Classical Music / Operetta
Utopia is performed much less frequently than most other Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The libretto has been criticized as too long and rambling. Several subplots are never resolved due to Sullivan refusing to set some scenes. It can be expensive to produce, requiring a large principal cast and two costumes for most of the performers.
The subject-matter and plot may be obscure for modern audiences, however, it has its fans. As George Bernard Shaw stated: "I enjoyed the score of Utopia more than that of any of the previous Savoy operas."
Video Credit:
Utopia Limited, Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Youtube, uploaded by Gilbert & Sullivan Festival Harrogate. Accessed October 7, 2013.
Resource:
Utopia, Limited. en.wikipedia.org.
(c) October 2013. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
Gilbert and Sullivan operetta , Utopia Limited, opened in the Savoy Theatre, London.
Utopia Limited, or The Flowers of Progress, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's 14 collaborations. It premiered on October 7, 1893, for a run of 245 performances.
Gilbert's libretto satirizes limited liability companies, particularly the idea that a bankrupt company could leave creditors unpaid without any liability to its owners. It lampoons the "Stock Company Act" by imagining the absurd convergence of natural persons and legal entities. It also mocks the conceits of the late 19th-century British empire and several of the nation's beloved institutions.
Utopia is performed much less frequently than most other Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The libretto has been criticized as too long and rambling. Several subplots are never resolved due to Sullivan refusing to set some scenes. It can be expensive to produce, requiring a large principal cast and two costumes for most of the performers.
The subject-matter and plot may be obscure for modern audiences, however, it has its fans. As George Bernard Shaw stated: "I enjoyed the score of Utopia more than that of any of the previous Savoy operas."
Video Credit:
Utopia Limited, Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Youtube, uploaded by Gilbert & Sullivan Festival Harrogate. Accessed October 7, 2013.
Resource:
Utopia, Limited. en.wikipedia.org.
(c) October 2013. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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