Carl Rosa Opera's Scottish tour on 1957 - their last ever - consisted of a two week season in Glasgow at the King's Theatre. Their very first performance in Scotland in November 1874 was also in Glasgow but at the Prince of Wales Theatre. In that time Carl Rosa Opera gave over 2800 performances in Scotland.
The Glasgow Herald of Tuesday, 18 June, gave a short review of Mozart's Don Giovanni, from which we have taken the names of the principal singers.
"In a somewhat sedate performance neither extreme of comedy or drama was reached, nor was the plot always verbally intelligible - the continuo keyboard too had its quota of gibberish to offer - but many of the set numbers were well sung, and in general, vocally and orchestrally a very creditable level of entertainment was reached."
''Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Ruth Packer and Joyce Goodwin) not without nostalgic memories and regrets, were powerfully unrelenting in their resolve to bring about Giovanni's downfall. The Don himself, untiring in pursuit of fresh conquests, was handsomely played by John Heddle Nash, and had in Stanislav Pieczora a typically buffo Leporello to assist him. An oafish Masetto in Ernest Thomas (also as Commendatore) and a simply attractive Zerlina in Estelle Valery, with the Ottavio of Eduardo Asquez, completed the cast. Arthur Hammond conducted."
Carl Rosa Opera's last performances in Scotland were as follows:-
Week commencing 10 June: Mon Carmen; Tue Cav & Pag; Wed Bohème; Thu Hoffmann; Fri Benvenuto Cellini; Sat m Barber of Seville; Sat e Trovatore.
Week commencing 17 June: Mon Don Giovanni; Tue Rigoletto; Wed Tannhäuser; Thu Manon Lescaut; Fri Barber of Seville; Sat m Carmen; Sat e Faust.
Given twice were Barber of Seville and Carmen, with one performance each for Cav & Pag and the other nine operas.
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