Sunday Classics preview: "Sprites of earth and air, fiends of flame and fire" -- meet the Sorcerer

Here again are our intrepid Brazilian Savoyards, from the Núcleo Universitário de Ópera (São Paulo), performing the Incantation Scene from The Sorcerer, with baritone Pedro Ometto as the Sorcerer, soprano Gabriella Rossi as Aline, and tenor Elias Viana as Alexis. (There's a clip of this scene, representing what I assume is supposed to be the operetta's premiere, from writer-director Mike Leigh's 1999 G&S biopic Topsy-Turvy.)

by Ken

In last night's preview of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer we sampled some of the piece's terrific choral writing. Tonight, as promised, we meet the Sorcerer himself: direct from the firm of J. Wells & Co., Family Sorcerers, none other than the proprietor himself, John Wellington Wells.

Also as promised, though, we're going to start once again with the infectious overture. Tonight's performance is by the conductor of the highly problematical 1982-83 video series of all ten canonical G&S operas (plus Sullivan's Cox and Box) produced by Brent Walker, Alexander Faris, incidentally the composer of the music for Upstairs, Downstairs. This performance of the Overture is not from the Sorcerer film, which by the wathas some continuing points of interest, notably the performance of the title role by singer-actor Clive Revill, which we'll come back to.

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN: The Sorcerer: Overture

Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Alexander Faris, cond. Nimbus, recorded July 6-7, 1986

Now here's the Sorcerer, introducing himself as thoroughly as one might wish.

No. 12, Act I, Song, Mr. Wells, "My name is John Wellington Wells"

Oh! my name is John Wellington Wells,
I'm a dealer in magic and spells,
in blessings and curses
and ever-filled purses,
in prophecies, witches, and knells.
If you want a proud foe to "make tracks"--
if you'd melt a rich uncle in wax--
you've but to look in
on the resident Djinn,
number seventy, Simmery Axe!

We've a first-class assortment of magic;
and for raising a posthumous shade
with effects that are comic or tragic,
there's no cheaper house in the trade.
Love-philtre--we've quantities of it;
and for knowledge if any one burns,
we keep an extremely small prophet, a prophet
who brings us unbounded returns:

For he can prophesy
with a wink of his eye,
peep with security
into futurity,
sum up your history,
clear up a mystery,
humor proclivity
for a nativity--for a nativity;
with mirrors so magical,
tetrapods tragical,
bogies spectacular,
answers oracular,
facts astronomical,
solemn or comical,
and, if you want it, he
makes a reduction on taking a quantity!

Oh! If anyone anything lacks,
he'll find it all ready in stacks,
If he'll only look in
on the resident Djinn,
number seventy, Simmery Axe!

He can raise you hosts
of ghosts,
and that without reflectors;
and creepy things
with wings,
and gaunt and grisly spectres.
He can fill you crowds
of shrouds,
and horrify you vastly;
he can rack your brains
with chains,
And gibberings grim and ghastly.

And then, if you plan it, he
changes organity,
with an urbanity,
full of Satanity,
vexes humanity
with an inanity
fatal to vanity--
Driving your foes to the verge of insanity!

Barring tautology,
in demonology,
'lectro-biology,
mystic nosology,
spirit philology,
high-class astrology,
such is his knowledge, he
isn't the man to require an apology!

Oh! My name is John Wellington Wells,
I'm a dealer in magic and spells,
in blessings and curses
and ever-filled purses,
in prophecies, witches, and knells.
If anyone anything lacks,
he'll find it all ready in stacks,
if he'll only look in
on the resident Djinn,
number seventy, Simmery Axe!

Benjamin Luxon (b), Northern Sinfonia of England, Richard Hickox, cond. EMI, recorded March 3-5, 1984

Don't worry if you didn't get all of that. We're going to allow Mr. Wells to introduce himself a number of times more, as well as returning to the Incantation Scene.

FOR MORE OF TONIGHT'S THRILL-PACKED
SORCERER PREVIEW, JUST CLICK HERE.

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