Eloquence Sullivan: Pineapple Poll; Henry V (excerpts); Victoria and Merrie England CD

Among the legion of Decca recordings boasting the company’s fabled ‘Decca Sound’, one that has been overlooked is the late Sir Charles Mackerras’s recording of his own arrangements of ‘moments’ from the G&S canon under the title Pineapple Poll. Like Gaîte Parisienne and Le Beau Danube it is a ‘jukebox’ ballet, built on cleverly assembled medleys, and it received its first performance in 1951. The remainder of this CD allows listeners the opportunity to hear examples of original music composed by Sullivan, without Gilbert. The incidental music from Henry VIII is one of the many examples of incidental music that Sullivan wrote for Shakespeare plays, while Victoria and Merrie England represents the last of his ballet scores.