Having visited Glasgow and Edinburgh in the spring, it is perhaps surprising that Sadler's Wells should return in the autumn, but the first visit only took in the central belt. This time, a further fortnight's stay, starting on 9 November, took in Glasgow again, but instead of Edinburgh, continued north to Aberdeen.
The repertoire was the same in both cities, though the order of performance varied slightly. The Glasgow schedule was: Mon Faust; Tue Girl of the Golden West; Wed Hansel and Gretel; Thu Carmen; Fri Seraglio; Sat mat Hansel and Gretel; Sat eve Faust. In Aberdeen the running order changed slightly, with Humperdinck and Mozart on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by Puccini on Friday.
The two Thursdays were therefore devoted to Carmen, repeated from the 1963 tour, with only a few of the same cast, notably Joyce Blackham and conductor John Matheson. Jon Andrew. and Robert Bickerstaff were recent recruits to the company, along with the Canadian soprano Heather Thomson. Smaller roles were taken by several interesting performers, including Margaret Neville, Derek Hammond Stroud and Stafford Dean.
The cast is taken from a programme in Aberdeen City Library.
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