I am the captain of Pinafore

I've recently began approaching the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, probably because I've fallen for the film "Topsy-Turvy", and I've found them delightfully charming and comical, so I've decided to post a section from the pair's first huge success, "H.M.S.Pinafore", the tremendously successful Act One Finale.

The opera's gentle satire builds on a classical theme for Gilbert theme of love between members of different social classes, also poking good-natured fun at the Royal Navy and, in themes to be repeated in the later operas, parliamentary politics and the rise of unqualified people to positions of authority. The title of the work itself is humorous, as it juxtaposes the name of a little girl's garment, pinafore, with the symbol of a naval warship. The plot itself revolves around a naval captain's daughter who is in love with a lower-class foremast hand (a common sailor, well below officer rank), even though her father intends her to marry the First Lord of the Admiralty, the cabinet minister in charge of Britain's Royal Navy. As with most of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, a surprise twist changes matters dramatically near the end of the story with everything happily resolved.

The finale's narrative is as follows: Ralph, the sailor in question, after being denied his feelings by Josephine, his love, summons his shipmates, and tells them he is bent on suicide. He puts a pistol to his head, but as he is about to pull the trigger Josephine enters, proclaiming she loves him after all, which causes universal happiness of all, except Dick Deadeye who warns them that their actions will lead to trouble, but he is ignored. The piece develops classically, almost in belcanto fashion, incorporating a central andante (perhaps slightly parodying baroque opera) and an explosively joyous coda.

The version I used is an absolutely perfect 1960 recording with the following cast:

Thomas Round - Ralph Rackstraw,
Donald Adams - Dick Deadeye,
Jean Hindmarsh - Josephine,
Joyce Wright - Hebe.

Hope you'll enjoy :)!