Description
The Mikado (1885) is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by William Schwenck (W.S.) Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations.
In 1884, ticket sales for Gilbert and Sullivan’s Princess Ida were flagging, leading impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte to contract the pair to produce another operetta quickly to replace it. However, Sullivan was keen to devote his time to more serious music, telling Gilbert that he had “come to the end of my tether” with the operas. Gilbert tried to persuade Sullivan to change his mind, finally succeeding when Gilbert sent him the outline to the plot of The Mikado. At the time there was a craze for all things Japanese, making the time ripe for an opera set in Japan – or at least Victorian notions of the far east. Also, with the opera set in a foreign land, Gilbert had more freedom to poke fun at British society and institutions.
The Mikado was Gilbert and Sullivan’s biggest success and remains one of the most frequently played musical theatre pieces. This was, in no small part, due to the numerous memorable numbers in the operetta. The opera’s overture contains but a handful of the most popular numbers, but here in A Mikado Medley, many, many more are included in its 10 and a half minutes (roughly following the order in which they are presented in the opera) – albeit briefly and with some rather cheesy links (which just add to the fun)!
