An interesting Magic Flute cast kicked off this Sadler's Wells week in Aberdeen, with the same team repeating the piece on Friday. The Scottish tenor William McAlpine was now enjoying an international career, but would soon start regular appearances with Scottish Opera as well. Pauline Tinsley, making her Scottish debut, seems a surprising choice as Queen of Night, but she always had a rivetingly dramatic approach to everything she sang. Her later Mozart roles included Susanna and Fiordiligi as well as Elettra and Elvira, but she had already started singing Wagner, with appearances as Elsa the previous year with Welsh National. Eric Shilling is interesting casting as Papageno, as he is more usually associated with elderly comic characters, even when he was younger.
The schedule for this Aberdeen week, commencing 11 November was: Mon Magic Flute; Tue Carmen; Wed Don Pasquale; Thu Magic Flute; Fri Cav & Pag; Sat mat & eve Belle Hélène. At the other two venues the order changed slightly over the first three days, but the content was the same.
Sadler's Wells Opera in Scotland - 1963.
The first Scottish visit consisted of a single week in February at the Glasgow Empire. The company returned for three weeks in November, one each at Edinburgh (King's), Aberdeen (His Majesty's) and Glsgow (King's).
The nine operas performed were by Mozart (Magic Flute); Donizetti (Don Pasquale); Verdi (Traviata); Offenbach (Belle Hélène); Bizet (Carmen); Sullivan (Mikado); Leoncavallo (Pagliacci); Puccini (Girl of the Golden West); Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana).
The Scottish tour schedule was as follows:
Glasgow, w/c 19 February: Mon 18 Carmen; Tue 19 Cav & Pag; Wed 20 Traviata; Thu 21 Girl of the Golden West; Fri 22 Carmen; Sat 23 m Mikado; Sat 23 e Mikado.
Edinburgh, w/c 4 November: Mon 4 Magic Flute; Tue 5 Don Pasquale; Wed 6 Carmen; Thu 7 Magic Flute; Fri 8 Cav & Pag; Sat 9 m Belle Hélène; Sat 9 e Belle Hélène.
Aberdeen, w/c 11 November: Mon 11 Magic Flute; Tue 12 Carmen; Wed 13 Don Pasquale; Thu 14 Cav & Pag; Fri 15 Magic Flute; Sat 16 m Belle Hélène; Sat 16 e Belle Hélène.
Glasgow, w/c 18 November: Mon 18 Don Pasquale; Tue 19 Magic Flute; Wed 20 Carmen; Thu 21 Magic Flute; Fri 22 Cav & Pag; Sat 23 m Belle Hélène; Sat 23 e Belle Hélène.
Cast details are from a programme in the Aberdeen City Library.
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