The week commencing Monday, 3 April, saw the Carl Rosa's final visit to Edinburgh before the outbreak of World War Two. The company then moved to Glasgow King's for two weeks, playing the same operas. However the two Friday evenings in Glasgow saw the addition of single performances of A Masked Ball and La traviata.
This cast is notable for appearances by two experienced baritones. Kingsley Lark had sung major roles with the Carl Rosa in the twenties, and was now their stage director, although he could clearly still sing more than a bit. Dennis Noble was probably the leading British lyric baritone between the wars, and had sung Figaro with the BNOC company a decade earlier. Howell Glynne was in the early stages of his long and distinguished career.
Cast details are from a programme for Tuesday 4 April in the OperaScotland collection, combined with the previous evening's Cav & Pag. There is also acopy preserved in the National Library of Scotland.
The week's programme in Edinburgh was: Mon Cav & Pag; Tue Barber of Seville; Wed Gipsy Baron; Thu Rigoletto; Fri Madam Butterfly; Sat mat Fledermaus; Sat eve Faust.
The Glasgow schedule, including two Johann Strauss operettas, was as follows:
W/c 10 April: Mon Fledermaus; Tue Butterfly; Wed Faust; Thurs Rigoletto; Fri Masked Ball; Sat mat Gipsy Baron; Sat eve Barber of Seville.
W/c 17 April: Mon Cav & Pag; Tue Fledermaus; Wed Madam Butterfly; Thu Gipsy Baron; Fri Traviata; Sat mat Fledermaus; Sat eve Faust.
During this period, the Carl Rosa were including an extensive sequence of the ballet music.
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