Loesser: Guys and Dolls

John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London continue their series of complete recordings of shows from the golden age of Broadway with Frank Loesser’s "Guys and Dolls." The piece premiered in 1950, ran for 1,200 performances, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The libretto is based on short stories by Damon Runyon, written in the 1920s and 1930s. These stories dealt with gangsters, gamblers, and other characters from the New York underworld. Runyon was known for the unique comic dialect he used in his stories; a blend of highly formal language without contractions and colorful slang. As with all previous releases in this series, John Wilson has returned to the original orchestrations from the show’s premiere, and the recording contains every single note of them. In the case of "Guys and Dolls," these originals had been lost (later productions had used a simplified orchestration with fewer musicians), but they were meticulously reconstructed by Larry Moore. Wilson emphasizes the importance of his soloists, who not only play their roles but can also make an impression on a recording. Therefore, he is always on the lookout for new faces, but at his core, he works with a group of trusted artists he has known for a long time. The ensemble on this recording is made up of the crème de la crème of the London scene. Notable newcomers to this recording include Damien Humbley as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and Sir Thomas Allen (who was persuaded by John Wilson to return from retirement!) in the role of Arvide Abernathy.