Opera Scotland

Pagliacci 1908Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Pagliacci

The reviewer of the double bill of Cav and Pag stated in the Scotsman (7 April) "the scenery is fresh, there is living force in the presentation and artistically each opera offers an intensely interesting story briefly and effectively told in the music; yet stripped of the merely mechanical elaborations that cling to the older Italian operatic tradition.  The King's Theatre was well filled last night, and at the appropriate intervals the audience manifested its enjoyment of the performance by lavish applause and recalls...There have, in truth, been much better performances both of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci.   But there is no connection in which comparisons are more odious  than in operatic performances; and the excellence and defects not only of the production as a whole, but of the individual artists, may best be weighed in the judicial balance upon their own merits.  In that sense the performance of last evening may be described as good but not great; yet taken with the work of the previous week it sustained the claim of the Carl Rosa Company to the patronage of the music-loving public. 

Mr Shallard made a much finer appearance in Pagliacci, where he sang the music of Silvio with xxx and passion than he did in Cavalleria Rusticana.  Mr Julius Walther's rendering of the music of Canio was unequal; at times he sang only indifferent well; when specially called, as in the solo, "On with the motley," he rose to a high pitch of dramatic intensity, though his delivery of words never erred on the side of clearness.  Miss Ina Hill's Nedda was a carefully and effectively sung presentation of the part, better in the lighter than in the more tragic moods, but never quite rising to the full dramatic and vocal height of the role.  Mr Charles Victor's Tonio was characterised by a strong dramatic delivery, and by a clearness of delivery of his words which certain others of the company might with advantage imitate.  The choruses excelled where some of the soloists were deficient; they delivered their words with remarkable clearness, and generally sang with that well-disciplined unanimity that comes of good training.  Mr Eugene Goossens conducted with great energy, and obviously had his work well in hand, though there were occasions when the vocal capacity of the soloists was ignored."

The company's 1908 tour included two weeks at the Glasgow Grand, one at the Alexandra, Greenock and finally two at Edinburgh King’s Theatre.

The full schedule was:-

Glasgow w/c 9 Mar: Mon Carmen; Tue Cav & Pag; Wed Trovatore; Thu Lohengrin; Fri Esmeralda; Sat m Fidelio; Sat e Rigoletto.

Glasgow w/c 16 Mar: Mon Don Giovanni; Tue Otello; Wed Bohemian Girl; Thu Faust; Fri Carmen; Sat m Tannhäuser; Sat e Trovatore.

Greenock w/c 23 Mar: Mon Carmen; Tue Tannhäuser; Wed Bohemian Girl; Thu Cav & Pag; Fri Esmeralda; Sat m Faust; Sat e Trovatore.

Edinburgh w/c 30 Mar: Mon Carmen; Tue Faust; Wed Lohengrin; Thu Don Giovanni; Fri Esmeralda; Sat m Tannhauser; Sat e Rigoletto.

Edinburgh w/c 6 Apr: Mon Cav & Pag; Tue Trovatore; Wed Bohemian Girl; Thu Marriage of Figaro; Fri Otello; Sat m Carmen; Sat e Maritana.

In summary: Carmen (5); Trovatore (4); Cav & Pag, Esmeralda, Bohemian Girl, Faust, Tannhäuser (3); Lohengrin, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, Otello (2) and Fidelio, Marriage of Figaro, Maritana (1).

Thirty-five performances of thirteen operas plus the double bill of Cav and Pag.