I was curious about Scottish Opera’s new recording of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia, Limited because it’s a G&S I’ve not heard before.  It’s a late work and was less successful than its better known predecessors.  The plot concerns an island in the “South Seas” where the king is so taken with all things English that he sends his daughter to Cambridge and has her return with a bevy of English worthies including Captain Joseph Corcoran KCB.  Eventually the king enacts all kinds of reforms including turning the entire population into limited liability companies.  They revolt but the day is saved by Princess Zara pointing out that with party government all the reforms will inevitably be repealed after the next election.

It’s all a bit heavy handed because Gilbert uses it to take multiple pot shots at his personal bête noire, the limited liability company.  There’s some more successful satire on idealised English institutions too (note: not Scottish!).  Fortunately, perhaps, for the listener this recording omits the dialogue and the synopsis in the booklet spares us most of the details of Mr. Gilbert’s treatise on corporate law.  Sullivan is on form though with some well crafted, if predictable, music and if he does riff off Rule Britannia and early G&S works a bit much there’s a good pastiche Donizetti aria where Captain Fitzbattleaxe bemoans the effect of love on the tenor voice.

It’s well cast and well sung.  Both major and minor characters are idiomatic and have perfect diction.  The chorus too is sprightly and stylish.  Notable performances include baritone Neal Davies as a sympathetic King Paramoiunt and the forceful Ellie Laugharne as an impressive Pricess Zara.  Veteran Yvonne Howard is excellent as the King and I style governess Lady Sophy.  Finally, William Morgan shows that he can be a “proper” tenor and ham it up as Captain Fitzbattleaxe.  Conductor Derek Clark pushes things along nicely in a crisp and pacy manner.

There’s a bonus included; the five pieces of incidental music for orchestra and chorus that Sullivan wrote for a 1895 production of J. Comyn Carr’s play King Arthur.

It was recorded in Glasgow in 2021 in conjunction with a series of semi-staged performances and the recording is detailed and well balanced; at least on the 96kHz/24bit digital version I listened to.  It’s also available as two physical CDs, CD resolution digital and MP3.

This is probably one for G&S completists.  That said, it is the only modern recording of the work and it’s very well done.

Catalogue information: Opus Arte OACD 9053D