Opera Scotland

Traviata 1939Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Traviata

The week commencing Monday, 3 April, saw the Carl Rosa's final visit to Edinburgh before the outbreak of World War Two. The company then moved to Glasgow King's for two weeks, playing the same operas. However the two Friday evenings in Glasgow saw the addition of single performances of A Masked Ball and La traviata.

This was the sole performance of Traviata. It was a new treatment compared with the previous season, though most of the same singers returned. The ballet had been freshly thought out by Ailne Phillips, using one soloist, Oenone Talbot. More novel still was the adoption of Verdi's ballet music for Il trovatore.

Cast details are from a programme in the A M Gardiner Collection (Mitchell Library) which also contains the following day's Fledermaus matinee.

The week's programme in Edinburgh was: Mon Cav & Pag; Tue Barber of Seville; Wed Gipsy Baron; Thu Rigoletto; Fri Madam Butterfly; Sat mat Fledermaus; Sat eve Faust.

The Glasgow schedule, including two Johann Strauss operettas, was as follows: 

W/c 10 April: Mon Fledermaus; Tue Butterfly; Wed Faust; Thurs Rigoletto; Fri Masked Ball; Sat mat Gipsy Baron; Sat eve Barber of Seville.

W/c 17 April: Mon Cav & Pag; Tue Fledermaus; Wed Madam Butterfly; Thu Gipsy Baron; Fri Traviata; Sat mat Fledermaus; Sat eve Faust.

During this period, the Carl Rosa were including an extensive sequence of the ballet music.

Performance Cast

Violetta Valéry a courtesan

Luella Paikin

Baron Douphol Violetta's protector, a rival of Alfredo

Philip Bertram

Doctor Grenvil

Howell Glynne

Flora Bervoix Violetta's friend

Elisabeth Aveling

Marquis d' Obigny

Jack Higginson

Gaston Vicomte de Letorières, a man about town

Norman Jones

Alfredo Germont Gaston's friend

John Torney

Annina Violetta's maid

Ann Sholes

Giuseppe Violetta's servant

Gwilym Jones

Giorgio Germont Alfredo's father

Hubert Dunkerley

Dancer

Oenone Talbot

Performance DatesTraviata 1939

Map List

King's Theatre, Glasgow | Glasgow

21 Apr, 19.45

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