IL TROVATORE – VERDI
Presented on Nov 17, 25 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Winter Season
James Johnston – Manrico
Moira Griffith / Joan Hammond[Nov 25] – Leonora
Sam Mooney – Di Luna
Patricia Black – Azucena
Richard Mason – Ferrando
Commdt J M Doyle – Conductor
Sydney Russell – Producer
It was not unusual in the Dublin of the 1940s for sopranos like May Devitt, Renee Flynn and Moira Griffith to do vocal spots in shows at the Theatre Royal, and these went on prior to the showing of the big movie. In November of 1943, Miss Griffith was appearing in a new show “Flying High” and by her own admission enjoying herself, though she was well aware that artistically it was some way behind a Mozart opera. Usually Louis Elliman asked her to do about eight weeks in the year and it wasn’t taxing on her voice.
It was now around the time of the opening of the DGOS winter season and since she was not engaged in the season, she had decided to take up the ‘Royal’ offer and other concert dates. She was therefore unprepared when Comdt. O’Kelly asked to see her urgently. The society’s vice-chairman Michael Dinnigan was with him when they met and the men quickly came to the point. Joan Hammond was unwell and would not be able to sing Leonora in “Trovatore” on the opening night of the season. Would she get them out of the crisis?
‘As you know, I’m singing in the Theatre Royal show,’ she reminded them.
‘Louis Elliman has agreed to let you off for the night, ‘said Comdt. O’Kelly. ‘If you don’t agree to sing, we’ll have to cancel, which means closing the theatre for the night.’
After a pause, Miss Griffith told them she would sing for the same fee as they intended paying Joan Hammond. ‘Don’t you think this is only fair as it’s the same part and, anyway, I have to refresh it in my mind?’ Normally, she received a fee of around eight pounds for singing a leading role, and although money was never a priority with her, she would actually be losing money transferring for one night to the Gaiety. Eventually both O’Kelly and Dinnegan agreed to give her the same fee as Joan Hammond was getting, though the figure was not specified. It was later that Dinnegan told Miss Griffith that Hammond’s fee per performance was one hundred pounds plus expenses.
Since she had got only twelve hours’ notice, Moira Griffith spent most of the next day sitting at the piano in her home going over Verdi’s music and working on the big arias. ‘I told Jim Doyle I’d prefer to revise the score alone and he left me to get on with it. lt’s a big part and I hadn’t sung it for nearly twelve months.
At this time Joan Hammond was singing regularly with the Carl Rosa Opera Company throughout Britain as Butterfly, Mimi, Marguerite and Violetta and she would soon be recording the captivating Puccini aria “O My Beloved Father” that would go on to sell a million copies. She made no secret of her liking for Dublin and had promised Comdt. O’Kelly that whenever she could she would sing for the society. “I think she loved eating our big steaks,’ the chairman used to say later.
Moira Griffith, meanwhile, got through the performance in admirable fashion. The Irish Times noted, ‘Owing to the illness of Joan Hammond, the Dublin soprano Moira Griffith had taken the role of Leonora at short notice and received a well-deserved ovation. Likewise, the Irish Press critic stated it was the most satisfactory operatic performance he had seen the soprano give. And Joseph O’Neill (Independent) congratulated her on her performance and also praised James Johnston for his artistic approach to the role of Manrico. Once again, however, Patricia Black as Azucena won the greatest acclaim for her impassioned singing.
When Miss Griffith went along next day to Louis Elliman’s office in the Gaiety Theatre to collect her fee from Comdt. O’Kelly and Michael Dennigan, she was thanked for getting the society ‘out of a corner’ and handed a closed envelope. Normally she would not have bothered to open it until later but she decided on impulse to do so at that moment. To her dismay it contained eight pound notes instead of the bigger fee agreed. Without uttering a word, she tore up the envelope with the money and let the paper pieces drop on the floor, closing the door after her. There was no doubt in her mind about their agreement. Surely she had made herself clear enough?
Three years before she had sung Eily O’Connor in “The Lily of Killarney” for the Dublin Operatic Society and afterwards George Sleator had sent her a letter, stating, ‘Dear Miss Griffith – For your performance of Eily O’Connor kindly accept my gratitude and heartfelt congratulations. I feel very happy in the thought that you kindly accepted the part. It will be my dearest wish to have you in our April season. Thank you, and may the coming Easter season bring you many joys.’
Although she had received no fee from the DOS, her contribution had been gracefully acknowledged. She regarded her fee for Leonora as a matter of principle, yet she was determined not to let it stand in the way of future engagements with the DGOS. She was the first to admire the way Bill O’Kelly had got the newly-formed society on the road, but she expected him to be more grateful. She had after all been taken out of the Theatre Royal show against her own wishes.
Joan Hammond recovered in time to sing the November 25 performance of “Trovatore” but she was to make her biggest impact as a memorable Elizabeth in Wagner’s “Tannhauser”. The production was worth every penny for it gave an over-flow audience the opportunity in that spring of `43 to hear Miss Hammond in a role and in music that suited her. Her voice had a glorious ring with exquisite tonal colour, her artistry was inspiring.
To Joseph O’Neill (Independent), the soprano’s range of expression was remarkable and she was always in full vocal control, her singing of the Prayer being very moving. There were other fine performances, according to the critics, notably John Lynskey’s Wolfram – his singing of the aria “O Star of Eve” being considered a tour de force – and JC Browner’s commanding Landgrave. Soprano Renee Flynn, as Venus, sang her opening scene with ‘beautifully sustained tone’, suggesting to at least one experienced critic that she was ‘born to sing Wagner’s music’. In the 1930’s she had appeared in “Die Walkure” at Covent Garden and afterwards was handed a contract which she has to this day, but her husband Tom (Attwood) was against her spending weeks on end in London and discouraged her putting her signature on it. All she will say today is, ‘In those days you were inclined to carry out your husband’s wishes.’ On that occasion the Siegmund was sung by Lauritz Melchior and Sieglinde by the illustrious Lotte Lehmann.
(Extracted from “Love and Music: The Glorious History of the Dublin Grand Opera Society” by Gus Smith, 1998)
Opera in Ireland 