The martyr of antioch, one of sullivan s attempts to be the great serious composer everyone wanted him to be, had millmans poem expertly trimmed, adjusted, and tweaked into a viable libretto by gilbert. Even though it was a hit and remained sullivan s favourite and probably gilbert s, they went lighter and softer again with the gondoliers. Transcript of a discussion of the sorcerer by members of the savoynet distribution list. Alexis and aline sign the deed of betrothal before the notary and are, at last, left alone wax lyrical their praises of true love in fact, alexis feels so strongly about the subject that he has resolved to make a gift of love to all the village. The company was revived for short seasons and tours from 1988 to 2003, and with scottish opera it later coproduced two productions. As the first proper fulllength gilbert and sullivan show, the sorcerer isnt a masterpiece. The zoo is a oneact comic opera, with music by arthur sullivan and a libretto by b. Now when gilbert revised sorcerer for the 1884 revival he changed act 2 so that it took place at midnight, rather than in daytime shortly after act 1. Building on the team he had assembled for the sorcerer, gilbert no longer hired stars. Learn more about sullivans life and career in this article. Alexis is determined that all shall share the purity of his true love.
The sorcerer is an operetta by gilbert and sullivan. For their first opera, the sorcerer 1877, gilbert recycled a short story, an elixir of love, that he had published the previous christmas. This is the home site for all gilbert and sullivan related activities on the internet. It opened on november 17, 1877 at the opera comique in the. It was an early example of gilberts socalled magic lozenge plot, in which a supernatural agent causes illogical behavior in people. Youll leave the theater humming its many bright tunes. In the spirit of the mikados ive got a little list song, for our 2010 production of the sorcerer, the directors decided to update the text to reflect the contrast between the working and upper classes in current society. The cast is skillful and professional, choreography is fun, and the plot clearly revealed. But he forgot to make all the necessary alterations now that act 2 followed act 1 by 12 hours rather than half an hour.
The music is melodic and has variety, the performers seem to me to be ideally suited for their roles, and perhaps, best of all, is the atmosphere of genuine, almost childlike fun that comes through here. A chapter on the sorcerer from the book gilbert and sullivan opera, a history and a comment, by h. The authorized libretti and play texts are full of mistakes and anomalies. The text is still being checked for accuracy currently only gondoliers has been checked thespis. Frost is now forgotten, english opera is doing just fine, and we hope you enjoy our farrago. A summary of the sorcerer gilbert and sullivan society. Stephenson and arthur sullivan multimedia at gilbert and sullivan archive ivanhoe libretto, some music, and commentary, by julian sturgis and arthur sullivan multimedia at gilbert and sullivan archive more items available under broader and related terms at left. Granted, the music is not sullivan s greatest, and there are few really memorable numbers, but there are lovely parts.
Oct 08, 2012 this is the third operetta to emerge from the collaboration of gilbert and sullivan. Some of these audio files for our most recent productions are made available here for your use over the web. Trial by jury complete conducted by daniel kravetz dankravetz. Sullivan was fed up with frivolous topsyturvydom, so gilbert wrote a much more serious libretto. The sorcerer, mr john wellington wells, has come down from town to supply the philtre in person. The two brothers ruling jointly and harmoniously have been used recently as a metaphor for the uk coalition.
The doyly carte opera company is a professional light opera company that staged gilbert and sullivan s savoy operas nearly yearround in the uk and sometimes toured in europe, north america and elsewhere, from the 1870s until 1982. Use your browsers find function if you want to search for a word within the full canon. It was an early example of gilbert s socalled magic lozenge plot, in which a supernatural agent causes illogical behavior in people. Gilbert directed by nathaniel brodsky 18 music directed by johnnie han 18 produced by elena sokoloski 18 and arianna paz 19. Gilbert composed by arthur sullivan first produced at the opera comique, london on 17 november 1877. Andrew crowther wrote someone said not long ago that gilbert must have been a lousy proofreader, and i have to agree. Daly, vicar of ploverleigh john wellington wells, of j. With clive revill, david kernan, donald adams, nuala willis. It premiered in london a the opera comique, richard doyly cartes theatre, on 17 november, 1877. If the reader has had patience to follow these remarks thus far, he will probably be disposed to ask whether it be meet that the english opera of the future should be founded upon such a farrago of nonsense as this.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Gilbert used this trope repeatedly, with both genders. Utopia opera presents the sorcerer a horror comedy of manners by w. The mikado opera by gilbert and sullivan britannica. Gilbert s libretto is an amusing commentary on the relative merits of monarchy and republicanism. The sorcerer made its debut in 1877 and was the first gilbert and sullivan collaboration in which the two had complete control of the production. Dec 04, 2012 the third operatic collaboration between w.
Gilbert, along with timothy spall and lesley manville. Aug 01, 2014 if youre going to be music directing gilbert and sullivan, youll want to begin building a library of reference materials. Gilbert 18361911 i pel compositor arthur sullivan 18421900. The story of gilbert and sullivan is a 1953 british technicolor film that dramatises the story of the collaboration between w.
It was the british duos third operatic collaboration. Gilbert and sullivan refers to the victorianera theatrical partnership of the dramatist w. Specific operas chronological by sir arthur sullivan with libretto by w. Gilbert i sullivan viquipedia, lenciclopedia lliure. The sorcerer is not one of gilbert and sullivan s more popular operettas for a number of reasons. Act ii sceneexterior of sir marmadukes mansion by moonlight. The ohio light opera the sorcerer the island of tuliptan. Felice romani, who wrote the libretto to the donizetti opera has fixated on italian endings. He has ordered from a london sorcerer a customcompounded.
Alexis, a wellmeaning but misguided young man in love with aline, believes that true love would solve all the worlds problems. The brent walker videos in the early 1980s, a television producer and former boxer named george walker approached the doyly carte with the idea of taping all of the companys productions on video. We have also incorporated david trutts haddon hall site. This extensive discussion provides substantial background information on this opera, and is a must for anyone. The gondoliers tv movie 1990 the gondoliers tv movie. Pinafore, the pirates of penzance and the mikado are.
The sorcerer s song lyrics sorcerer oh, my name is john wellington wells im a dealer in magic and spells in blessings and curses and everfilled purses in prophecies, witches, and knells if you want a proud foe to make tracks if youd melt a rich uncle in wax youve but to look in on our resident djinn number seventy, simmery axe weve a firstclass. A story about a respectable english shopkeeper we are lead to believe who just happens to sell authentic sorcery products, this touches on gilbert s favourite theme of class distinction and calls on for the audience pleasing device of magical theatrical illusion. Thespis, or the gods grown old 1871, lost trial by jury 1875 the sorcerer 1877 h. A large reason is that it sounds formulaic even though its one of their early collaborations and less cleverly inspired than their greater successes. Pinafore, or the lass that loved a sailor 1878 the pirates of penzance, or the slave of duty 1879 patience, or bunthornes bride 1881 iolanthe, or. The sorcerer is a twoact comic opera, with a libretto by w. Our support team is available, but were swamped with delays related to covid19.
Trial by jury complete conducted by daniel kravetz youtube. A young man, alexis, is obsessed with idea of love levelling all ranks and social distinctions. Pinafore, the pirates of penzance i the mikado figuren entre les mes conegudes. Although those who take it fall rapturously in love with the first person they see, it works only on unmarried people. He and sullivan selected the performers, writing their. Please be patient and well help you just as soon as we can. Nine performances were presented at the worley barton theater at brentwood christian school, june 1828. Topsyturvy is a 1999 british musical drama film written and directed by mike leigh, starring allan corduner as sir arthur sullivan and jim broadbent as w. Arthur sullivan, english composer best known for his collaboration with w. Gilbert and arthur sullivan s third comic opera of their fourteen. The sorcerer is gilbert and sullivan s third collaboration, and their first surviving full length work. William gilbert and arthur sullivans savoy operettas. Thespis trial by jury the sorcerer who do you love.
The engaged couple, alexis and aline, want everyone to be as happy as they are. Gilbert and sullivan lyrics, songs, and albums genius. The villagers of ploverleigh are celebrating the marriage of alexis, son of sir marmaduke poindextre, to aline, daughter of lady sangazure, who just happens to be sir marmadukes old flame. Gilbert and sullivan the reader wiki, reader view of. The sorcerer may suit the popular palate, but as a step towards the dawn of a brighter era for english opera it is worse than valueless. Before the sorcerer, gilbert had constructed his plays around the established stars of whatever theatre he happened to be writing for, as had been the case with thespis and trial by jury. Gilbert and sullivan music hub fandom powered by wikia. Synopsis of the sorcerer the sorcerer made its debut in 1877 and was the first gilbert and sullivan collaboration in which the two had complete control of the production. Richard doyly carte, now manager of the opera comique, recognized the collaborative genius of gilbert and sullivan and contracted with them to establish a company specifically for english comic operas. Pinafore, the pirates of penzance and the mikado are among the best known. A summary of the sorcerer gilbert and sullivan society of. The zoo libretto, music, and commentary, by benjamin c. The companys financial difficulties were by then public knowledge, and management were more willing to experiment with new media than they had been.
Pinafore, or the lass that loved a sailor 1878 the pirates of penzance, or the slave of duty 1879 patience, or bunthornes bride 1881 iolanthe, or the peer and the peri 1882. He calms alines qualms by assuring her that it is a very proper philtre. The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which h. Sir william schwenck gilbert wrote the libretto, and sir arthur seymour sullivan composed the music. The groomtobe brings in a family sorcerer to administer a love potion to the entire village. William remmers cast john wellington wells, a sorcerer.
Stephenson, writing under the pen name of bolton rowe. Premiering in 1877, the sorcerer was gilbert and sullivans third collaboration, and their first surviving full length work. Gilbert and sullivan study materials chorus practice. The plot of the sorcerer is based on a christmas story, an elixir of love, that gilbert wrote for the graphic magazine in 1876. The sorcerers hate me, love me song is a humorous expression of the contrast between the victorian working class and upper class societies. This has to be one of the most enchanting things ive ever seen. Gilbert music by sir arthur sullivan dramatis personae sir marmaduke pointdextre, an elderly baronet alexis, of the grenadier guardshis son dr. My name is john wellington wells the sorcerer youtube. All the peasantry are discovered asleep on the ground, as at the end of act i. Gilbert 18361911 and the composer arthur sullivan 18421900 and to the works they jointly created. It opened on november 17, 1877 at the opera comique in the strand in london, where it ran for 178 performances. With the help of the sorcerer s love philter, everyone in the village falls in love with the first person they see. The sorcerer was their third operetta together, following after thespis and trial by jury. Its initial production ran for 672 performances, and within a year some 150 other companies were.
Gilbert s tom cobb, concluding its run five weeks later, on 10 july 1875, at the haymarket theatre. The complete annotated gilbert and sullivan by ian bradley. The vicars brew inadvertently administers a love potion concocted by a highly respectable and oldestablished family sorcerer to the populace of a quaint english village. As supplements to the gilbert and sullivan archive there is a section devoted to british musical theatre and american musical theatre of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Gilbert libretto and sir arthur sullivan music that premiered at the savoy theatre in london on march 14, 1885. Gilbert and arthur sullivans third comic opera of their fourteen. The brothers believe in absolute equality, and, as gilbert explains, end up in a situation where everyone is somebody and noones anybody. Gilbert and sullivan wrote 14 comic operas, later referred to as the savoy operas, which became the most popular series of musical entertainments of the victorian era and are still popular today. Gilbert and arthur sullivan, the sorcerer was a hit, running for more than 170 performances at the opera comique in london after it opened in. William gilbert and arthur sullivan s savoy operettas. Gilbert had also offered sullivan another libretto, his excellency 1894, but gilbert s insistence on casting nancy mcintosh, his protege from utopia, led to sullivan s refusal, and his excellency was instead composed by f. Premiering in 1877, the sorcerer was gilbert and sullivan s third collaboration, and their first surviving full length work.
347 1247 728 1174 6 542 827 855 732 1438 1246 1180 445 1107 1545 1016 1368 655 694 1407 1574 206 696 1275 896 491 1328 959 1243 661 1099 1045 570 81