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The Rajah of ShivaporeThe Rajah of Shivapore is a comic opera with music by Alfred Hill and libretto by David Souter. The storySetting: India The temple to Shiva at Shivapore has been barricaded by the corrupt tippler temple-keeper Chunder, to hide the fact that he has pawned the little golden idol. His only hope of escaping retribution is to persuade his lovely but reluctant daughter, Aimee, to marry the Rajah after somehow disposing of his Ranee. Another rogue, the necromancer Bunder, has his own cunning plan, which involves exchanging the idol with a cheap replica. Aimee's vagabond lover Jengis thwarts both plans by impersonating the god, and so wins the girl. The Rajah, who has not only been cheated of his prize but also defrauded, orders decapitations all round, but then a supposed Hindustani beggar reveals himself as the Emperor, and everyone gets their just dues. The songs[a]
also
PremiereIt was first performed at The Playhouse, Sydney from 15 December 1917 to 5 January 1918; produced by Sydney James,[b] of "Royal Strollers" fame,[2] and directed by Frederick Ward.[3][4][5] Personnel
plus chorus and dancers
ReceptionDespite wartime constraints, the opera was received enthusiastically by the first-night audience which, in that tiny auditorium, consisted largely of knowledgeable theatregoers and music lovers. Later performances
Hill stated in 1959, aged 89, that he was revising the work.[9] Notes and references
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