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The Emerald Isle
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| Background | Recordings |
 Contemporary poster for The Emerald Isle |
The Emerald Isle, replete with fairy music and Irish jigs, was Sullivan's farewell to the stage. Indeed, he did not finish it, and slightly less than half of the numbers were composed by the composer's colleague Edward German.
Throughout the 1890's, Sullivan struggled to find a congenial collaborator. His two operas with Gilbert, Utopia Limited and The Grand Duke were largely unsuccessful, and several of his works with other librettists fared even worse.
With The Rose of Persia (1899), Sullivan finally had the success that had eluded him for nearly a decade. The Emerald Isle, with the same librettist (Basil Hood) was almost as successful (although Sullivan never lived to see it), enjoying a solid run of 205 performances.
| NR | 1982 Prince Consort | Ster | 
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The Prince Consort recording, listed above, has recently been re-issued on CD by Sounds on CD. Three selections from the opera are included on Sullivan & Co.: The Operas that Got Away. These give an excellent idea of the score's many charms.