Misplaced Pages

#960039

33-711: The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl Rosa , a German-born musical impresario, and his wife, British operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company premiered many operas in the UK, employing a mix of established opera stars and young singers, reaching new opera audiences with popularly priced tickets. It survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it

66-721: A few serious operas such as La bohème , often performed in the original languages. Recent conductors have included David Russell Hulme and Martin Handley. Directors include Timothy West . Notes Sources Carl Rosa Rosa was born Karl August Nikolaus Rose in Hamburg , Germany, the son of Ludwig Rose, a Hamburg businessman, and Sophie Becker. His father subsequently took him to Edinburgh. A child prodigy, Rosa toured in Scotland from age 12 to age 16, eventually earning glowing notices. Beginning in 1859, he studied at

99-479: A limited company, and it was in good financial and artistic shape at the time of his death. Hamilton Clarke was appointed conductor of the company in 1893. In 1897, the company gave the first British performance of Puccini 's La bohème in Manchester under the supervision of the composer. The company then gave a season at Covent Garden , at reduced prices, aimed at attracting "the masses" to opera. By 1900

132-906: A member of a concert troupe promoted by the Baltimore impresario Hezekiah Linthicum Bateman that also included the Scottish operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa . During this tour, on 26 February 1867 in New York City, he married Parepa, who became known as Madame Parepa-Rosa . In 1869, in collaboration with the Chicago impresario C. D. Hess, the couple formed the Parepa Rosa English Opera Company in New York and toured in America for three seasons, with Parepa as

165-709: A planned 1874 season at the Drury Lane Theatre . Gilbert expanded one of the comic Bab Ballads that he had written for Fun magazine into a one-act libretto titled Trial by Jury . Parepa died in January 1874; Rosa dropped the project and cancelled his planned 1874 season. Rosa later endowed a Parepa-Rosa scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He married a second time in 1881. With his second wife, Josephine (d. 1927), he had four children. The company's first London season opened at

198-491: A second London season, which featured the first performance in English of Wagner 's The Flying Dutchman , with Santley in the title role. For the next fifteen years, the company prospered and earned good notices, with provincial tours and London seasons, frequently in conjunction with Augustus Harris at the Drury Lane Theatre . Such was the success of the company that at one point three Carl Rosa touring troupes were set up. In October 1892, Rosa's Grand Opera Company received

231-432: A sound financial footing. Regular London seasons alternated with large-scale provincial tours during the 1920s and 1930s. Although some productions had to be curtailed during World War II , the company nevertheless presented seasons in London and the provinces. Singers of the 1930s and 1940s included Dora Labbette , Joan Hammond , Heddle Nash , Norman Allin , Marina de Gabaráin and Otakar Kraus . Conductors included

264-537: The Carl Rosa Opera Company (the change in name reflecting her pregnancy) with a performance of William Vincent Wallace 's Maritana in Manchester on 1 September, and then toured England and Ireland. Rosa's policy was to present operas in English, and that remained the company's practice. That year, Rosa invited the dramatist W. S. Gilbert to write a libretto for Rosa to present as part of

297-449: The Drury Lane Theatre . Such was the success of the company that at one point three Carl Rosa touring troupes were set up. Rosa hired Alberto Randegger as the musical director of the company from 1879 to 1885. In 1880, George Grove wrote: "The careful way in which the pieces are put on the stage, the number of rehearsals, the eminence of the performers and the excellence of the performers have begun to bear their legitimate fruit, and

330-601: The Princess's Theatre in September 1875, playing The Marriage of Figaro , with Charles Santley as Figaro and Rose Hersee as Susanna. In 1876, Rosa staged a second London season, which featured the first performance in English of The Flying Dutchman with Santley in the title role. For the next fifteen years, under Rosa's guidance, the company prospered and earned good notices, with provincial tours and London seasons, frequently in conjunction with Augustus Harris at

363-529: The Carl Rosa Opera Company bids fair to become a permanent English institution." In 1892, Rosa's Grand Opera Company gave a command performance of La fille du régiment at Balmoral Castle . Rosa introduced many works of important opera repertoire to England for the first time, performing some 150 different operas over the years. Besides Santley and Hersee, Minnie Hauk , Joseph Maas , Barton McGuckin and Giulia Warwick were some of

SECTION 10

#1732780407961

396-737: The Conservatorium at Leipzig (where he met and became lifelong friends with Arthur Sullivan ) and, in 1862, in Paris. In 1863, Rosa was appointed Konzertmeister at Hamburg, where he had occasional opportunities to conduct. Three years later he visited England, appearing as a soloist at the Crystal Palace . He had considerable success as a conductor both in England and the United States. He travelled to America in 1866 as

429-405: The company was facing financial problems from which it was rescued by the conductor Walter van Noorden and his brother Alfred, who took over and restored financial and artistic standards. The company presented two seasons at Covent Garden in 1907–08 and 1909, including new productions of Tannhäuser and Tristan and Isolde conducted by Eugène Goossens II . The company survived World War I and

462-439: The company's final curtain descended after Don Giovanni on 17 September 1960. Sadler's Wells took over some of the company's members and many of its touring dates. The new Carl Rosa Opera Limited was revived in 1997 under the artistic direction of Peter Mulloy. Since then, it has performed West End seasons and toured in the UK and internationally, offering a new repertoire of Gilbert and Sullivan , continental operettas and

495-534: The company's repertoire. An obituarist noted, "He had long looked forward to the time when Sir Arthur Sullivan would have undertaken a grand opera, and to the last had hoped to have been able to produce such a work." Shortly before his death, Rosa launched a light opera company that debuted with Robert Planquette 's Paul Jones . Rosa died suddenly in Paris, on 30 April 1889, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery , London. Rosa's place in English music

528-650: The ensuing furore, Procter-Gregg resigned, as did the chairman of the Carl Rosa Trust, Sir Donald Wolfit , and trustees Astra Desmond and Norman Allin. The Arts Council, which was accused in the House of Lords of "doing their level best to kill [the Carl Rosa company] off altogether", withdrew its grant. The Carl Rosa Trust raised money privately, and promoted a month's season at the Prince's Theatre in 1960, but

561-482: The famous singers associated with the company during its early years. Rosa also encouraged and supported new works by English composers. Frederic Hymen Cowen 's Pauline (1876), Arthur Goring Thomas 's Esmeralda (1883), Alexander Mackenzie 's Colomba (1883) and The Troubabour , and Charles Villiers Stanford 's The Canterbury Pilgrims (1884) were commissioned by the company. Earlier English operas by Wallace, Balfe and Julius Benedict were also included in

594-417: The famous singers associated with the company during its early years. Its successes included productions of Cherubini 's Les deux journées (1875); The Flying Dutchman (1876), with Santley in the title role; the first English-language production of Carmen (1879), starring Selina Dolaro in the title role and Durward Lely as Don José; Rienzi (1879); Lohengrin (1880); Tannhäuser (1882); and

627-570: The first British staging of Puccini's La bohème (1897). Alberto Randegger served as musical director of the company from 1879 to 1885, and Gustave Slapoffski was principal conductor from 1897 to 1900. The company also encouraged and supported new works by English composers. Pauline in 1876 ( Frederic Hymen Cowen ), Esmeralda in 1883 ( Arthur Goring Thomas ), Colomba in 1883, The Canterbury Pilgrims in 1884 ( Charles Villiers Stanford ), The Troubadour in 1886 ( Alexander Mackenzie ), and Nordisa in 1887 ( Frederick Corder ) were six of

660-492: The operas commissioned by the company. Earlier English operas by Wallace, Michael Balfe and Julius Benedict were also included in the company's repertoire – not just standard works like The Bohemian Girl and Maritana , but less-familiar operas such as Balfe's Satanella (1858) and Wallace's Lurline (1860). Carl Rosa died suddenly in Paris, on 30 April 1889, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery , London. Two years before his death, Rosa had turned his opera enterprise into

693-610: The pieces are put on the stage, the number of rehearsals, the eminence of the performers and the excellence of the performers have begun to bear their legitimate fruit, and the Carl Rosa Opera Company bids fair to become a permanent English institution." The company introduced many works of important opera repertoire to England for the first time, performing some 150 different operas over the years. Besides Santley and Hersee, Blanche Cole , Minnie Hauk , Alice Esty , Fanny Moody , Alice Barth , Georgina Burns, Joseph Maas , Barton McGuckin , Giulia Warwick and William Ludwig were some of

SECTION 20

#1732780407961

726-468: The refugees Walter Susskind (1942–44) Vilém Tauský (1945–49) and Peter Gellhorn , as well as Harold Gray (1943–1946). Phillips died in 1950. In 1953 the Carl Rosa Trust was formed in association with the Arts Council , who agreed to subsidise the company, now directed by Phillips's widow, Annette. The company gave seasons at Sadler's Wells in 1955 and 1956. In the 1950s, the musical director

759-413: The royal accolade, with a command performance of Donizetti 's La fille du régiment at Balmoral Castle . The French-American soprano Zélie de Lussan sang the heroine, Marie, and Aynsley Cook "vastly amused Queen Victoria as Sergeant Sulpice". In 1880, George Grove , editor of the authoritative musical reference work, Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians , wrote: "The careful way in which

792-493: The same time, the board of Sadler's Wells Opera made an approach to merge the two opera companies. This approach caused outrage in some operatic quarters, and Sadler's Wells's musical director ( Alexander Gibson ) and administrative heads ( Norman Tucker and Stephen Arlen ) resigned in protest. In response to the outcry, the board of the Welsh National Opera also made an attempt to merge with Carl Rosa Opera. In

825-405: The slough of despond in which it was found in 1875." Both during his life and after his death, his company had much to do with popularizing opera in England, encouraging native composers and training many singers who went on to international careers. His company survived his death and continued to perform opera in English until 1960. A new opera company, using the name, was revived in 1997 under

858-473: The star and Rosa as the conductor. It brought grand opera to places in America that had never seen any, performing Italian operas in English, which made them more accessible to American audiences. In 1872, the Rosas returned to England and also visited Europe and Egypt. Rosa changed the spelling of his name after he moved to England, where people took "Rose" as a monosyllable. In 1873 Rosa and his wife started

891-471: The star and Rosa as the conductor. It brought opera to places that had never seen any, performing Italian operas in English, which made them more accessible to American audiences. In 1872, the Rosas returned to England and also visited Europe and Egypt. In September the next year, they inaugurated the "Carl Rosa Opera" with a performance of William Vincent Wallace 's Maritana in Manchester , on 1 September, and then toured England and Ireland. Rosa's policy

924-417: The sudden death of Walter van Noorden in 1916, touring the British provinces. Many young British singers joined the company, including Olive Gilbert , Parry Jones , and Eva Turner , who sang Cio-Cio-San and Santuzza when the company presented three postwar seasons at Covent Garden. In 1924, after another financial crisis, H. B. Phillips became the company's owner and director, and placed it once more on

957-432: Was Arthur Hammond. Singers during this period included the dramatic soprano Ruth Packer , the tenor Charles Craig and the baritone Joseph Ward . The productions were traditional, but the repertory included some operatic rarities such as Puccini 's Manon Lescaut and Berlioz 's Benvenuto Cellini . Annette Phillips retired as director of the company in 1957 and was replaced by Professor Humphrey Procter-Gregg . At

990-444: Was appointed Konzertmeister at Hamburg, where he had occasional opportunities to conduct. He soon had considerable success as a conductor both in England and the United States. During an American tour in 1866–67 as conductor of a concert troupe that included the Scottish operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa , Rosa and Parepa were married. From 1869 to 1872, Rosa and his wife toured their own opera company through America, with Parepa as

1023-481: Was indicated by the number of leading musicians who attended his funeral, including Sullivan, Stanford, Mackenzie and George Grove , together with Richard D'Oyly Carte, George Edwardes and Augustus Harris . By the time he died, Rosa had demonstrated that English opera could be an artistic and financial success. In a memorial lecture, the critic Herman Klein said of him, "From an artistic point of view he achieved triumph after triumph; he lifted English opera out of

Carl Rosa Opera Company - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-435: Was obliged to close for lack of funds. The company was revived in 1997, presenting mostly lighter operatic works including those by Gilbert and Sullivan . The company "was arguably the most influential opera company ever in the UK". Carl Rosa was born Karl August Nikolaus Rose in Hamburg , Germany, the son of a local businessman. A child violin prodigy, Rosa studied at the Conservatorium at Leipzig and in Paris. In 1863 he

1089-571: Was to present operas in English, and that remained the company's practice. Parepa fell ill and died in January 1874, and Rosa married a second time in 1881, to Josephine (d. 1927), with whom he had four children. In November 1874, Carl Rosa Opera made its first of many visits to Scotland with a two-week season at Glasgow 's Prince of Wales Theatre. The company's first London season opened at the Princess's Theatre in September 1875, playing Mozart 's The Marriage of Figaro , with Charles Santley as Figaro and Rose Hersee as Susanna. In 1876, Rosa staged

#960039