Sullivan in Love

Although he never married, Arthur Sullivan was always surrounded by adoring women, and if his diaries are to be believed, it is clear he was never short of a love interest. Indeed, his most lasting liaison was with a married woman, Mrs Fanny Ronalds, his constant companion for the last twenty five years of his life.

As well as writing a symphony, a cello concerto, overtures, incidental music, hymns, oratorios and, of course, the Savoy operas, Sullivan poured out his heart in vocal music. These parlour songs reveal his secret, simmering passions, his grief at losing family members and his love for the great works of poets William Shakespeare, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling and Adelaide Proctor.

This afternoon recital, featuring the fabulous voices of South Australians Desiree Frahn and Jeremy Tatchell, accompanied by State Opera’s own Head of Music Anthony Hunt, promises a fascinating look into the heart of a true Victorian gentleman: passionate, warm, sentimental, proud…and in love.