Opera Scotland

Masaniello 1958Glasgow Grand Opera Society

Read more about the opera Masaniello

Masaniello was an enterprising choice for Glasgow Grand in 1958, paired in repertory with the slightly more familiar Samson and Delilah.

Auber's most famous serious work had been introduced to Scotland by Wood's Italian Opera in 1855, then given by the Carl Rosa in 1887, but had not featured since.  The dumb girl of the alternative title, Fenella, is indeed silent, played by a dancer.

The professional guest tenor here was John Kentish, a veteran whose career went back to the twenties.  He made a further visit to Scotland in 1960, when the Glyndebourne company brought Joan Sutherland, now a newly-created star, in Bellini's I puritani.  Kentish sang the brief comprimario part of Sir Bruno Roberton.

The chorus master is James Loughran, who went on to direct the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Hallé and, in Germany, the Bamberg Symphony.

The director of both Glasgow Grand operas was Jack Notman, a young architect who maintained a sideline in stage design, later providng sets and costumes for three highly contrasted Scottish Opera stagings, Monteverdi's Ballo delle ngrate, Sullivan's Gondoliers and Richard Strauss's Capriccio.