maiden marries	16 Mar 31
6	0B629-4	Kind sir, you cannot have the heart	2 May 31
7	0B677-2	Then one of us will be a queen	23 Mar 31
8	0B675-1	For ev'ry one who feels inclined	23 Mar 31
9	0B676-1	Rising early in the morning	23 Mar 31
10	0B628-4	Take a pair of sparkling eyes	2 May 31
11	0B652-2	There lived a King	16 Mar 31
12	0B651-3	Now let the loyal lieges gather round	16 Mar 31

Notes:

Leonard Hubbard sings Giuseppe on side 11 only.
Essie Ackland sings the Duchess on side 3 only.

Recording Sessions

Side Nbr	Matrix Number	Selection	Rec. Date
1	0B626-1	List and learn	9 Mar 31
	0B627-1	See 1931 D'Oyly Carte Yeomen, s. 11	9 Mar 31
	0B628-1....	Take a pair of sparkling eyes	9 Mar 31
	0B629-1....	Kind sir, you cannot have the heart	9 Mar 31
12	0B651-3	Now let the loyal lieges gather round	16 Mar 31
11	0B652-2	There lived a King	16 Mar 31
4	0B653-2	In enterprise of martial kind	16 Mar 31
5	0B654-1	When a merry maiden marries	16 Mar 31
2	0B673-2	See, see, at last they come to make their choice	23 Mar 31
3	0B674-1	We're called gondolieri	23 Mar 31
8	0B675-1	For ev'ry one who feels inclined	23 Mar 31
9	0B676-1	Rising early in the morning	23 Mar 31
7	0B677-2	Then one of us will be a queen	23 Mar 31
10	....0B628-4	Take a pair of sparkling eyes	2 May 31
6	....0B629-4	Kind sir, you cannot have the heart	2 May 31

Notes:

The table above shows the published takes in the order recorded. Where a session produced both unpublished and published takes for the same selection, the unpublished matrix numbers are shown in italics. Where none of a selection's takes from a given session were published, the entire row is shown in italics, and the side number is blank. Where it is not possible to make a likely guess about the number of takes recorded at a session, this is indicated with .... Where the published take was achieved without a make-up session being required, the unpublished takes for the same selection are not shown.