It was less than a year since the end of the master comic's previous Edinburgh visit. The repertoire was substantially different and he had recruited several new singers, most notably the versatile tenor Domenico Donzelli and French soprano Joséphine de Méric.
The previous year Donzelli had created the leading role of Pollione in Bellini's Norma at La Scala, and would repeat that part in its London premiere the following year. During this Edinburgh visit he used his dark, almost baritonal tenor to show an astonishing versatility in works by Rossini and Mozart. He had for many years sung Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, a light, high part requiring a deft comic touch. The title-role in Otello is very different, much darker in tone. His Mozart parts were in fact baritone ones, even assuming he made some adjustments upward to make the range more comfortable. There can have been few singers, over the years, who have performed Count Almaviva in both Mozart and Rossini works. To crown this he seems to have been an excellent Don Giovanni.
It seems likely that the company played on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during a four-week stay, giving twelve performances, of which seven have been found advertised in the Caledonian Mercury. The evenings so far confirmed, interspersed with performances by the resident theatre company, were as follows: Tue 27 Nov Don Giovanni; Thu 29 Nov Don Giovanni; Sat 1 Dec Barbiere; Tue 4 Dec tbc; Thu 6 Dec Barbiere; Sat 8 Dec Nozze di Figaro; Tue 11 Dec Otello; Thu 13 Dec Otello; Sat 15 Dec Figaro; Tue 18 Dec tbc; Thu 20 Dec Fanatico per la musica; Sat 22 Dec Don Giovanni.
Much abbreviated cast details for Figaro are compiled from a review in the Edinburgh Evening Courant of Saturday 15 December.
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