Partlet beryl dixon constance yvonne dean doyly carte opera company new symphony orchestra of london. William gilbert and arthur sullivan s savoy operettas. The sorcerer by gilbert and sullivan with some additions from the zoo. This overture wasnt in the very first performances of the sorcerer. Although those who take it fall rapturously in love with the first person they see, it works only on unmarried people. This may be my favorite recording in all of gilbert and sullivan, and i know a heap of them, including all the old mono sets from the 50s the martyn green generation, the first stereo sets john reed, the malcom sargent releases, even a few of the old early electrics, and several of the ohio light opera sets from when i was with the company. Welcome to the gilbert and sullivan archive, which is devoted to the operas and other works of w. 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. This is the third operetta to emerge from the collaboration of gilbert and sullivan. Gilbert and sullivan refers to the victorianera theatrical partnership of the dramatist w. Penn singers presents gilbert and sullivans the sorcerer spring 2017.
The college light opera company presents the sorcerer june 28th july 2nd 2016 highfield theatre falmouth, ma. With clive revill, david kernan, donald adams, nuala willis. 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. As the first proper fulllength gilbert and sullivan show, the sorcerer isnt a masterpiece. Some viewers may take them straight, but what looks like sexism or. It was the british duos third operatic collaboration. This time, richard doyly carte and his comedy opera co.
Gilbert and sullivan s trial by jury opening night by linda lister. The eggs and the ham and the strawberry jam, the rollicking bun and the gay sally lunn. Henry lytton koko, leo sheffield pooh bah, and others before or behind the microphones had the good fortune to work with gilbert and or sullivan, so we can assume the performances are generally faithful to the savoy tradition. The houston gilbert and sullivan society presents renowned expert and doyly carte member alistair donkin as he presents a synopsis of our. John wellington wells, the sorcerer, places magic potion in the village teapot, causing everyone to fall asleep. Gilbert and sullivans trial by jury opening night by linda lister. The sorcerer operetta by gilbert and sullivan britannica. Gilbert,a barrister turned comic writer, and arthur sullivan, a classic composer turned converted against his will to light music, who wrote fourteen operettas between 1871 and 1896, to great public acclaim. Join stageagent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. A summary of the sorcerer gilbert and sullivan society of. Also included is an abreviated 1933 recording of the sorcerer. Thespis, or the gods grown old 1871, lost trial by jury 1875 the sorcerer 1877 h. The first of these, the sorcerer 1877, was followed by h.
A summary of the sorcerer gilbert and sullivan society. Paid the men 200 guineas in advance to write a new, original, twoact comic opera. Within this heart ruddigore gilbert and sullivan light opera by lwes40. The practice of constructing overtures out of themes from the operetta itself is. Granted, the music is not sullivan s greatest, and there are few really memorable numbers, but there are lovely parts. It was established at boise state university in 1993 and moved to its present home in 2016. In 1871, producer john hollingshead brought gilbert and sullivan together to produce a christmas entertainment, thespis, at his gaiety theatre, a large west end house. Henry lytton koko, leo sheffield pooh bah, and others before or behind the microphones had the good fortune to work with gilbert andor sullivan, so we can assume the performances are generally faithful to the savoy tradition. Artstart is a great opportunity for young people ages 415 to expl. First performed in 1877, the sorcerer is a comic mixture of requited and unrequited love. Gilbert and sullivan i am the very model of a modern majorgeneral majorgenerals song.
My name is john wellington wells the sorcerer played by. Some of these audio files for our most recent productions are made available here for your use over the web. With robert morley, maurice evans, eileen herlie, martyn green. 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. Gilbert and arthur sullivan were the hottest sendups of the days political and cultural obsessions. Within this heart ruddigore gilbert and sullivan light opera by.
Mismatches ensue, but true love triumphs in the end, through a series of delightful songs and choruses and some very. Alexis is determined that all shall share the purity of his true love. Vocal score, including dialogue, of gilbert and sullivan s third collaboration, using the revised text of 1884. Gilbert and sullivan s productions always rose to the level of social commentary, despite being impertinent, absurd, or inane. 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. Alexis believes that love can unite those across all classes and on the eve of his own wedding. Gilbert and sullivan study materials chorus practice. On waking they passionately fall in love with the first person they see. The sorcerer 1953 sir marmaduke fisher morgan alexis neville griffiths dr. 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. 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. Fans of gilbert and sullivan will recognize this song as a parody of oh my voice is sad and low from the sorcerer. Oct 08, 2012 this is the third operetta to emerge from the collaboration of gilbert and sullivan. William remmers cast john wellington wells, a sorcerer.
University of michigan gilbert and sullivan societys 2016 production of the sorcerer. Pinafore 1878, whose eventual success was phenomenal, and the pirates of penzance 1879, new york city. Jun 29, 2016 this is the third opera to emerge from the collaboration of gilbert and sullivan. Aug 01, 2014 if youre going to be music directing gilbert and sullivan, youll want to begin building a library of reference materials. Tea, sorcery, and a love philtre combine to bewitching effect in the mit gilbert and sullivan players delightful production of the sorcerer. The piece was an extravaganza in which the classical greek gods, grown elderly, are temporarily replaced by a troupe of 19thcentury actors and actresses, one of whom is the eponymous thespis, the greek father of the drama. The sorcerer is a twoact comic opera, with a libretto by w. 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. The sorcerer 1982 starring clive revill and david kernan on dvd and bluray. Savoyards ithaca will perform gilbert and sullivans the. The original ending of the act i finale and opening of act ii are included in an appendix and the differences between the 1877 and 1884 versions described in the notes. Gilbert and sullivan lyrics, songs, and albums genius. Gilbert 18361911 and the composer arthur sullivan 18421900 and to the works they jointly created.
Sullivan s ballet music heard on opening night was replaced with the current overture for the 1884 revival. 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. The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which h. The complete annotated gilbert and sullivan by ian bradley. It is the second of the savoy operas, and was first performed in 1877. He calms alines qualms by assuring her that it is a very proper philtre.
Long before the satirical comedy of the daily show and the colbert report, the comic operas of w. The sorcerer, mr john wellington wells, has come down from town to supply the philtre in person. For the divisions of the act i finale, you may wish to turn to the page and find the lyric as noted in the excerpt column before starting the sound file. Penn singers gilbert and sullivans the sorcerer 2017 youtube. The plot of the sorcerer is based on a christmas story, an elixir of love, that gilbert wrote for the graphic magazine in 1876. Utopia opera presents the sorcerer a horror comedy of manners by w. The cast is skillful and professional, choreography is fun, and the plot clearly revealed. The sorcerer plot summary, character breakdowns, context and analysis, and performance video clips. This is the third opera to emerge from the collaboration of gilbert and sullivan. Daly, vicar of ploverleigh john wellington wells, of j. Two minute gilbert and sullivan the sorcerer youtube. Gilbert and sullivan i am the very model of a modern majorgeneral majorgenerals song by fledermaus1990. Press room gilbert and sullivan society of houston texas. Ithaca, ny savoyards ithaca will perform gilbert and sullivan s the sorcerer in the thirdfloor martha hamblin hall at the community school of.
In this version, our hero is trying to take care of essential needs during. 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. It was highly successful for its time, which encouraged the author and composer to continue working together and expanding the possibilities of satiric operetta. But it does a good job establishing the essential tropes of the gilbert and sullivan house style exaggeratedly high class dialogue that suddenly veers into cockney casualness, lyrics between poetry and comic doggerel, and a love of the topsyturvy that flipflops classes and character types. The sorcerer by gilbert and sullivan mpo 2016 youtube. Wells peter pratt lady sangazure ann drummondgrant aline muriel harding mrs. William gilbert and arthur sullivans savoy operettas. A lesser known gilbert and sullivan comedy, the sorcerer tells the tale of a village unlucky in love. Pinafore, the pirates of penzance and the mikado are among the best known. The rich but witless alexis has a vision preached to teamsters.