MANON – MASSENET
Presented on Apr 7, 9, 11, 17 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Spring Season
Maria Luisa Garbato – Manon
Gines Sirera – des Grieux
Pierre van Froshem – Lescaut
Brendan Cavanagh – Guillot
Marzio Lauricella – Count
Peter McBrien – Brétigny
Hila Gharakhanian – Pousette
Colette McGahon – Javotte
Deirdre Grier – Rosette
Napoleone Annovazzi – Conductor
Gabriel Couret – Producer
MADAMA BUTTERFLY – PUCCINI
Presented on Apr 8, 10, 12, 21, 25 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin and on Apr 29, May 2 at the Opera House Cork as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Spring Season
Yoko Watanabe – Cio-Cio San
Renato Grimaldi – Pinkerton
Ruth Maher – Suzuki
Peter McBrien / Attilio d’Orazi[Apr 8, 10, 21] – Sharpless
Brendan Cavanagh / Frank Dunne[Apr 29] – Goro
Seán Mitten – Bonze / Yamadori
Joan Rooney – Kate
Colman Pearce – Conductor
Paddy Ryan – Producer
IL TROVATORE – VERDI
Presented on Apr 14, 16, 18 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin and on May 1, 3 at the Opera House Cork as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Spring Season
Ernesto Veronelli / Tom Swift[Apr 16] / Derek Blackwell[Apr 18] – Manrico
Lorenza Canepa – Leonora
Antonio Salvadori – Di Luna
Stella Silva – Azucena
Aurio Tomicich – Ferrando
Albert Rosen – Conductor
Marcel Feru – Producer
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR – CILEA
Presented on Apr 15, 19, 23 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Spring Season
Maria Luisa Garbato – Adriana
Renato Grimaldi – Maurizio
Attilio d’Orazi – Michonnet
Stella Silva – Princess
Marzio Lauricella – Prince
Seán Mitten – Quinault
Frank Dunne – Poisson
Hila Gharakhanian – Jouvenot
Colette McGahon – Dangeville
Brendan Cavanagh – Abbé
Napoleone Annovazzi – Conductor
Dario Micheli – Producer
LA GIOCONDA – PONCHIELLI
Presented on Apr 22, 24, 26 at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin and on Apr 28, 30 at the Opera House Cork as part of the Dublin Grand Opera Society’s Spring Season
Lorenza Canepa – Gioconda
Ernesto Veronelli – Enzo
Bernadette Greevy – Laura
Antonio Salvadori – Barnaba
Ruth Maher – Cieca
Aurio Tomicich – Alvise
Frank Dunne – Isepo / Singer
Seán Mitten – Zuane
Frank O’Brien – Pilot / Monk
Napoleone Annovazzi – Conductor
Dario Micheli – Producer
Filling the chair vacated by Colonel O’Kelly was not going to be the formality many members of the society had expected in January 1980. It was thought that Donnie Potter, who had been the acting chairman since his death, would be elected unopposed at the spring AGM, but soon however popular Prince (Freddie) Caracciolo let it be known that he was a candidate and at the age of sixty-nine did not consider himself too old. Both men were long and devoted servants of the society and well capable of following in the Colonel’s footsteps, even if they lacked his powerful personal drive and expansive personality. Potter became a patron in 1954 and by 1962 was serving on the management committee and a year later made his first trip to the Continent with Colonel O’Kelly to audition and contract artists for Dublin. Apart from
his opera commitments, he was a businessman, vice-chairman of the Mountjoy Prison Visiting Committee, and an keen golfer and swimmer. Since the mid-seventies he and his wife Moyra – she was also prominent in the Ladies’ Committee – had been organising special opera trips to European and North American capitals and these had become deservedly popular with DGOS members. Freddie Caracciolo, as he was known to his friends, was associated with the society since the late forties and helped to swing the Italian government subvention that opened the doors for the appearance in Dublin of singers such as Silveri, Gobbi, Stignani, Zeani, Protti and others. Over the years he served on the patrons’ committee as well as the management committee and edited the society’s brochure for fifteen years. Behind his charm and amiability though, he was a tough and successful businessman, and a member of the Irish Georgian Society and An Taisce. The election of either candidate ensured continuity in so far as both were totally committed to the ideals of the society and its future well-being. It promised to be a bonny fight. ‘We were expecting a close contest,’ recalls Aileen Walsh, ‘and both men I knew were eager for victory. Donnie Potter had the edge on age and the experience of working more closely with Bill O’Kelly.’ In the weeks leading up to the AGM there had been, according to chorus members, friendly banter and some mudslinging between both camps. To some, Caracciolo was the better qualified candidate artistically while the Potter camp believed their man’s influence in political circles, especially Fianna Fail, was an extremely useful asset to the society in times of financial crisis – and had been so in the past. He was also the society’s representative on the Arts Council. The AGM took place in the Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, and attracted an over-flow attendance of the society’s patrons and performing members. Aileen Walsh recalls that as their president Tony Hughes took his seat to preside over the meeting, there was a definite air of expectancy. ‘I can still remember people saying there would be only a few votes between them. I felt that Donnie Potter would win the contest and so did others.’ Her prediction was proved correct, though the voting was close and exciting. Afterwards, there were cordial exchanges and Potter was applauded as he was declared the society’s new chairman and, of course, successor to Colonel Bill O’Kelly. He was very much his own man and determined to do it his way, which meant strengthening the existing structures and to continue to press the Arts Council for more money. Before long, Mary Sheridan found him easier to deal with than Bill O’Kelly with regard to fees. ‘It could be a hassle with Bill,’ she said, but Donnie gave me what I asked for. I think that Irish singers benefited under his chairmanship and fees rose.’ One of the first things he did was to set up within the management committee a number of small sub-committees to help ease the burden of some and to allow others to find their feet in a particular field. He pledged also to continue with the William O’Kelly Memorial Concerts and in this respect had been fortunate, he said, to engage the outstanding Spanish tenor Jose Carreras and his recital was scheduled for September 29 at the RDS. It was plain that things would not change radically under Potter’s chairmanship and anyway most of the members, including the chorus, wanted it to remain that way.
(Extracted from “Love and Music: The Glorious History of the Dublin Grand Opera Society” by Gus Smith, 1998)
Opera in Ireland 