Opera Scotland

Bohemian Girl 1915Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Bohemian Girl

The first two Saturday evenings of the three in Glasgow were given over to the British standards, The Bohemian Girl and Maritana.  Neither appeared in Edinburgh, but perhaps a single performance in five weeks was enough to keep each of the two popular favourites fresh.  Usually the conducting duties on these occasions might be expected to be taken by a member of the music staff, but here is Eugene Goossens himself on the podium to keep everything in order.

 

The Herald's Brief Opinion

Glasgow Herald, Monday 1 March 1915 (p6)

Carl Rosa Opera

'In advertising The Bohemian Girl for Saturday evening's performance at the Glasgow Theatre Royal the Carl Rosa management made no mistake in calling it Balfe's ''ever-popular'' opera.  The Bohemian Girl has delighted generations of opera-goers of simple tastes, and, if one may judge from the packed house on Saturday it is still good for many years to come.  That it has a conventional if not ridiculous libretto hardly matters.  True love begun in humble circumstances and faithful still in ''marble halls'' may be more common on the stage than in actual life, but it is none the less admired by the big public.  The Bohemian Girl, however, owes most of its popularity to its famous songs - ''I dreamt I dwelt,'' ''When other lips,'' ''The heart bowed down,'' and the rest.  On Saturday everybody evidently came to be pleased, and the opera was enthusiastically received.

'The cast was not the company's strongest one, but it was sufficiently capable to do justice to the music.  Miss Elizabeth Burgess was Arline, and among other singers were Miss Phyllis Davies,  Miss Jean Douglas Wilson,  Mr Charles Neville,  Mr Frederick Clendon,  Mr Frank Clarke, and Mr Reginald Gordon.  Miss Davies as the Gipsy Queen and Mr Clendon as Devil's Hoof were specially successful.  Mr Eugene Goossens conducted.'

 

The Carl Rosa Scottish tour - 1915

The Carl Rosa Scottish tour in spring 1915 consisted of three weeks in Glasgow (Theatre Royal), followed by two weeks in Edinburgh (Lyceum).

The fifteen operas performed were by Mozart (Don Giovanni, Magic Flute);  Wagner (Tannhäuser);  Verdi (Trovatore,  Aïda); Balfe (Bohemian Girl);  Wallace (Maritana);  Nicolai (Merry Wives of Windsor);  Gounod (Faust);  Thomas (Mignon);  Offenbach (Tales of Hoffmann);  Bizet (Carmen);  Leoncavallo (Pagliacci);  Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana);  Wolf-Ferrari (Jewels of the Madonna).

The performance schedule was as follows:

Glasgow, w/c 22 February: Mon 22 Tales of Hoffmann; Tue 23 Faust;  Wed 24 Aïda;  Thu 25 Jewels of the Madonna;  Fri 26 Carmen;  Sat 27 m Tales of Hoffmann;  Sat 27 e Bohemian Girl.

Glasgow, w/c  1 March: Mon 1 Mar Cav & Pag; Tue 2 Magic Flute;  Wed 3 Tannhäuser;  Thu 4 Mignon;  Fri 5 Tales of Hoffmann;  Sat 6 m Aïda;  Sat 6 e Maritana.

Glasgow, w/c 8 March: Mon 8 Mar Don Giovanni;  Tue 9 Faust;  Wed 10 Trovatore;  Thu 11 Merry Wives of Windsor;  Fri 12 Aïda;  Sat 13 m Carmen;  Sat 13 e Tales of Hoffmann.

Edinburgh, w/c 15 March: Mon 15 Tales of Hoffmann;  Tue 16 Tannhäuser;  Wed 17 Faust;  Thu 18  Magic Flute;  Fri 19 Aïda;  Sat 20 m Carmen;  Sat 20 e Trovatore.

Edinburgh, w/c 22 March: Mon 22 Cav & Pag;  Tue 23 Tales of Hoffmann;  Wed 24 Mignon;  Thu 25 Merry Wives of Windsor;  Fri 26 Don Giovanni;  Sat 27 m Aïda;  Sat 27 e Tales of Hoffmann.