Gilbert and Sullivan The Grand Duke Act One

The final programme in BBC Radio 2's Savoy season during 1989; this was broadcast on 17th December 1989. Unlike earlier operas in the series, this is conducted by Barry Wordsworth rather than Sir Charles Mackerras. BBC Radio 2 employed sound compression which limits the dynamic range of the broadcast. As these have never been repeated this is all we have (other than the original recordings, assuming they still exist in the BBC's archives). The cast: Rudolph: Derek Hammond-Stroud Ernest Dummkopf: Neil Jenkins Ludwig: Eric Shilling Dr Tannhauser: Leslie Fyson Viscount Mentone: Leslie Fyson Prince of Monte Carlo: Richard Jackson Ben Hashbaz: Michael Pern Herald: William Allenby Princess of Monte Carlo: Dinah Harris Baroness von Krackenfeldt: Gillian Knight Julia Jellicoe: Marilyn Hill Smith Lisa: Sandra Dugdale Olga: Glenys Groves Gretchen: Lynda Richardson Bertha: Peta Bartlett Elsa: Joyce Jarvis Martha: Joyce Jarvis The Ambrosian Singers, chorusmaster John McCarthy. BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth. Series producer: Tim MacDonald