The programme began with a mix of orchestral music and arias. Following the dinner interval, the opera was given. Most of Cimarosa's works are yet to be revived, but this soliloquy has remained a popular showpiece for a singing actor. Geraint Evans rarely performed in Scotland at this time, with Glyndebourne no longer providing opera at the Festival, and the extreme intimacy of the Ledlanet setup was hardly what he was accustomed to. He would be lured north again to lead Scottish Opera's first Falstaff staging in 1966.
The orchestra was the Edinburgh Chamber Ensemble, leader Eric Roberts, conducted by Audrey Langford. The harpsichord used was a Shudi, dated 1766, and had been lent by Mr W. R. Thomas.
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