It seems likely that in the winter of 1832 the De Begnis company played on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during a four-week Edinburgh stay, giving twelve performances, of which seven have been found advertised in the Caledonian Mercury. The evenings so far confirmed, interspersed with performances by the resident theatre company, were as follows: Tue 27 Nov Don Giovanni; Thu 29 Nov Don Giovanni; Sat 1 Dec Barbiere; Tue 4 Dec tbc; Thu 6 Dec Barbiere; Sat 8 Dec Nozze di Figaro; Tue 11 Dec Otello; Thu 13 Dec Otello; Sat 15 Dec Figaro; Tue 18 Dec tbc; Thu 20 Dec Fanatico per la musica; Sat 22 Dec Don Giovanni.
Already recognized as one of Rossini's greatest operas, The Barber was a hugely popular element of the De Begnis repertoire, especially since Figaro was one of his most famous roles. Donzelli's switch from singing Don Giovanni to Almaviva a few days later seems astonishing, even allowing for the gentle 'head voice' approach to the singing of high notes that he would probably have used.
Cast details as advertised and reviewed in the Caledonian Mercury.
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