The Complete Gilbert and Sullivan

by Arthur Sullivan, W.S. Gilbert, Ed Glinert (Editor)

Gilbert and Sullivan's operas are some of the world's best-loved musical works, delighting audiences with their joyous wit, topsy-turvy logic and extravagant wordplay. This glorious treasury is the definitive annotated edition of all fourteen of their operas. From the partially lost work "Thespis", the first collaboration between W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, through the triumphant comic romps "The Pirates of Penzance" and "The Mikado", to lesser-performed gems such as the fanciful "The Sorcerer" and the acerbic lampoon "Patience", Gilbert's libretti are collected here in their most accurate and faithful form. There is a fascinating commentary on each work, telling the extraordinary stories behind the inspiration for the opera and its performance history, and giving plot summaries and original cast lists. Also containing original illustrations from Gilbert's "Bab Ballads", as well as extensive notes for every work, this ultimate Gilbert and Sullivan collection will delight all devotees of the incomparable duo.

Genres: Drama

912 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2006

About the author

Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan was an English composer. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. Sullivan composed 23 operas, 13 major orchestral works, eight choral works and oratorios, two ballets, incidental music to several plays, and numerous hymns and other church pieces, songs, and piano and chamber pieces. The best known of his hymns and songs include "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "The Lost Chord".

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read excerpts from this for Culture et civilisation anglophones (research for ÉSP). I was happily surprised by this read!

I read three of the operettas: H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. These pieces are concise yet pack an interesting plot. I liked most of the prize and the social themes and critiques were easily identifiable. The use of the N-word in two instances in The Mikado was disappointing but not surprising. It was removed from the text in 1948. The book itself is also very pretty: it has illustrations and gold edges!

[Hollis Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best light opera ever written.