Opera Scotland

Madam Butterfly 1948Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Madama Butterfly

The Scotsman review (6 April) argued the title role is no easy one to sustain. "Gita de la Fuente brings to the part some qualities which help to keep it somewhere within the bounds of credibility, and her voice has the requisite power and flexibility. She did well last night, particularly in the duet with Pinkerton (Ivan Dixon) in the first act."

"The general competence of the cast (with Betty Sagon as a sympathetic Suzuki and Charles Miller particularly convincing as Sharpless) was matched by good orchestral playing under Vilem Tausky, but the staging of the opera still leaves a good deal to be desired. The two-year-old doll, of course, always presents a problem which is practically insoluble. But there is nothing insoluble about the lighting, which was apt to be jerky and far from realistic in this would-be realistic opera."

Cast details for Madam Butterfly on this tour are taken from the programme for 15 April in Aberdeen City Library, and Glasgow  programmes for the Saturday matinee 24 April (which also covers the previous evening's Barber of Seville), and for Wednesday 12 May. This also has information on the previous evening's Tosca performance. Both are in the Gardiner Collection (Mitchell Library).

The Carl Rosa 1948 tour involved two weeks in Edinburgh, then one in Aberdeen and four Glasgow; seven weeks of seven performances each week. The repertoire consisted of works by Rossini (Barber of Seville); Verdi (Trovatore, Traviata); Puccini (Bohème, Tosca, Butterfly) and Bizet (Carmen)

w/c Mon 29 Mar Carmen; Tue Traviata; Wed Tosca; Thu Butterfly; Fri Barber; Sat m Bohème; Sat e Carmen

w/c Mon 5 Apr Butterfly; Tue Carmen; Wed Bohème; Thu Barber; Fri Trovatore; Sat m Butterfly; Sat e Traviata.

w/c Mon 12 Apr Tosca; Tue Bohème; Wed Traviata; Thu Butterfly; Fri Carmen; Sat m Butterfly; Sat e Trovatore.

w/c Mon 19 Apr Tosca; Tue Butterfly; Wed Traviata; Thu Carmen; Fri Barber; Sat m Butterfly; Sat e Traviata.

w/c Mon 26 Apr Traviata; Tue Carmen; Wed Bohème; Thu Barber; Fri Tosca; Sat m Bohème; Sat e Traviata.

w/c Mon 3 May Butterfly; Tue Traviata; Wed Barber; Thu Tosca; Fri Traviata; Sat m Carmen; Sat e Barber.

w/c Mon 10 May Bohème; Tue Tosca; Wed Butterfly; Thu Carmen; Fri Barber; Sat m Butterfly; Sat e Traviata.