Opera Scotland

Damnation de Faust 1891Dundee Amateur Choral Union

Read more about the opera Damnation of Faust

Although it had been in existence for some thirty-five years, for the Dundee Choral Union, this first local performance of Berlioz's great choral extravaganza was an ambitious undertaking. To ensure the brightest prospects for the enterprise, an excellent group of soloists was hired.  The American soprano Lilian Bailey usually sang under her married name, Mrs George Henschel. Henschel himself was one of the most notable musicians of the age. Conductor and composer, as well as singer, he was a close friend of Brahms and in 1893 became conductor of the Scottish Orchestra.

The conductor, a notable member of a famous Edinburgh musical family, was helped in his preparations by being sent to the Birmingham Festival to hear Hans Richter conduct the piece. Furthermore, the Glasgow Choral Union were also performing it, indeed only the previous evening, so the Dundee choir, who usually hired the Glasgow band (soon to become the Scottish Orchestra) were able to take advantage of those earlier rehearsals.