Opera Scotland

Masked Ball 1975Tayside Opera

Read more about the opera Ballo in maschera

This was the first of four stagings of A Masked Ball by Tayside Opera. It has only ever been attempted once by Scottish Opera, and it may seem unfortunate that there was a direct clash. Indeed the national company's two Aberdeen performances were on 15 and 17 May. However at a time when travel links were less advanced than they are now, the number of people in Tayside for whom theatrical events in Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow would be of interest was small, and few would have been put off seeing the local product by knowledge that it was also being performed elsewhere in Scotland.

Of the principals, tenor Alan Borthwick, though based in Edinburgh, was beginning an extensive period of association with the Dundee company. Gelda Bell, Mary Timmons and William Dewar were all local. For future reference, the baritone singing the small role of the sailor in Act 2, here described as Silvano, was himself billed as Donald MacAlpine. A Perth geography teacher, he was still a couple of years short of turning professional with Scottish Opera, at which point the surname Maxwell was adopted.

Cast details as reviewed in Dundee Courier & Advertiser.