"The Rose of Persia" is an infrequently performed and recorded operetta. To prepare for a community theater company's production of RoP, I purchased this recording. It was a wonderful help in preparing for my role. Now that the show has closed, I'm looking forward to listening to "The Emerald Isle", for me the "bonus" operetta of the CD set.

In French !
Entre rien du tout et quelque chose, que faut-il choisir ?
Heureusement, on m'a offert ce coffret, car au vu des autres commentaires, j'imaginais l'horreur ! Or, c'est bon ! That's good ! quite good !!!
Pearl n'est pas parfait, but !!! Pearl produit en CD des enregistrements introuvables ailleurs !
Pourquoi bouder notre plaisir et etre si exigeant ?
Si demain la Chorale des Pinsons du Val de Marne produit en CD une piece introuvable de Mozart... j'achete !
Lovers of Sullivan, be happies ! "Esmerald Isle" by Pearl is good !!! It could be better, that's sure, but it's good !!! What a music !

I must agree with the previous review but I also have learned (and the hard way) that one could never expect any thing close to a professional and high quality recording from the Pearl label.
If any kind of editing or remastering has taken place it isn't evident.
Their recording of "The Beauty Stone" and "Princess Ida" have also completely turned me off from this label. I was anxiously awaiting a copy of "Haddon Hall" but canceled it when I found out who produced it. I am also steering clear of "Ivanhoe" for the same reason.
As to the quality of the prefromance from the Prince Consort group I am unsure for I can not make a proper judgement of their abilities due to the poor quality of the recording.

The Rose of Persia is one of Sir Arthur Sullivan's best works, musically speaking, with Gilbert or without. The Prince Consort, a semi-professional company tackles this nearly forgotten opera as well as the completely forgotten Emerald Isle.

The Rose of Persia is handled well by the Prince Consort and is a great deal better than their more serious "Beauty Stone" recording. The actors are obviously more comfortable with comedy. The recording suffers ocasionally from an orchestra that can't stay together, but overall they handle themselves well. The tempos are generally pleasing, but "Musical Maidens Are We" "I Am the Sultan's Vigilant Vizier" and especially "It Has Reached Me" are much too slow. Granted the Vizier song is a complex lightning paced piece of music that only professionals could handle.

Richard Bourjo is a slpendid and exciting Hassan with a deep voice full of good humour. Simon Boothroyd as Abdallah is enjoyable as well. Mary Timmons, who plays the Sultana has a fine voice, though the Sultan himself is somewhat disapointing. Dancing Sunbeam, the society-hunting-crazy-wife of Hassan has some of the best songs in the opera, but Christine Watson who plays the part seems strained. Sometimes she can't be heard over the instruments, but she has a great sense of humour and sometimes her infliction is funnier than the jokes that she presents us with. Her "Our Husband is the Sultan? How?" always gets me to chuckle.

The CD also includes The Emerald Isle, an Irish fantasy that Sullivan was writing when he passed away. The score was completed by Edward German. The Prince Consort is not entirely together on this one, and it's all rather dissapointing. This recording is also live. It's interesting to hear Sullivan's final work, and some of the songs have potential, including the riotous "Of Viceroys Though We've Had" and the amusing "At an Early Stage of Life", but this recording doesn't quite present them accurately.

I give it four stars because I'm glad to hear some old Victorian operas, especially two on one CD, but I'm afraid when compared to the new professional recording with conductor Tom Higgins, this performance is charming, but invariably loses out.

The Emerald Isle also has potential, but cannot be reccomended alone.