"The Pirates Of Penzance" is the best known opera of W.S. Gilbert and A. Sullivan. At the end of the 19th century
they were the top stars of the musical theatre, like Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber at the end of the 20th century.
Of course they highly respected each other, but their passionate disputes about 'topsy-turvy' scenes are legendary.
The sociocritical librettist Gilbert wanted to have as much hullabaloo as possible on stage, the sensitive composer
Sullivan was more interested in the expression of human feelings. They had to search a common denominator again
and again, and they always found it - creating a wonderful era in the history of music.
You can read more about them here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_and_Sullivan
Or listen to the opera here:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Piraten_von_Penzance
(Tip: Hear the patter song 'I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General' and then
the great aria 'Poor Wandering One!' to learn more about the common denominator.)
And the video solution is here. Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/MplP1dPiWIQ?hd=1
To bad that Loof's scene didn't make it into the work...