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Ivanhoe

Revivals

The first revival of Ivanhoe was six performances during the of La Basoche at the Royal English Opera. It was performed on 6th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 13th and 18th November 1891.

The cast was mainly drawn from the earlier performances, including Norman Salmond, Wallace Brownlow, Eugene Oudin, Charles Kenningham, Ffrangcon-Davies, Marie Groebl and I. Thudichum. There was a new Ivanhoe (Barton McGuckin) and a new Rowena (Nedora Henson). Ernest Ford conducted.

The next revival was in Berlin at the Royal Opera House on 26th November 1891. Its performance was intended by Wilhelm II to show Anglo-German understanding. Sullivan revised the opera extensively before it was sent over to Berlin but no record of this revision appears to be in existence. As in the London production, the scenery was very lavish; seat prices were doubled and it was a total sell-out, but the opera achieved no great success.

Carl Rosa presented the next revivals. These were in 1895 and were at Manchester, Glsagow, Liverpool, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Birmingham. Of the Liverpool performance on 14th February, the Musical Times wrote:

Sullivan's Ivanhoe was produced in a very worth manner by the Carl Rosa Opera Company at the Court Theatre.

The next revival was a solitary concert performance:

The Dulwich Philharmonic Society have a performance of Sullivan's Ivanhoe at the Crystal Palace on the eve. of the 13th ult; when a satisfactory rendering of this beautiful work was secured by the painstaking conductor, Mr Arthur Fagge, the choir singing as usual in such a manner as to indicate thorough training. The solo vocalists were the Hon. Margaret Henniker, Miss Ida Soldi, Miss Jenny Atkinson, Mr Whitworth Mitton, Mr Henry Plevy, Mr Hnery James, Mr Charles Copland [the original Isaac], Mr Frederick Ranalow [later to star in The Beggar's Opera], and Mr Arthur Winckworth.

Musical Times, February 1903

Thomas Beecham's Covent Garden revival of 1910 was as expensive to mount as the first performance:

One of the costliest productions, from a spectacular point of view, ever staged at Covent Garden will be the great revival of Sullivan's Ivanhoe next Tuesday. When the opera was first staged at the Palace Theatre the scenic mounting was regarded as something to be wondered at, but the spectacular display then will be as nothing compared to what the Covent Garden management intend to show us on Tuesday. Entirely new scenery has been painted and built..., and the cost of the production will amount to £5,000.

Daily News, 3rd March 1910

Great was shown in the revival and especially in the scenic effects. The tournament which originally took place offstage was brought fully into the public's view:

Twelve horses in full trappings are to appear in the lits, and in the combat between Ivanhoe and the Templar the horses will cross the stage at full gallop. Expert horsemen have been specially engaged for the combat, and they will take the part in this particular scene of the principal singers.

Pall Mall Gazette, 5th May 1910

Performances were scheduled for March 5th, 8th and 11th, but the first of these was cancelled - either because of the need for more rehearsal time or, more likely, because of the management's sudden decision to have an extra performance of Strauss's Elektra, which was proving extremely popular. The Musical Times made an interesting comment:

It is a pity that the plans of the season would not allow of more than two performances. Sullivan's music is probably more to the taste of the average opera-goer than some of the novelties [Elektra, Delius's A Village Romeo and Juliet, and Ethel Smyth's The Wreckers] given, however temporarily attractive they appear to be.

The BBC was the next organisation to perform the opera when two live concert performances were given on 25th and 27th March 1929.

A little over three years later, the opera's second act was given on stage by students of the Royal Academy of Music (London), under the direction of B. Walter O'Donnell. There were three performances "in present-day dress as a practical help to students who generally are required to give auditions under such conditions".

It is very unlikely that any of these students actually performed Ivanhoe since the next performance was by Beaufort Opera at Hurlingham School, London, on 31st May 1973. The review in the Musical Times was an exceptionally bad one, excellently illustrating the astonishing change in taste and fashion since 1891.

This was written in 1977 as part of my Bachelor of Music degree at Royal Holloway College, University of London.

© Chris Goddard, 27 November, 2004