For a quarter of a century, operetta has been alive and well in Wooster, Ohio. Many of Ohio Light Opera’s productions have found their way onto CD, and these have already included Gilbert and Sullivan’s Princess Ida complete with dialogue (Newport Classic). In 2003 the company ventured on the even rarer The Grand Duke, this time with dialogue severely pruned – sensibly so, because this is Gilbert his most tiresome. (By comparison, Sullivan was on reasonable form.) The result is a theatrical experience that is all the more rewarding to British ears in that there are no obtrusive American accents. There are seasoned performers in the cast, too, impressively led by Ted Christopher as Ludwig. Moreover, in Jami Rhodes’s Baroness and Wade Woodward’s Prince of Monte Carlo there are more attractive voices than in the rival D’Oyly Carte version on Decca. Although it eschews dialogue altogether, that version beats this newcomer hands down in overall musical terms, whether in vocal and orchestral polish or the extra point given to the musical numbers by seasoned professional performers.

Unfortunately, too, Albany place the CD change bizarrely and unnecessarily in the middle of the Act 1 finale. They also make a ‘First Complete Recording’ claim on the booklet front that seemingly has no justification, since three small cuts made by D’Oyly Carte are here too, with more besides. Stick with D’Oyly Carte, then, for musical values, though this newcomer has undoubted attractions as a theatrical experience.