About the work
Romantic grand opera in three acts by Arthur Sullivan after Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel "Ivanhoe", with a libretto by Julian Sturgis. It was first performed on 31 January 1891 at the Royal English Opera House in London, a theatre built specifically for the occasion by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte – Sullivan's only full-length opera and the fulfilment of a long-held ambition, encouraged by Queen Victoria, to whom he dedicated the score.
Plot
The Saxon knight Ivanhoe returns incognito from the Crusades and wins a tournament against Norman knights. He frees captured companions from Torquilstone Castle and defends the Jewish healer Rebecca, accused of witchcraft, in a trial by combat. In the end Ivanhoe is reunited with his former betrothed, Rowena.
Cultural significance
With 155 consecutive performances, Ivanhoe set a record run for a grand opera, but the purpose-built opera house failed financially for lack of comparable follow-up productions. The work then largely vanished from the repertoire; only complete recordings, most recently in 2009/2010, revived interest in it.