"THE STRING OF PEARLS"

Radio Record, 10 June 1938, Page 21

"THE STRING OF PEARLS"

"PRINCESS IDA" IS ONE OF LOVELIEST WORKS IN ALL OPERETTA

QN one of his former visits to London, many years ago, Richard Strauss, doyen of German composers, dined at a certain house in company with a well-known English composer. Strauss was regretting the absence of opera in London. The other composer put in his spoke. "No opera in London?" protested the Finglishman. "What nonsense! Where in Germany or any other country can you point to a dozen operas written 40 years ago, by a composer 20 years dead, all of them not only in the repertory but capable of filling a large theatre night after night? It is an unparalleled record. You ought to go and hear them at once." We are not told whether Richard Strauss acted on this good advice and went to discover Savoy opera for him-self-but it would have rejoiced his heart if he had seen and heard "Princess Ida," one of the loveliest works in all operetta. For "Princess Ida" contains what is probably the best light concerted music since Bizet wrote

"Carmen," Rossini "The Barber of Seville’ or Mozart "Cosi fan Tutte." The text of the work is based on a version of Tennyson’s poem, "The Princess," adapted by Gilbert for dramatic performance. The play was not a success, but Gilbert had the idea of remoulding it for use with Sullivan's music. It was produced in 1884 and was once described quite fittingly as "A String of Pearls." It is in three acts and is an amusing satire on the Women’s Rights Movement. The characterisation is better than the plot, the music better than either, Being written in blank verse, ‘‘Princess Ida" greatly puzzled one G. and S. enthusiast who hailed from Yorkshire. When asked what he thought of the opera he replied: "Well, I do like t’ musie as it’s bang up-to-date, and full of tunes I can whistle, but t’words sound too much like Shakespeare for t? likes o’ me to understand." A complete recorded musical version of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera "Princess Ida" will be heard from 1YA on Sunday, June 12.