Trial By Jury D'Oyly Carte Gilbert & Sullivan 

Richard Watson's pronunciation of "hearty" and "party" in the Judge's Song is quite distinctive.

Actually 25:40, and not Donizetti, but Bellini. "D'un Pensiero " from Act One of "La Sonnambula". The resemblance, was, I recall, noted at the time.

​@@julietcunningham852 "Actually" I am talking about a separate bit of music. That bit at 26:30 resembles the a few measures in Lucia immediately before the sextet. Check 1:19:12 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NFH0wLG77m4.html&ab_channel=HarpsichordM

@@thricegreatart Yes, I agree! The resemblance is very clear!!

I think the 1960s D'Oyly Carte recording is better sung on the whole. But this recording has considerable merits, not least that it is perhaps the closest to the stagecraft.

As I remember, D'Oyly Carte traditionally gave the principal performances in "Trial by Jury" productions to their understudies. So this cast never actually performed this opera live!

@@alexandrumanta1439 John Reed did, but not often (orphan?).

Thank you Kenneth. FTR when I saw Doyly Carte perform this at Sadlers Wells in 1975, James Conroy Ward played the (Learned) Judge.

@@kennethwayne6857 According to the "Who Was Who In The D'Oyly Carte" website, he played him when he was Peter Pratt's understudy in most of the patter-man roles, and later for a few special performances.

Actually, the performance ends at 33:00 - the rest is simply repeat

D'Oyly Carte and/or Decca sometimes did this kind of thing. Kenneth was in fact a tenor. His widow at his memorial service told me he could sing a high C till the day he died. They gave him the G. & S. heavy comic roles. He understudied Billy Bigelow (high baritone) "Carousel" (Rogers and Hammerstein) in the West End. He manages with the Usher apart from the second "NA" of "Angelina". This is traditional not in the score. Is it sung here by Michael Rayner? I was chorus in "Trial" with Kenneth on a course in North Wales. He played the Counsel & Captain in "Pinafore" Act ll. As I do he sang "Fair Moon" in the score key up to the high note at the end. A very nice person! Barrington didn't always include it but he sang it even higher. Not bad for an actor!

@@richardduployen6429 Thanks for the interesting background. I only saw K. Sanford once, in San Francisco (old D'Oyly Carte company on tour...) His Pooh Bah seemed light in vol. (anyway it did "from the Gods"), but maybe he was having a grueling day! On the other hand, I recall that he was fine as the Sargeant in "Pirates" (another low part). Btw -- I'm a great fan of the BBC concert performances of G & S from the '60s and '80s. I think P. Pratt sounds much better in these than he does in the D'Oyly Carte commercial recordings.

@@user-bc9mn7gq2c Kenneth didn't like doing Sergeant & gave it up. I told him I liked his recording of it. I think a lot of the low notes are covered by Police (bass chorus). There used to be G & S. proms but pot pourris not complete operettas. I like the Pratt complete versions from B. B. C. radio with sound effects & a musically complete "Ruddigore".

@@richardduployen6429 Why did he never play Corcoran with the D'OC?

@@jvgreendarmok The tradition was never static. The Captain was originally the heavy comic role with Rutland Barrington. Later this, Strephon (originally bass role Richard Temple) and Grosvenor also Barrington were romanticised. E. g. Leslie Rands. I'm not sure Gilbert would have approved. Kenneth was correctly assigned Grosvenor. The Captain wasn't changed but Kenneth wanted to play it on an American tour. It is said D. C. wouldn't pay him enough money so the idea was abandoned.