Introduction
Ivanhoe, composed by Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan to the libretto of Julian Sturgis (based on the novel by Sir Walter Scott) has been traditionally cataloged as a failure, because D’Oyly Carte’s Royal English Opera Company, which produced it, went bankrupt as a result of Ivanhoe closing. But this idea is really far too simplistic, in light of the fact that it actually had, in only the first five months of 1891, 155 performances, a poor record by the standards of Sullivan’s collaborations with Gilbert, but a wild, unheard-of success in terms of grand opera.
In 2002, the Orpheus Club presented a medley of all the male choruses from Ivanhoe.
For more information on Ivanhoe, see John W. Kennedy’s website.
