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Title: A note about the music
Review: This is not a review of the DVDs, which I have not seen. I have, however, heard broadcasts of these performances, and a word of warning is in order. Many of the reviewers here have commented on the rewritten dialogue in these productions - but there has been little said about the rewritten music. These are emphatically NOT Sullivan's own graceful and apt orchestrations, but rescorings by Stratford Festival music director Berthold Carriere. To my ear, they infinitely cheapen and coarsen the score. This isn't just a matter of reorchestration but of additions, unecessary hoking-up, and elevator-music touches like upward modulations between verses. Such things may be fine on Broadway - most B'way composers didn't orchestrate their own shows anyway - and they may not bother some listeners, but for lovers of Sullivan's music they may be painful to hear. They certainly make these productions unlistenable for me.
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