With a libretto by the great Felice Romani and a successful launch at La Scala, Scaramuccia enjoyed a brief period of success for fifteen years or so, but then vanished from the record. Here, in its first Scottish performances, the title role was played by the great Italian bass Luigi Lablache's son, Frederick.
The fillers at the first performance were Rossini's Thieving Magpie overture as a curtain-raiser, with Ricci's overture Il Nuovo Figaro at the interval. The second performance began with three extracts from The Barber of Seville and the overture to Auber's Le Cheval de Bronze.
The cast is as advertised in the Caledonian Mercury on the day of the first performance.
The Caledonian Mercury (12 May) said:- Miss Fanny Wyndham... 'her success was as complete as that of the other performers who preceded her on Tuesday evening. She has a voice of the contralto species, not very powerful, but of liquid sweetness and uncommon flexibility. We incline to consider her the most polished vocalist of the company though not possessed of so commanding an organ as Scheroni. She sings with great delicacy of expression, and executes her florid passages with extreme neatness and facility.'
'The performance of Ricci's opera was throughout most satisfactory and delightful. The grotesque buffoonery of Bellini, the archness of Scheroni, the quiet dignity of Fanny Wyndham, and the animation of Lablache, Catone, and Sanquirico, were all nicely sustained...the singing was altogether excellent... the chorus showed most gratifying signs of animation. If the latter could be made to accompany their singing with something like action, the general effect of the scenes in which they appear would be greatly enhanced."
'The band of the 79th regiment appear to be complete and well organised; for the piece which they played as the orchestra in the Pastoral Episode was performed with great delicacy and precision.
The house was fuller than on the first night - the pit and galleries being crowded, as well as the dress circle, every seat of which was occupied."
Itinerary
The performances were: Tue 8 May L'Italiana in Algeri and Betly; Thu 10 May Un' Avventura Di Scaramuccisa; Fri 11 May L'Elisir d'Amore; Sat 12 May L'Italiana in Algeri & Betly; Mon 14 May repeat of Un' Avventura Di Scaramuccisa; Wed 16 May Marriage of Figaro.
On Thu 17 May Elisir d'Amore was given, and the visit finished on Sat 19 May with a double Bill of L'Elisir d'Amore and Betly.
© Copyright Opera Scotland 2024
Site by SiteBuddha