Iolanthe (Overture) - Sullivan

Iolanthe was the seventh collaboration between librettist William Gilbert and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. Both men were 'at the top of their game' for this venture and this operetta is well known for its libretto (with Gilbert's sharp, witty satire) and a gorgeous, lustrous score by Arthur Sullivan. The plot is a very improbable in which the British government (especially the upper house of Parliament) gets soundly lampooned by Gilbert while Sullivan supplied one of his most fluid and 'atmospheric' scores, very much akin to the incidental music Mendelssohn composed for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.