Opera Scotland

Rigoletto 1919Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Rigoletto

Even if Tales of Hoffmann was a popular fixture in the Carl Rosa programme,  Rigoletto and Traviata had been left for other companies to perform, while Romeo and Juliet had been ignored by everyone.  Here were all these operas in one tour, with several singers new to the company.

Baritone Lewys James and Scottish bass William Anderson were long-standing members of Moody-Manners and O'Mara, but had not previously worked with Carl Rosa.

 

A Glasgow Verdictt

The Glasgow Herald (8 December). gave a terse report: 

'Outstanding in the performance of Rigoletto in the evening were Miss Nora d'Argel as Gilda, Mr Lewys James as the Jester, and Mr Furness Williams as the Duke.  The theatre was crowded both afternoon and evening.'

 

 

The season consisted of one week at Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre (AHMT), then one week at Dundee’s Her Majesty’s Theatre (DHMT).  There followed four weeks at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal (GTR).  Following a break of one week at Greenock (King's), there were two weeks at Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum (ERL), then later still another two in Glasgow (GTR).  Ten weeks in total, followed by a further three in December to give thirteen. By now, the company were running a number of separate companies, the Phillips section giving the December performances.

Aberdeen w/c Jan 20: Mon Tales of Hoffmann Tue 21 Tosca; Wed 22 Tannhäuser; Thu 23 Mignon; Fri 24 Carmen; Sat 25 m Madam Butterfly; Sat 25 e Faust. AHMT

Dundee w/c Jan 27: Mon Tales of Hoffmann; Tue 28 Tannhauser; Wed 29 Faust; Thu 30 Madam Butterfly; Fri 31 Mignon; Sat Feb 1 mTales of Hoffmann; Sat Feb 1 e Trovatore. DHMT 

Glasgow (1) w/c Feb 3:  Mon Tannhauser; Tue 4 Bohème; Wed 5 Madam Butterfly; Thu 6 Trovatore; Fri 7 Tosca; Sat 8 m Mignon; Sat 8 e Tales of Hoffmann. GTR 

Glasgow (2) w/c Feb 10:  Mon Cav & Pag; Tue 11 Faust; Wed 12 Carmen; Thu 13 Tales of Hoffmann; Fri 14 Madam Butterfly; Sat 15 m Tosca; Sat 15 e Maritana. GTR

Glasgow  (3) w/c Feb 17: Mon Bohème; Tue 18 Tannhäuser; Wed 19 Mignon; Thu 20 Cav & Pag; Fri 21 Don Giovanni; Sat 22 m Tales of Hoffmann; Sat 22 e Trovatore. GTR

Glasgow (4) w/c Feb 24: Mon Carmen; Tue 25 Rigoletto; Wed 26 Carmen; Thu 27 Faust; Fri 28 Tannhäuser; Sat 29 m Madam Butterfly; Sat 29 e Bohemian Girl. GTR

W/c Mon 3 Mar Company performing in Liverpool

Edinburgh (1) w/c Mar 10: Mon Tales of Hoffmann; Tue 11 Tosca ; Wed 12 Faust; Thu 13 Madam Butterfly; Fri 14 Don Giovanni; Sat 15 m Cav & Pag; Sat 15 e Maritana. ERL

Edinburgh (2) w/c Mar 17: M0n Tosca; Tue 18 Tales of Hoffmann; Wed 19 Tannhäuser; Thu 20 Bohème; Fri 21 Carmen; Sat 22 m Mignon; Sat 22 e Trovatore; ERL

Glasgow (5) w/c Jun 30: Mon Tales of Hoffmann; Tue 1 Jul Carmen; Wed 2 Mignon; Thu 3 Cav & Pag; Fri 4 Three Masks; Sat 5 m Madam Butterfly; Sat 5 e Faust GTR

Glasgow (6) w/c Jul 7: Mon Three Masks; Tue 8 Trovatore; Wed 9 Daughter of the Regiment; Thu 10 Carmen; Fri 11 Marriage of Figaro; Sat 12 m Tales of Hoffmann; Sat 12 e Maritana GTR

w/c Dec 1: Mon Tales of Hoffmann; Tue 2 Carmen; Wed 3 Faust; Thu 4 Cav & Pag; Fri 5 Tannhäuser; Sat 6 m Romeo and Juliet; Sat 6 e Rigoletto.

w/c Dec 8 Mon Cav & Pag; Tue 9 Trovatore; Wed 10 Romeo and Juliet; Thu 11 Lily of Killarney; Fri 12 Faust; Sat 13 m Traviata; Sat 13 e Tales of Hoffmann.

w/c Dec 15 Mon Carmen; Tue 16 Tannhäuser; Wed 17 Maritana; Thu 18 Rigoletto; Fri 19 Romeo and Juliet; Sat 20 m Cav & Pag; Sat 20 e Tales of Hoffmann.

 

Thirteen weeks @seven performances = ninety-one

Thirteen Tales of Hoffmann;  Eight Carmen, Tannhäuser, Faust;  Seven Madam Butterfly, Cav & Pag;  Six Mignon;  Five Trovatore, Tosca;  Four Cav & Pag, Maritana;  Three Bohème; Romeo and Juliet; Two Three Masks, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto;  One Marriage of Figaro, Daughter of the Regiment,  Bohemian Girl,  Traviata,  Lily of Killarney.

Cast details for 18 December in Glasgow are from a programme in the A M Gardiner collection at the Mitchell Library.