CARMEN – BIZET
Presented on Nov 3, 8m, 15 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
Patricia Black – Carmen
John Torney – Don José
May Devitt – Micaëla
John Lynskey – Escamillo
Josephine O’Hagan – Frasquita
Carmel McAsey – Mercédès
W Porter – Dancaïre
William Millar – Remendado
N J Lewis – Zuniga
S Black – Moralès
Capt. J M Doyle – Conductor
Eily Murnaghan – Producer
LA TRAVIATA – VERDI
Presented on Nov 4, 15m at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
Renée Flynn – Violetta
James Johnston – Alfredo
N J Lewis – Giorgio
Marjorie Barry – Flora
C Byrom – Gastone
G Jones – Baron
W Brennan – Marchese
J G Cuthbert – Dr Grenvil
Ruby Hunt – Annina
Capt J M Doyle – Conductor
Eily Murnaghan – Producer
TOSCA – PUCCINI
Presented on Nov 5, 12 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
May Devitt – Tosca
John Torney – Cavaradossi
John Lynskey – Scarpia
Sam Mooney – Angelotti
Stephen Black – Sacristan
C Byrom – Spoletta
E Hartney – Sciarrone
Charles Lynch – Conductor
Eily Murnaghan – Producer
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA – MASCAGNI
Presented on Nov 6, 10, 13 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
Patricia Black – Santuzza
James Johnston – Turiddu
Sam Mooney – Alfio
Kitty Vaughan – Lucia
Kay Lynch – Lola
Charles Lynch – Conductor
Eily Murnaghan – Producer
I PAGLIACCI – LEONCAVALLO
Presented on Nov 6, 10, 13 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
John Torney – Canio
Renée Flynn – Nedda
John Lynskey – Tonio
T E Atwool – Silvio
William Millar – Beppe
Capt J M Doyle – Conductor
Eily Murnaghan – Producer
RIGOLETTO – VERDI
Presented on Nov 7, 11 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
John Lynskey – Rigoletto
Moira Griffith – Gilda
John Torney / James Johnston[Nov 11] – Duke
F Clarke – Sparafucile
Cathleen O’Byrne – Maddalena
Sam Mooney – Monterone
Charles Lynch – Conductor
Eily Murnaghan – Producer
FAUST – GOUNOD
Presented on Nov 8, 14 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
James Johnston – Faust
May Devitt – Marguerite
J C Browner – Méphistophélès
T E Atwool – Valentin
Patricia Black – Siébel
Anne Frayne – Martha
Jack Carroll – Wagner
Capt J M Doyle – Conductor
Eily Murnaghan – Producer
This Winter 1941 Edition of “Stories of the Operas” contains an advert for the season – listing casts – on its penultimate page
The 1941 winter season in November looked an overcrowded programme, with seven operas scheduled to run on consecutive nights, directed by a newcomer from London, Kingsley Lark, and the augmented orchestra conducted in turn by Capt. J M Doyle and Charles Lynch. Young baritone Nick Lewis, a builder by day, had been chosen by Capt. O’Kelly to sing the elder Germont in “La Traviata”. ‘It was my first major role and I worked very hard on it with Julia Gray. I loved Verdi’s music and the part lay within my range.’
Soprano Moira Griffith was cast as Gilda, Rigoletto’s artless daughter, with John Lynskey in the title role; John Torney was the Duke. The opera, one of Verdi’s greatest, had a problematic background mainly over censorship. Its theme is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le Rois’amuse depicting Tribolet a hunchback court jester. Because the Venetian censorship deemed that the opera’s libretto undermined a sovereign ruler, and the religious authorities condemned Monterone’s curse on the jester and the Duke, Verdi had to rework the script. Eventually a compromise was reached and the names were changed with Tribolet becoming Rigoletto.
The opera was an enormous success at its performance in Venice in March 1851, and in its first Paris season was performed over one hundred times. And in Dublin it has remained one of the most popular of the composer’s works. On this occasion Moira Griffith recalled happy memories of the production. ‘I thought that John Lynskey was outstanding as the jester, in both his acting and singing, and was very convincing, especially at that agonising moment when he discovers I’ve been abducted. I can still see the look of anger and despair in his face. One funny thing about John, though, and it is this. He always kept time with his big toe. On this occasion he was wearing the jester’s shoes with his toe protruding and close to the artificial bell, with the result that every time he beat out time it caused a swishing sound. The audience realising what was happening, began to giggle aloud but John didn’t know what they were giggling at. When he did, he quickly ceased beating out time. It was funny at the time’
Off-stage, she found the baritone somewhat shy and detached and it wasn’t always easy to make conversation with him. But she was fond of him as he was considerate to his fellow artists. By now he was married to Eily Murnaghan who was beginning to direct operas for the society. Harold White for the Irish Independent lavished praise on Lynskey’s performance and added that it was a personal triumph for him. ‘He does not,’ the critic wrote, ‘try to make sense out of the rather ridiculous situations, but he seizes on the human qualities of the jester’s character and makes the most of them. His duets with Gilda, too, were very satisfying, for in Moira Griffith we had a Gilda whose sense of musicianship is a decided asset in the rendering of the music. Her phrasing of “Caro Nome” was artistic and her acting, even in this melodramatic opera, was comparatively restrained. She needs, however, to attack her notes in the centre if she is to make her intonation unmistakable.’
White thought that ‘Charles Lynch conducted cautiously’, but the chorus was excellent. And he was impressed by John Torney’s singing as the Duke and Sam Mooney’s Monterone. Likewise in “Traviata”, Nick Lewis came in for favourable mention, even if as expected Renee Flynn stole the show as Violetta. One of the highlights of the season was James Johnston’s performance as Turiddu in “Cavalleria Rusticana”, opposite Patricia Black’s Santuzza, while Dublin soprano Renee Flynn got good notices for her portrayal of Nedda, the heroine in “I Pagliacci”.
It was considered a successful season by most of the critics, particularly by the influential Harold White. The audience favourite at this time was unquestionably soprano May Devitt who was impressive as Floria Tosca, though Puccini’s melodic opera failed to pack the Gaiety. Tenor James Johnston again sang a glorious Faust, his “All Hail thou Dwelling” winning spontaneous applause from the crowded house.
Capt. O’Kelly had a habit of marking in his notebook the takings at the box-office and after this, only the society’s second season, he was able to mark down over 85 per cent business. Louis Elliman would be pleased.
(Extracted from “Love and Music: The Glorious History of the Dublin Grand Opera Society” by Gus Smith, 1998)
Opera in Ireland 