Opera Scotland

Don Giovanni 1965Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Don Giovanni

An immediate revival for the 1964 staging. Peter van der Bilt returned in the title role, but most of the cast were new, including Gibson himself on the podium.

The Leporello was that established star of Glyndebourne and popular musicals, Ian Wallace, appearing with Scottish Opera for the first time, and in a role he had always wanted to sing since his days as Masetto at an early Edinburgh Festival. New Zealander Donald McIntyre was a Sadler’s Wells regular, though still young, and he would go on to sing with Scottish Opera in subsequent years in roles such as Pizarro, Macbeth, and Wotan, even when most of his time was spent at Covent Garden and Bayreuth.

Ava June was also a long-term member of the Sadler’s Wells company who was a familiar name from that company’s tours, though this was her only visit to Scottish Opera. The young Australian soprano Janice Chapman was introduced as Anna. When she returned to Scotland for the equally fearsome assignment   o f Vitellia ( La clemenza di Tito 1970) , she had gained the experience for the big dramatic roles which she perhaps lacked in 1965 – a rare example of a misjudgment by Gibson and his colleagues.

One undoubted success was the new Zerlina, a young Welsh soprano, Margaret Price. The future Dame never appeared again with Scottish Opera – indeed she never again sang opera in Scotland.v

 

The programme for Scottish Opera's Fourth Season - 1965

The season consisted of performances of Boris Godunov (6); Madam Butterfly (8); and Don Giovanni (5), carried out in Glasgow (King's Theatre),  Aberdeen (His Majesty's Theatre) and Edinburgh (King's Theatre).  Performances were in the evening at 7pm with schools matinees at 2.30pm.

The schedule for the season was as follows:-

Glasgow, w/c 10 May:  Fri 14 Boris Godunov;  Sat 15 Madam Butterfly.

Glasgow, w/c 17 May:  Tue 18 Boris Godunov;  Wed 19 Madam Butterfly;  Thu 20 Don Giovanni;  Fri 21 m Madam Butterfly;  Fri 21 e Boris Godunov;  Sat 22 Don Giovanni.

Aberdeen, w/c 24 May: Tue 25 Don Giovanni; Wed 26 Madam Butterfly; Thu 27 Don Giovanni; Fri 28 Madam Butterfly; Sat 29 Boris Godunov.

Edinburgh, w/c 31 May:  Tue 1 Jun Boris Godunov;  Wed 2 Madam Butterfly;  Thu 3 Don Giovanni;  Fri 4 m Madam Butterfly;  Fri 4 e Boris Godunov;  Sat 5 Madam Butterfly.