Opera Scotland

Faust 1902Moody-Manners Opera Company

Read more about the opera Faust

The Moody-Manners 1902 visit to Scotland was distinctly brief - a week in Edinburgh during March and a second week in Glasgow, but not until October - a strange phenomenon of tour scheduling.  Faust appeared in both weeks.  The spring week did contain one complete novelty in the form of Charles Villiers Stanford's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, launched at Covent Garden the previous year.

The cast for 10 March in Edinburgh is from a programme in the Opera Scotland collection.  Most of the performers are familiar.  The American soprano Ella Russell had been a regular performer in leading roles during the previous decade, especially in the Italian versmo repertoire.  John Child was an Irish lyric tenor familiar in leading parts over the previous twenty years.  However Mr Thompson is new.  There is a tenor by the name of Henry Thompson who sang principal roles with the company early in the next decade.  Miss McCarthy is just as problematic.  Miss H McCarthy is a similar voice type, though also a few years later.

Dates were as follows:-

Edinburgh, w/c Mar 10:  Mon Faust;  Tue 11 Lohengrin;  Wed 12 Tannhäuser;  Thu 13  Carmen;  Fri 14  Much Ado About Nothing;  Sat 15 mat Carmen;  Sat 15 mat  Maritana.

Glasgow, w/c Oct 20:  Mon Tannhäuser;  Tue 21 Trovatore;  Wed 22 Lohengrin;  Thu 23 Carmen;  Fri 24 Pag & Cav;  Sat 25 mat Faust;  Sat 25 eve Bohemian Girl.