Preview: An Upcoming Thespis Recording
About Thespis
In November, 2004, the Durham Savoyards Ltd. presented a staged reading of Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old, with libretto and lyrics by W. S. Gilbert, and music newly composed by Durham Savoyards music director, Alan Riley Jones. In November, 2007, most of the 2004 cast joined with additional participants to create a piano-accompanied recording, soon to be available on CD through the Durham Savoyards web site.
The audio samples on this page have been excerpted from the full length, full quality recordings, and have been converted to mp3 files at 48 kbps for ease of downloading. You may be able to hear a slight loss of clarity. We hope you will enjoy this preview sampling, and will check back at the Durham Savoyards site later when the finished recording is available.
For more information about the original 1871 Gilbert and Sullivan version, see the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive's Thespis page. You may also wish to read this edited version of the complete libretto (PDF file), which is correlated to the Jones score and which contains further remarks about the new setting.
Audio Samples
Words by W. S Gilbert, Music by Alan Riley Jones (except where noted)
From #4. Oh, I'm the Celestial Drudge
Mercury
(272Kb 0:45)
From #5. Procession Of the Gods
Instrumental
(662Kb 1:52)
From #6. Oh, Incident Unprecedented
Jupiter, Diana, Apollo, Mercury, Mars
(663Kb 1:52)
#8. Climbing Over Rocky Mountain
(Music by Arthur Sullivan, adapted by Alan Riley Jones)
Timidon, Pretteia, Daphne, Sillimon, Chorus of Thespians
(1.49Mb 4:13)
From #9. I Once Knew a Chap
Thespis
(367Kb 1:01)
From #11a. Entr'Acte: The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze
(Music by Arthur Sullivan, adapted by Alan Riley Jones)
Sparkeion, Nicemis
(297Kb 0:49)
From #12. Of All Symposia
Sillimon, Chorus of Thespians
(487Kb 1:22)
From #13. Little Maid Of Arcadee
(Though Sullivan's setting survives, this version is by Jones.)
Sparkeion
(284Kb 0:47)
From #15. You're Diana, I'm Apollo
Sparkeion, Daphne, Nicemis, Thespis
(259Kb 0:43)
From #16. Oh, Rage and Fury
Jupiter, Mars, Apollo
(303Kb 0:50)
From #18. Finale Act II
Jupiter, Mars, Apollo, Chorus of Thespians
(623Kb 1:45)
© 2008