Trovatore was still a hugely popular work, though in Scotland usually sung in English. The sheer familiarity of the music and its rhythmic vigour, meant that the band of freelance musicians in the pit were perhaps on firmer ground than with the arguably more subtle pieces they had been called on to learn for the tour. The repertoire also featured La traviata, La bohème, L'elisir d'amore and Massenet's Manon.
While a substantial improvement in general standards compared with previous visits was noted by the critics, the Herald did remark that the scenery could have done with more variety - the same four trees seeming to be uprooted and transported to various locations throughout the evening. And the Scotsman noticed that Count di Luna's troops didn't have time (or the resources) to change out of their liveries before re-entering as hillsmen in support of Manrico.
The most notable feature of this cast is the young tenor Pier Miranda Ferraro. He would return a dozen years later to sing Otello with Scottish Opera. Kyra Vayne was the only non-Italian singer with the company. Though she was not in her most consistent form on this tour, she was still able to give a vocally good account of the heavier Verdi and Puccini repertoire. The Luna, Azucena and Ferrando were also well received.
Cast details for the tour are taken from Opera, supplemented from Glasgow Herald 13 October and Scotsman 3 November .
Kyra Vayne (Oct 13; Nov 2)
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