Opera Scotland

Così fan tutte 1964Sadler's Wells Opera

Read more about the opera Così fan tutte

The 1964 Spring visit to Glasgow and Edinburgh by Sadler's Wells opened on 6 April with what was then a new production of Così, with an excellent cast, including Pauline Tinsley, Patricia Kern and David Hillman, who would all become favourite performers with Scottish Opera. Glen Byam Shaw's staging, in traditional designs by the Motley studio, was probably rather more light-hearted than expected nowadays - Anthony Besch's re-examination of the piece was still three years away. Nevertheless, this production did survive several different casts and transferred to the London Coliseum in 1968. It continued in the company's regular repertoire for a decade.

The performance schedule for Glasgow was as follows: Mon Così; Tue Peter Grimes; Wed Rigoletto; Thu Così; Fri Samson and Delilah; Sat mat & eve La Vie Perisienne. In Edinburgh the order changed, except for Monday and Saturday, but the content was the same.

Cast from a programme in Edinburgh City Library which specifies Leonard Hancock as conductor. The reviews of the opening nights in both the Glasgow Herald and the Scotsman specify Colin Davis. We have not been able to confirm who conducted the second Glasgow performance.