Wandering Minstrels

Series	Episode	First Broadcast	Description
197C	01	19970724	For well over a century, Gilbert and Sullivan have been syonymous with a perfect blend of good humour and good tunes - satirical fun in an operatic setting. In this three-part series, Geoffrey Smith investigates some of the ways the composer responded to the librettist, building on and sometimes parodying music from Purcell and Handel to Verdi and Wagner. The first programme examines Sullivan's use of operatic imitations.
197C	02	19970731	In his second programme investigating the music behind the Savoy operas, Geoffrey Smith uncovers the pieces Gilbert and Sullivan poked fun at. He looks at Handel parodies in `Princess Ida', spoofs of Verdi and Gounod in `The Pirates of Penzance', and at `The Mikado', in which just about everything is sent up.
197C	03 LAST	19970807	Geoffrey Smith concludes his Savoy opera series with music by Gilbert and Sullivan inspired by Wagner, Verdi, English folk songs and Italian patter songs.