|
Title |
|
Princess Ida (or Castle Adamant) |
| Composer |
|
Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 - 1900) |
| Librettist |
|
William S. Gilbert (1836 - 1911) |
| Genre |
|
Light opera. Three acts. |
|
First performance |
|
Savoy Theatre, London, 5 January, 1884. |
| Time of
action |
|
Long ago. |
| Place of action |
|
- Pavilion attached to King
Hildebrand's palace
- Gardens of Castle Adamant
- Courtyard of Castle
Adamant.
|
| Main parts |
|
King Hildebrand |
baritone |
| |
|
Prince Hilarion, his son |
tenor |
| |
|
Cyril, Hilarion's friend |
tenor |
| |
|
Florian, Hilarion's friend |
baritone |
| |
|
King Gama |
comic baritone |
| |
|
Princess Ida, Gama's daughter |
soprano |
| |
|
Lady Blanche, professor of
Abstract Science |
contralto |
|
Prominence of chorus |
|
Large. |
|
Orchestra |
|
2 flutes, 1
oboe, 2 clarinets, 1 bassoon, 2
French horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, kettle-drums,
percussion, strings. |
|
Special demands |
|
This is the only Gilbert-and-Sullivan opera that
has three acts instead of two. Many roles. For the (strip-teasing) sons of Gama
three solo basses are needed. |
|
Full
score and orchestral parts |
|
Available. |
|
Level |
|
Not difficult |
|
Length |
|
About 2 hours. Three acts. |
| Music |
|
As in all Gilbert-and-Sullivan works, there are
splendid and spirited choruses and ensembles, many of them satirical in
character. The scoring testifies to Sullivan's great skill and at unexpected
moments the listener's heart is touched by delightful lyrical passages.
Critics have deemed that the work contains some of the best music Sullivan
wrote. |
| Story |
|
At the age of one Princess Ida was betrothed to
the two-year-old prince Hilarion, son of king Hildebrand. The two children
grew up apart. When, however, the day comes for the two to be united, Ida
appears to have withdrawn in a castle, where she has founded a university
for women. No man is allowed to set foot there, but Hilarion and two friends
manage to enter, by dressing up as women and registering as students. Alas,
they are found out. King Hildebrand now wants to storm the castle so as to
liberate his son and force Ida to fulfil her obligations. The women
appear to be less warlike than they pretended to be: one by one they forsake
Ida. Eventually the haughty princess yields to the argument that, if women
renounce men, they may set a glorious example to prosterity, but at the same
time seriously endanger prosterity's existence. All obstacles to a jubilant
finale are thus removed. |
|
Costumes |
|
Mock-medieval; uniform academic
gowns for the women, with fitting headgear. The men are courtiers and
soldiers. |
