The 1973 D'Oyly Carte Mikado

Cast The Mikado John Ayldon Nanki-Poo Colin Wright Ko-Ko John Reed Pooh-Bah Kenneth Sandford Pish-Tush Michael Rayner Go-To John Broad Yum-Yum Valerie Masterson Pitti-Sing Peggy Ann Jones Peep-Bo Pauline Wales Katisha Lyndsie Holland D'Oyly Carte Opera Chorus Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Royston Nash Recorded at Decca Studios, West Hampstead 10–15 January 1973

London OSA-12103

John Reed and Kenneth Sandford London OSA5-12103 (Cassette)

This recording was made in celebration of John Reed's twentieth anniversary with D'Oyly Carte. With the exception of the Nanki-Poo and Katisha, the cast is a strong one, though one suspects that both Reed's and Sandford's better days were behind them at this point. The chance to hear Peggy Ann Jones's Pitti-Sing is particularly welcome. The recording does not include the dialogue, which is a pity, as it would have been nice to have the Carte interpretations immortalized on disc.

J. Donald Smith commented as follows on the CD re-issue:

For anyone who has only heard the LP of this issue, the CD is a revalation. The LP, like most of the London issues, was recorded at a very low gain, making it impossible to get forte passages. As a result, the LP always sounded muffled and dead. The CD, on the other hand, must have been remastered to take advantage of the digital technology and is bright and clear, and the performers sound very much better than they did on the LP.

Decca/London 425190-2

Decca 473 644-2