Opera Scotland

Otello 1964Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Otello

The previous year’s great success here received an immediate revival, with some cast changes.  Peter Glossop and Luisa Bosabalian were very welcome back, hard to improve on as Iago and Desdemona.

Most notably, Charles Crag was only available for the last two performances, but, as a result, Ronald Dowd, familiar from Sadler's Wells tours, was able to make his company debut with a slightly more hysterical reading of the title role.

Another important change was the arrival of Welsh tenor David Hughes as Cassio.  With Sadler's Wells he would become a famous Don José and Pinkerton before his early death.

The Scottish bass Harold Blackburn, long-established with the London companies, and a great supporter of Scottish Opera from the start, was at last able to appear - not just as Lodovico, but also as Leporello.  His effortlessly clear voice was qute unmistakable.

 

Schedule of Scottish Opera Performances (3rd Season) - 1964

There were sixteen performances in the season as a whole - six of Don Giovanni, and five each of Faust and Otello.  The first performances were in Glasgow, and then the company performed in Edinburgh.

Glasgow, w/c 11 May:  Thu 14 Faust;  Sat 16 Don Giovanni.

Glasgow, w/c 18 May:  Tue 19 Otello;  Wed 20 Faust;  Thu 21 m Don Giovanni:  Thu 21 e Otello:  Fri 22 Don Giovanni; Sat 23 m Faust;  Sat 23 e Otello.

Edinburgh, w/c 25 May:  Mon np; Tue 26 e Don Giovanni;  Wed 27 Otello;  Thu 28 Faust;  Fri 29 m Don Giovanni; Fri 29 e Otello; Sat 30 m Faust; Sat 30 e Don Giovanni.