Sir Arthur Sullivan: Ivanhoe (2010)

Arthur Sullivan's Ivanhoe is among the most prominent works on the list of operas that almost everyone has heard of, but that almost no one has heard. Historically, Ivanhoe has almost universally been regarded as a failure, proof that Sullivan's gift was limited to the brilliant, but "light" music he wrote for the operettas he created with W.S. Gilbert. In fact, it received a phenomenal 155 performances in its initial production in London in 1891, but it has received a mere handful of performances since. The initiative to ... Read More

Arthur Sullivan's Ivanhoe is among the most prominent works on the list of operas that almost everyone has heard of, but that almost no one has heard. Historically, Ivanhoe has almost universally been regarded as a failure, proof that Sullivan's gift was limited to the brilliant, but "light" music he wrote for the operettas he created with W.S. Gilbert. In fact, it received a phenomenal 155 performances in its initial production in London in 1891, but it has received a mere handful of performances since. The initiative to record it for Chandos came from Richard Hickox, who died before it could be begun, and this recording is dedicated to his memory. David Lloyd-Jones leads a large cast of soloists, the Adrian Partington Singers, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a first-rate performance that makes a strong case for opera. While Ivanhoe is certainly not going to find a place in, or even at the fringes of the standard repertoire, this recording should go a way toward putting to rest the... Read Less