Gilbert & Sullivan and Nick!

Nick was brought up in a musical household, and saw his first amateur G&S Opera (Iolanthe) at the age of 8. His first performance was as a chorus baritone in The Mikado in 1987, and his first principal role was Florian in Princess Ida in 1988. Over the next 3 years, he played several of the lighter baritone roles, including Luiz and Giuseppe in The Gondoliers, as well as his first (minor) tenor role, Leonard Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard. He moved up into the tenor repertoire in 1991 with Nanki Poo in "The Mikado", and since then has performed most of the major tenor roles in the G&S canon, some of them many times. Precisely 7 months after the recording of the CD, Nick began his full-time professional career as an opera singer, performing the role of Nanki-Poo for The Carl Rosa Opera Company in their celebrated production of "The Mikado" at the newly-refurbished Blackpool Opera House. Since then, Nick has appeared well over 100 times in Carl Rosa productions, adding the roles of Colonel Fairfax (The Yeomen of the Guard), Marco (The Gondoliers) and Rafe Rackstraw (HMS Pinafore). Since November 2004, Nick has regularly appeared with Much-loved Productions, in their "Feast of G&S" concert series, appearing alongside such G&S luminaries as John Ayldon, Patricia Leonard, Jill Washington, Marilyn Hill-Smith. back to the top

The Gilbert & Sullivan Festivals and Nick

Nick first appeared at the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Buxton in 1996, playing Tolloller in the festival production of Iolanthe, and in subsequent years appeared in two further festival performances, as well as in performances with Savoynet (three times), Derby G&S (twice), and Trent Opera (twice). In addition to these performances, he has appeared in various "scratch" performances and concerts, including the memorable 1998 gala concert with fellow soloists Jean Hindmarsh and John Reed OBE.   After taking the plunge into the professional world, Nick has continued his record of appearing in a principal role in every festival since his debut in 1996. Most memorable was in 2002, when he performed as Hilarion alongside former D'Oyly Carte soprano Jean Hindmarsh who played the title role in a special performance of "Princess Ida". back to the top

Other music and Nick

As mentioned in the "Gilbert & Sullivan and Nick" section above, Nick began singing professionally in January 2002 when he began an initial 6-month contract with Carl Rosa Opera. Since then, he has worked extensively in the world of Opera, where his work has taken him far and wide. In Europe, he has sung in England, Wales, Northern and Southern Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland,  Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Latvia, as well as further afield, including Japan and Dubai. Highlights have included his debut, in 2005, at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; working at the Komische Oper, Berlin, also in 2005; a performance of Rossini's "La Cenerentola" at La Fenice, Venice, and meeting (and singing for) The Three Tenors - Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Josè Carreras in 2004 A web page dedicated to Nick's singing is at www.nicksales.com back to the top

Further track information

Nick's keen aim was to include all possible tenor arias from the 13 mainstream G&S operas as well as better known songs from other 'Savoy' operas.  Clearly, many of the songs were designed to be sung with chorus, and special arrangements were written to take this into account, and to attempt to give a version of these songs suitable for stand-alone concert performance. Tracks with special arrangements of this nature are numbers 3, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 24. Track 8 (Orpheus with his lute) is one of Sullivan's less well-known ballads, composed in 1866 with words from Shakespeare's Henry VIII. It is of a very distinctive, yet unusual style (for Sullivan), and has been compared (favourably) to a Schubert lied. Track 13 (All men and I) is the only track on this CD without any of Sullivan's music. The original score for His Excellency was written by Frank Osmond Carr, but was generally reckoned (to quote Trial By Jury's Counsel for the Plaintiff) to be of a poor standard, and almost certainly contributed to the opera's failure. Recognising the potential of Gilbert's witty libretto, Londoner Terry Hawes composed an entirely new score in 1982, from which this track is taken. (Incidentally, Nick gave the public premiere of this song during a gala concert in Buxton Opera House during the 1999 Gilbert & Sullivan festival.) Track 23 (Though men of rank may useless seem) is the only G&S tenor aria on this CD that is not regularly included in performances of the relevant opera. This song, for the Duke of Dunstable, was set by Sullivan before the opening night of Patience in 1881 but was cut by Gilbert before the opening night. Although orchestra parts survive (bound into Sullivan's autograph score), Sullivan's vocal line remains lost, save for a few notes cued into orchestra parts.  The version included on the CD features, in part, separate reconstructions by David Russell Hulme, Ian Bartlett, and Nick Sales. Track 26 (The Lost Chord) is sung in the somewhat unusual key of B flat major. Nick shares with Enrico Caruso the distinction of being one of the few artists to have recorded the song in this key! Stephen Turnbull of the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society has stated that he believes this CD to be the first to feature all the G&S tenor arias. back to the top

Recording information

All tracks were recorded on Monday 18th June 2001 at Hazlewood Castle, Nr. Leeds, Yorkshire. The recording engineers were Foxglove Audio of Leeds. All tracks were accompanied on a Steinway  'O' grand piano by Clive Woods, a well-established G&S specialist, but much more than that - a virtuoso soloist in his own right. Editing and mixing of the tracks took place on Tuesday 19th June 2001 by Nick Sales and Peter Hill of Foxglove Audio in Foxglove's own studio. Specialist Musical advice was provided by David Duffey. back to the top

Links SavoyNet, an unmoderated electronic mailing list dedicated to discussion of W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, the operas they wrote, British culture and musical theater of their time, and related matters. Click on one of the images for further information.    The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive - the premier internet resource for all things related to Gilbert and Sullivan. International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival  - held in Buxton, Derbyshire, in July and August. Surely the "Mecca" for Gilbert & Sullivan fans in the 21st century. The official festival website. David Sandham's Gilbert & Sullivan Website. An excellently constructed and well-maintained Gilbert & Sullivan site, with particular emphasis on the G&S Festival, with many photographs taken by the webmaster. A Gilbert and Sullivan Discography. Marc Shepherd's immense site devoted to all recordings of all things Gilbert & Sullivan-related. Much-loved Productions.  South Yorkshire-based company providing top quality concerts and shows, including the popular "Feast of G&S" concerts, featuring former D'Oyly Carte performers.  Carl Rosa Opera Company - Britain’s Oldest Touring Opera Company. www.nicksales.com - website devoted to Nick's wider career. back to the top