Opera Scotland

Carmen 1906Moody-Manners Opera Company

Read more about the opera Carmen

Carmen was still the perennial attraction of the operatic repertoire, and Zélie de Lussan was almost irreplaceable in the title role - though the previous night (in March) she had played Cherubino. Lewys James and Joseph O'Mara were also seen frequently in these roles.

Cast details for 6 March, along with the previous evening's Figaro, are from a copy of the Lyceum programme in the Farmer Collection (Glasgow University Special Theatre Collection).  The cast for 13 October (matinee) is from a programme in the OperaScotland collection.

 

The Scottish tour schedule

In 1906 Moody-Manners followed their recently established pattern with two visits to Scotland.  Glasgow hosted the company for two weeks each visit, with Edinburgh only having a single week each time.  The repertoire included further performances of  Eugene Onegin and the reintroduction of a couple of masterpieces from the 1830s in Donizetti's  Lucia di Lammermoor and Meyerbeer's  Les Huguenots.  Nicolai's Merry Wives and Wagner's Flying Dutchman were also comparative novelties.

The schedule for the two visits was as follows:-

Edinburgh w/c 5 March:  Mon Marriage of Figaro;  Tue 6 Carmen;  Wed 7 Eugene Onegin;  Thu 8 Tannhäuser;  Fri 9  Lucia di Lammermoor;  Sat 10 mat Huguenots;  Sat 10 eve Bohemian Girl.

Glasgow w/c 12 March:  Mon Huguenots;  Tue 13 Eugene Onegin;  Wed 14 Trovatore;  Fri 16 Carmen;  Sat 17 mat  Marriage of Figaro;  Sat 17 eve Maritana.

Glasgow w/c 19 March:  Mon Carmen; Tue 20 Flying Dutchman;  Wed 21 Eugene Onegin;  Thu 22 Lucia di Lammermoor;  Fri 23 Faust;  Sat 24 mat Flying Dutchman;  Sat 24 eve Bohemian Girl.

Edinburgh w/c 8 October:  Mon Faust;  Tue 9 Cav & Pag;  Wed 10  Tannhäuser;  Thu 11 Romeo and Juliet;  Fri 12 Merry Wives of Windsor;  Sat 13 mat  Carmen;  Sat 13 eve  Maritana.

Glasgow w/c 15 October:  Mon Carmen;  Tue 16 Faust;  Wed 17  Tannhäuser;  Thu 18 Romeo and Juliet;  Fri 19  Merry Wives of Windsor; Sat 20 Mar Cav & Pag;  Sat 20 eve Bohemian Girl.

Glasgow w/c 22 October: Mon Cav & Pag;  Tue 23 Lohengrin;  Wed 24  Carmen;  Thu 25 Merry Wives of Windsor;  Fri 26 Marriage of Figaro;  Sat 27 mat Faust;  Sat 27 eve Maritana.