             |
|
"Sullivan and his Satellites" Sunday 31st July 2005 The Paxton Theatre
Soloists Chorus Members
Introduction For the last three decades of the 19th century Arthur Seymour Sullivan was undoubtedly the greatest living British composer. His ballads sold like hot-cakes, his stage music enlivened the major theatrical events of the day, his oratorios were performed with gusto throughout the land and his ballads were not only sung around the piano in every respectable household but also churned out by barrel organs on the street corners of London. But it was his light operatic works written with William Schwenk Gilbert that would remain his principal legacy for posterity. These works are, to put it bluntly, masterpieces of the genre and quite simply represent the greatest series of light musical works ever written. They have been so successful over the last 150 years that they have not only overshadowed Sullivan’s other compositions but also the compositions of a whole generation of composers who also wrote for the lyric theatre. While not attempting to prove that these lesser-known composers deserve to be recognised as being on a par with Sir Arthur (they don’t!) one of the aims of this afternoon’s concert is to prove that they certainly deserve the odd airing. Why was Stuart’s “Florodora” such a massive hit in 1899 that it ran for 455 performances? Why is a marvellous piece such as “The Arcadians” not regularly revived by professional companies today? Should Sir Arthur really have been concerned when Cellier’s “Dorothy” ran for more than 500 performances? The other question that this afternoon’s concert wants to address is whether the works that Sullivan wrote without Gilbert, or that Gilbert wrote without Sullivan, really deserve their almost total obscurity. Did Sullivan really need Gilbert to give him the inspiration required to kick-start his melodic genius? Did Gilbert slowly lose his ability to entertain his public as he became more embittered with time? Perhaps some of this afternoon’s items will help to answer these questions. So, with the belief that this afternoon’s audience will have numerous opportunities to experience the joint works of G & S during this wonderful festival, the Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society are presenting this concert where items from the famous operas are very much in the minority. Sit back and enjoy solos, choruses and ensembles from Sullivan’s “The Rose of Persia”, “The Chieftain” and “Ivanhoe”; from Gilbert’s “Princess Toto”, The Mountebanks” and “Haste to the Wedding”; and contrast these with Cellier’s “Dorothy”, Monckton’s “A Country Girl” and Stuart’s “Florodora”. Of course you’ll leave the concert still believing that the G&S operas are streets ahead of all the other contemporary works. That’s because they are!! But hopefully you’ll have had great fun having your beliefs confirmed. Alan
Borthwick
|
Click on
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Edinburgh is a registered charity No. SC027486 |
|
Website designed and produced by Ross Main. Graphics by Fiona Main. |