Gilbert and Sullivan in the 1890s

In 1890, a quarrel between Gilbert, Sullivan and D'Oyly Carte over the expense of new carpeting for the Savoy Theatre brought the G&S partnership effectively to an end. They would collaborate twice more — in Utopia Limited (1893) and The Grand Duke (1896) — but the magic was gone. During the decade of the 1890s, Gilbert and Sullivan largely went their separate ways, and most of their operas were written with other collaborators. None of the works they wrote apart equalled the works they created in their prime, but several are of considerable interest. Luckily, most of these operas have appeared on records in the last thirty years, albeit not always with the best casts. Listeners who seek these operas out will, in general, be amply rewarded for their trouble.

Ivanhoe
(Sullivan and Julian Sturgis, 1891)

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Recordings
Archive

The Mountebanks
(Gilbert and Alfred Cellier, 1892)

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Recordings
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Haddon Hall
(Sullivan and Sydney Grundy; 1892)

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Recordings
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His Excellency
(Gilbert and Osmond Carr, 1893)

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Recordings
Archive

The Chieftain
(Sullivan and F.C. Burnand, 1893)

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Recordings
Archive

The Beauty Stone
(Sullivan and A.W. Pinero/Comyns Carr, 1898)

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Recordings
Archive

The Rose of Persia
(Sullivan and Basil Hood, 1899)

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Recordings
Archive

The Emerald Isle
(Sullivan and Basil Hood;
music completed by Edward German, 1901)

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Recordings
Archive