Going to the Opera

 As there are no letters for a few days, I thought that readers may be interested in hearing the voice of a different soldier involved in the Italian campaign, one who may have been in the same audience as Stan when attending the opera in Bari.

In John Strawson's book 'The Battle for Italy', Strawson quotes Douglas Orgill, who fought in the Italian campaign.  Orgill developed jaundice and was sent to a military hospital based in a "sumptuous villa".  After praising the quality of the food provided by the Red Cross, he goes on to say:

"Most of us during our year in Italy had either discovered or further indulged a liking for opera.  Its enjoyment varied from provincial companies in places like Bari or Taranto to an occasional treat on leave in Rome or Naples.  Being stationed nearby for a time my regiment developed a great affection for the Bari repertory company.  All the classic roles were performed by the same three singers, baritone, tenor and soprano, and so attached did we become that the sight of an Amazon-like Butterfly clutching a diminutive Pinkerton to her bosom touched us without exciting our ridicule.  Somehow we enjoyed all this more than the grand but less intimate performances in Rome."

You may remember that Stan saw the local 'rep' company perform 'Madam Butterfly' on 22 March.  In his letter to Grace he said:

"There’s not much to tell you about my doings during the last week.  I paid my weekly visit to the Opera two or three nights ago and saw “Madam Butterfly”.  It is one of my favourites.  The second act in which Butterfly sings “One Fine Day” whilst waiting for her lover to come back from America was absolutely grand."

I have a number of opera programmes which I cannot connect to mentions in Stan's letters, all performed at the ENSA Garrison Theatre in the 1944-45 season.  It you look at the two pictured below you will see that a number of people are singing key roles in both performances: Guerrino Masini, Amalia Remi, Gregorio Pasetti and Paolo Nettis appear in both casts.

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