Opera Scotland

Maritana 1924Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Maritana

The Carl Rosa company was in the habit of coming to Scotland in February and running its tour through the early spring. In early 1924, from 28 January to 19 April they toured Aberdeen, Greenock, Glasgow and Edinburgh. In May the company was declared bankrupt and underwent a period of reorganization. To arrive in Dundee on 22 December 1924 was unusual. To stay for a two week season even more so (indeed a unique event in the history of Carl Rosa performances in Dundee). In that era Christmas Day was not a holiday, and the company mounted a performance of Il Trovatore. On New Year's Day, Maritana was on offer. Unusual works being presented were La Traviata, Marriage of Figaro and Fidelio. This fortnight in Dundee was not connected to visits to the other Scottish centres, as they left Dundee after Saturday, 3 January 1925, reappearing in Glasgow on 9 March.

Repertoire for the two Dundee weeks was as follows:

First Week: Mon Carmen, Tue Tannhäuser, Wed Tales of Hoffmann, Thu (Christmas Day) Trovatore, Fri Traviata, Sat Mat Faust, Sat Eve Bohemian Girl.

Second Week: Mon Aïda, Tue Butterfly, Wed Marriage of Figaro, Thu (New Year's Day) Maritana, Fri Fidelio, Sat Mat Samson & Delilah, Sat Eve Faust.

Maritana was seen to be ideal entertainment for New Year's Day - plenty of familiar tunes, nothing too serious, just enjoyment of an undemanding kind. Indeed, Olive Gilbert performed Lazarillo on 1 January 1921 in Abereen, as well as here in Dundee four years later. This cast is compiled from reviews in the principal Dundee newspapers of Friday, 2 January 1925.