Opera Scotland

Jewels of the Madonna 1920Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Jewels of the Madonna

Cast details are from a surviving programme (dated 14 April 1920) in Edinburgh Central Library.

This lurid melodrama, so different from the group of Goldoni-derived comedies for which the composer was known, had reached Glasgow initially in 1913, not long after its British premiere.

The Scotsman review (15 April) states "Last night's performance of the opera in the Lyceum left the reasons for its success in little doubt.  They are much the same as those which have made the fame of Mascagni, Leoncavallo, and Puccini, a keen sense of the dramaticand of what might be called musical realism, and a turn of melody which may be more or less obvious, but at least always makes a powerful appeal to the ear....His libretto is a lurid little original. there is a daringrealism in the representation of the noise and bustle of a Neapolitanfestival in the first act, and of a Camorra orgy in the third, while there are some beautiful effects in the second act, with its serenade and love music.  Miss Beatrice Miranda gave a really magnificent reading of the character of the brilliant, heartless Maliella; Mr William Boland was convincing as Gennarol and Mr Hebden Foster made one of his best appearances as Rafaele.  The remaining chracters are of minor importance, but they were all worthy of the occasion;  the chorus and orchestra did well in extraordinarily difficult music, and the opera was very artistically mounted.  Mr Henriquez de la Fuente conducted."