Princess Ida, or Castle Adamant
In its season finale, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment presents conductor John Wilson’s fresh take on Gilbert and Sullivan’s thorny 1884 comic opera.
We venture to the semi-fictional world of Princess Ida, who has forsworn men and set up a women-only university at Castle Adamant.
But her childhood betrothed, Prince Hilarion, is determined not to be denied his ‘right’.
He enters the University in disguise with two friends. What follows is a series of battles between the sexes, as each camp attempts to settle matters in their favour.
Sullivan produced some of his most sublime music in this opera, including the so-called ‘string of pearls’ in Act II, featuring the exquisite quartet ‘The world is but a broken toy’.
This alternate reality is, of course, a thinly disguised Britain in the grip of social upheaval.
Based on Tennyson’s notably progressive poem ‘The Princess’, Gilbert’s plot sits against the backdrop of the emerging women’s rights movement and advances in women’s education.
Liberal and conservative causes were both considered fair targets for the writer’s satire, raising interesting questions for us as time travellers encountering the work.
Performers
- Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
- John Wilson conductor
- Sophie Bevan soprano, Princess Ida
- Catherine Wyn-Rogers contralto, Lady Blanche
- Bethany Horak-Hallett soprano, Lady Psyche
- Marlena Devoe mezzo-soprano, Melissa
- Simon Butteriss baritone, King Gama
- Robert Hayward bass-baritone, King Hilderbrand
- Charles Rice baritone, Florian
- Benjamin Hulett tenor, Hilarion
- Nick Pritchard tenor, Cyril
Repertoire
- Gilbert & Sullivan: Princess Ida, or Castle Adamant
Need to know
For ages 7+
Dates & times
Price
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- Concessions25%**
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