Best of British - featuring The Contrabandista

A concert celebration of Sullivan and his contemporaries, featuring a rare performance of Sullivan’s two-act comic opera The Contrabandista.

Thu 23 Apr 2026 – Sat 25 Apr 2026

This April concert is a celebration of the music of Sullivan and his contemporaries, including Edward German, Lionel Monckton and Alfred Cellier. The programme includes a performance of Sullivan’s first two-act comic opera The Contrabandista, offering a rare chance to hear this charming early work.

The Contrabandista is set in the mountains of Spain and follows an absurd plot involving bandits and smugglers arguing over their new leader. When an English tourist wanders into the camp, he is forced to become their captain and must marry the recently widowed queen of the gang.

To give a sense of the characters, imagine the Penzance pirates as smugglers in Act 3 of Carmen, with the Major General arriving only to discover he must marry Katisha. Add a disguised hero, a sacred hat, a case of dynamite, and bolero dancing for a lively Victorian-era rarity with Sullivan’s masterful music.

Other items in the concert include:

• Brindisi from The Rose of Persia
• “Charming weather” from The Arcadians
• “The Yeomen of England” from Merrie England

Ticket booking is available online.