Opera Scotland

Samson and Delilah 1923Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Samson et Dalila

No complete cast details for the three Samson and Delilah performances have been confirmed as yet. The title roles shown are from a brief summary of the week's performances in the Greenock Herald of Saturday, 17 February. Most of the cast for Thursday, 1 March are identified in the following day's Glasgow Herald review.

''The performance was somewhat uneven, but its moments of distinction reached a fairly high standard of achievement. The work of the principals was on the whole conscientiously performed, but the chorus was at fault on several occasions, and unsteadiness in parts marred the otherwise satisfactory impression given by the orchestra.......The Delilah of Miss Gladys Parr was a progressively fine performance, her singing and acting being expressive of the contrasted emotions inspired by Samson. Mr Ben Williams was a sound if not brilliant interpreter of Samson, while Mr Booth Hitchen sang with effect in the part of the high priest. Mr Frederick Clendon as the Aged Hebrew and Mr Bernard Ross as Abimelech were also heard to advantage. As already indicated, the orchestra, apart from occasional uncertainty, responded ably to Mr Paul Kochs.''

It may be that the various uncertainties commented on were due to the company being in intensive rehearsal for the following evening, when the senior conductor, Charles Webber, would lead them in their first performance for many years of The Marriage of Figaro.

Company information is from a programme for w/c 5 March in the collection of the V&A, London.

For the full schedule of the Royal Carl Rosa's 1923 Scottish tour, see under the entries for Aïda, Maritana, Lohengrin, Carmen, Tales of Hoffmann or Bohemian Girl.