Opera Scotland

Arthur Goring Thomas Suggest updates

Born Ratton Park, Sussex, 20 November 1850.

Died London, 20 March 1892.

English composer.

Arthur Goring Thomas was unusual among late Victorian composers in having two operas produced successfully. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Ebenezer Prout and Arthur Sullivan, and then with Max Bruch. The success of his student opera brought an immediate commission from Carl Rosa. The resulting piece, Esmeralda, is probably the most successful serious opera by a British composer of the period, with several productions on the continent. The follow-up work, Nadeshda, was completely different, but also a significant success. Unfortunately, his health was not robust, and it appears this created a stress with which he was unable to cope, and he committed suicide before finishing his third mature opera, an attempt at a comedy, which was completed by Waddington.

Operas performed in Scotland are shown in bold:-

The Light of the Harem (London 1879) (Harrison)

Esmeralda (London 1883) (Marzials & Randegger)

Nadeshda (London 1885) (Sturgis)

The Golden Web (comp Waddington) (Liverpool 1893) (Corder, rev Stephenson)