By: Tom Holt

Tom Holt — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:15:56 +0000

Sheer delight from start to finish, thanks to Solomon’s amazing score. Burnand’s libretto shows that he was at the peak of his powers (such as they were) with Cox & Box; twenty years later, he’s still trying to recapture the magic, with indifferent success. But although his sense of humour is firmly stuck in the 1860′s, unable to reach beyond forced rhymes and puns, his skill with verse-forms and metre inspires Solomon, as previously Sullivan, to heights of pure joy…
Solomon’s music owes nothing to Sullivan; it draws on the music hall and the dance hall rather than the concert hall, resulting in a stream of fresh, captivating melody, bounding with energy and fizzing with wit and good humour. This may be the first recording of his music. It would be a great, great shame if it was the last.
The performances of all three principals are outstanding, although the child is truly awful. It’s a shame the opera sounds like it was recorded in a scout hut, using the piano they found there under a heap of sacks, but the singers, the pianist and above all the work itself are all so good, it really doesn’t matter a bit.

By: John Groves

John Groves — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 08:25:08 +0000

To be honest, this 40 minute work is a disappointment! Musically it is nowhere near the same level as Sullivan or German, and the dialogue has long ago lost any wit it might have had. Performances are enthusiastic but lack direction, and the use of a boy treble who cannot sing in tune, and whos voice is unable to blend with the other singers in ensemble numbers is painful! The piano accompaniment is too obtrusive.
Far more worthwhile is the other work on the CD: a short piece with three songs by George Grossmith.

Comments on: The First Great Dickensian Operetta: “Pickwick” (1889)

By: Tom Holt

By: John Groves