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''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas story, ''An Elixir of Love'', that Gilbert wrote for ''The Graphic'' magazine in 1876. A young man, Alexis, is obsessed with idea of love levelling all ranks and social distinctions. To promote his beliefs, he invites the proprietor of J. W. Wells & Co., Family Sorcerers, to brew a love potion. This causes everyone in the village to fall in love with the first person they see and results in the pairing of comically mismatched couples. In the end, Wells must sacrifice his life to break the spell. The opera opened on 17 November 1877 at the Opera Comique in London, where it ran for 178 performances. It was considered a success by the standards of that time and encouraged the collaborators to write their next opera, ''H.M.S. Pinafore''. ''The Sorcerer'' was revised for an 1884 revival, and it is in that version that it is usually performed today. ''The Sorcerer'' was the first Savoy opera for which the author and composer had nearly total control over the production and the selection of cast. Several of the actors chosen went on to create principal roles in most of the later Gilbert and Sullivan operas. It was their first opera to use all the major character types and typical range of songs that would appear in their later collaborations, such as comic duets, a patter song, a contrapuntal double chorus, a tenor and soprano love duet, a soprano showpiece and so forth. The modest success of ''The Sorcerer'' was overshadowed by the extraordinary popularity of Gilbert and Sullivan's later collaborations, and the opera remains one of the team's less popular ones. The satire in the piece concerns Victorian-era class distinctions and operatic conventions with which modern audiences are less familiar. Nevertheless, the opera was important to the development of the Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration and is still regularly played. ==Background== In 1871, W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan had written ''Thespis'', an extravaganza for the Gaiety Theatre's holiday season that did not lead immediately to any further collaboration.〔Ainger, p. 94〕 Three years later, in 1875, talent agent and producer Richard D'Oyly Carte was managing the Royalty Theatre, and he needed a short opera to be played as an afterpiece to Jacques Offenbach's ''La Périchole''.〔Ainger, p. 108〕 Carte was able to bring Gilbert and Sullivan together again to write the one-act piece, called ''Trial by Jury'', which became a surprise hit.〔Ainger, p. 109〕〔Stedman, pp. 128–29〕 The piece was witty, tuneful and very "English", in contrast to the bawdy burlesques and adaptations of French operettas that dominated the London musical stage at that time.〔Stedman, pp. 129–30〕 ''Trial by Jury'' proved even more popular than ''La Périchole'',〔''The Times'', 29 March 1875, quoted and discussed in Ainger, p. 109〕 becoming an unexpected hit, touring extensively〔Ainger, pp. 111; 117–18〕 and enjoying revivals and a world tour.〔Gänzl, pp. 89–90〕 After the success of ''Trial by Jury'', several producers attempted to reunite Gilbert and Sullivan, but difficulties arose. Plans for a collaboration for Carl Rosa in 1875 fell through because Gilbert was too busy with other projects,〔Stedman, p. 132〕〔Ainger, p. 112〕 and an attempted Christmas 1875 revival of ''Thespis'' by Richard D'Oyly Carte failed when the financiers backed out.〔〔Ainger, pp. 113–14〕 Gilbert and Sullivan continued their separate careers, though both continued writing light opera.〔Ainger, p. 110〕 Finally, in 1877, Carte organised a syndicate of four financiers and formed the Comedy Opera Company, capable of producing a full-length work.〔Ainger, p. 130〕 By July 1877, Gilbert and Sullivan were under contract to produce a two-act opera.〔Ainger, p. 131〕 Gilbert expanded on his own short story that he had written the previous year for ''The Graphic'', "An Elixir of Love,"〔Ainger, p. 132〕〔In the short story, the elixir is used to help the villagers overcome the difficulty that they have in expressing their true feelings and achieving domestic happiness in the face the convoluted Victorian rules of courtship.〕 creating a plot about a magic love potion that – as often occurs in opera – causes everyone to fall in love with the wrong partner.〔The device of a magic potion can also be found in some of his earlier works: a Bab Ballad 'The Cunning Woman' and his first early Victorian burlesque, ''Dulcamara'', as well as later works, such as ''Foggerty's Fairy'' and ''The Mountebanks''. ''See'' Bradley (1996), p. 43〕 Now backed by a company dedicated to their work, Gilbert, Sullivan and Carte were able to select their own cast, instead of using the players under contract to the theatre where the work was produced, as had been the case with their earlier works. They chose talented actors, most of whom were not well-known stars; and so did not command high fees, and whom they felt they could mould to their own style. Then, they tailored their work to the particular abilities of these performers.〔Jacobs, p. 111; Ainger, pp. 133–34〕 Carte approached Mrs Howard Paul to play the role of Lady Sangazure in the new opera. Mr and Mrs Howard Paul had operated a small touring company booked by Carte's agency for many years, but the couple had recently separated.〔Mrs Paul left her husband (Howard Paul, 1830–1905) around 1877, as he was having an affair with the actress-dancer Letty Lind, with whom he sired two illegitimate children. However, she continued performing under this name, often humorously impersonating the famous tenor Sims Reeves. ''See'' Barringon, p. 21〕 She conditioned her acceptance of the part on the casting of her 24-year-old protege, Rutland Barrington. When Barrington auditioned before W. S. Gilbert, the young actor questioned his own suitability for comic opera, but Gilbert, who required that his actors play their sometimes-absurd lines in all earnestness, explained the casting choice: "He's a staid, solid swine, and that's what I want."〔Ayre, p. 48〕 Barrington was given the role of Dr Daly, the vicar, which was his first starring role on the London stage.〔(Stone, David. "Rutland Barrington" at the ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte'' website (G&S Archive) ), accessed 9 March 2008〕 For the character role of Mrs. Partlet, they chose Harriett Everard, an actress who had worked with Gilbert before. Carte's agency supplied additional singers, including Alice May (Aline), Giulia Warwick (Constance), and Richard Temple (Sir Marmaduke).〔Ainger, p. 134〕 Finally, in early November 1877, the last role, that of the title character, John Wellington Wells, was filled by comedian George Grossmith. Grossmith had appeared in charity performances of ''Trial by Jury'', where both Sullivan and Gilbert had seen him〔(Grossmith profile at the ''Memories of the D'Oyly Carte'' website ), accessed 9 March 2008〕 (indeed, Gilbert had directed one such performance, in which Grossmith played the judge),〔Ainger, p. 138〕 and Gilbert had earlier commented favourably on his performance in Tom Robertson's ''Society'' at the Gallery of Illustration.〔Ainger, p. 136〕 After singing for Sullivan, upon meeting Gilbert, Grossmith wondered aloud if the role shouldn't be played by "a fine man with a fine voice". Gilbert replied, "No, that is just what we don't want."〔〔Ayre, p. 137〕 ''The Sorcerer'' was not the only piece on which both Gilbert and Sullivan were working at that time. Gilbert was completing ''Engaged'', a "farcical comedy", which opened on 3 October 1877. He also was sorting out the problems with ''The Ne'er-do-Weel'', a piece he wrote for Edward Sothern. Meanwhile, Sullivan was writing the incidental music to ''Henry VIII''; only after its premiere on 28 August did he begin working on ''The Sorcerer''.〔Ainger, pp. 134–35〕 The opening was originally scheduled for 1 November 1877; however, the first rehearsals took place on 27 October, and the part of J. W. Wells was filled only by that time.〔 ''The Sorcerer'' finally opened at Opera Comique on 17 November 1877.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Sorcerer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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