The history of WFO. 1961-1969. Part 1.

When the curtain fell on the final night back in 1959, there was some concerns as to whether or not there would be another festival. The physical conditions in the Theatre Royal had deteriorated to such an extent that it was doubtful that Wexford could continue to attract top class talent to a venue which did not even have dressing rooms. In January 1960 it was announced that a major renovation project would be undertaken at the Theatre Royal. The scale of the work required could not be carried out in sufficient time to allow the festival to go ahead that year, so the first festival of the new decade was to take place in 1961. And not only would it be in a newly refurbished theatre, it would also have a new orchestra and a new time on the opera calendar. The tenth Wexford Festival was to run from September 24 to October 1. The operas to be staged were Ernani by Verdi and Mireille by Gounod. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra played for the eight opera performances.

Ragnar Ulfung in Ernani

Ernani was Verdi's fifth opera, and was continuing the tradition of Italian opera that had been so dominant throughout the 1950's. Mariella Angioletti returned as a late stand in to sing the lead soprano role. Norwegian tenor Ragnar Ulfung sang the title role. Italian baritone Lino Puglisi was cast as Don Carlo, in what would be the first of four consecutive years at Wexford, and Ugo Trama was Don Silva. The conductor was Brian Balkwill, and these performances were to be his last at Wexford. The director was Peter Ebert who was by now in his eight season at Wexford.





Charles Gounod's Mireille was to be Wexford's first French opera. For this Dr.Tom had travelled to Paris to find singers, and the principal roles were sung by soprano Andrea Guiot, tenor Alain Vanzo and baritone Jean Borthayre. All of these were leading singers with the Paris Opera as well as featuring on many recordings. Michael Moores conducted the performances. Anthony Besch directed and Osbert Lancaster's designs made great use of the much enlarged stage area.

Vanzo, Guiot and Borthayre

Stage set for Mireille, 1961

Unfortunately, the 1961 festival was not a great success despite the excellent casts, and greater scenic possibilities offered at the renovated Theatre Royal. Various factors were thought to have contributed to this. The earlier than usual time of the festival, plus there not having been a festival the previous year were believed to be the principal causes. However, Dr.Tom also believed that the presence of Bertram Mills' circus in Wexford for some days during the festival also played a part !

Because of this, planing for the 1962 event was much later than usual. Despite not having a fixed program in mind, Dr.Tom set out to Milan to find singers. He had some titles in mind, and would try to finalise the program based on what artists he heard. The festival opened in October with L'amico Fritz, a delightful lyric comedy by Mascagni. Wexford favourite, Nicola Monti returned to sing the title role of Fritz, and this would prove to be his final Wexford appearance. Also returning, and for the final time was baritone Paolo Pedani. They were joined by two Irish stars both making their Wexford debuts; mezzo Bernadette Greevy and soprano Veronica Dunne. The opera was very well received all round.  

Nicola Monti, Bernadette Greevy, Paolo Pedani, Veronica Dunne, in L'amico Fritz

The second opera that season was selected solely on the possibility of having one particular singer. As mentioned above, Dr.Tom has some titles in mind when he set out to Milan. During a meeting with another important agent, Ada Finzi, he mentioned some of these operas. Dr.Tom described Finzi as a small bird-like women, with whom he was on good terms. When he mentioned I Puritani, he said that Finzi looked at him sharply and quizzically, and asked if he would like Mirella Freni to sing in it. Dr.Tom reminded Finzi of the fees that Wexford could afford. At that time the top fee Wexford paid was £100 per performance. Finzi asked what he could find for Freni, to which Dr.Tom instantly replied £120. Finzi replied "that is agreed". Dr.Tom reminded Finzi that Freni was performing in Glydebourne, having seen her there a few days previously, and how could she be sure Freni would agree. Finzi replied that it would be fine, and indeed it was, as Mirella Freni came to Wexford in October 1962, and created a storm. The following January she sang Mimi in the famous Zefferlli - von Karajan production of La Boheme at La Scala. The rest is operatic history.

Mirella Freni in I Puritani

The point of this story is that Freni, having successfully sung what were mainly soubrette roles for a number of years, was anxious to break into heavier repertoire. She realised she was putting her career at risk. Before important theatres would engage her for the heavier roles, she would have to prove herself in a smaller theatre, and in a smaller theatre she was running the risk of failure due to overall lower artistic standards. Dr.Tom considered it a great compliment that Ada Finzi entrusted this experimental performance to Wexford. Freni was joined by tenor Luciano Saldari, baritone Lino Puglisi and bass Franco Ventriglia. The Radio Eireann Symphony Orchestra made it's first appearance and played for both operas, and would remain in the Wexford pit for almost the next forty years.


The festival of 1963 saw three operas presented at Wexford for the first time. These were Don Pasquale by Donizetti, La Gioconda by Ponchielli and The Siege of Rochelle by Balfe. The Balfe opera was given one fully staged performance with piano accompaniment in the Theatre Royal, while the other two works had 4 performances each. Dr.Tom wanted to cast Irish singers in The Siege of Rochelle, but was frustrated by either their limited availability or lack of interest in appearing at Wexford. The production of Don Pasquale was new, and not a revival from 1953 as some people still believe. Italian soprano Margerita Rinaldi was a last minute replacement and was a charming Norina. Hungarian tenor Alfonz Bartha was her lover Ernesto. Dino Mantovani was Malatesta, and the title role was sung by the Dutch bass, Guus Hoekman.

Even today, Ponchielli's 4 act opera La Gioconda can prove to be a challenge to even the best equipped and resourced opera company. Back in 1963 it was considered by many to be impossible to stage in Wexford. Yet, it was; and very successfully. Director Peter Ebert and designer Reginald Woolley used every last inch of the small stage to recreate the Venetian setting. The cast was superb also. Lino Puglisi and Franco Ventriglia returned to sing Barnaba and Alvise respectively. Gloria Lane sang Laura, while Spanish soprano Enriqueta Tarres sang the title role. The tenor role of Enzo Grimaldo was taken by the Italian tenor Giuseppe Gismondo who was well established in the Italian theatres at this time. It is interesting to note that Dr.Tom had offered this role to Luciano Pavarotti, but he declined saying that he did not want to learn a new role for what could probably be his only time singing it. Giuseppe Gismondo, was remembered by backstage crew not just for his excellent voice. The second act of the opera is set on-board a ship. As the act ends, Enzo sets fire to the ship before jumping overboard to avoid capture. In the Wexford production, just as he is about leave the stage,  Enzo threw a real flaming torch into the wings on  the opposite side of the stage, where a number of the backstage crew were to catch it and quench it. Mr Gismondo noted that these guys were actually quite good at catching this. So, to liven things up, each night during the performances he would throw it higher and higher just to see how good their catching skills actually were. I very much doubt we would get away with that nowadays !               


A scene from La Gioconda

Before the 1964 festival took place there was serious turmoil behind the scenes. Dr.Tom resigned as Artistic Director, and the festival council had actually voted to discontinue the festival due to the serious financial situation. Even after this decision was made there was some behind the scenes diplomacy which thankfully resulted in the continuation of the festival, and Dr.Tom agreeing to continue as Artistic Director for the next 3 seasons.

A scene from Il conte Ory

Three operas were scheduled for 1964, and once again an opera by an Irish composer was performed, with 2 performances of Much Ado About Nothing by Sir Charles Stanford. Rossini's comedy Il conte Ory and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor completed the program. Il conte Ory was an Italian translation of Le comte Ory which Rossini wrote for Paris in 1828. In fact much of the music of Ory, was taken from his 1825 opera, Il viaggio a Reims, written to celebrate the coronation of Charles X. The cast was almost entirely Italian. Tenor Pietro Bottazzo sang the title role. Soprano Alberta Valentina was the Countess, with mezzo Stefania Malagu as the page Isolier and bass Federico Davia as the tutor.

Lucia di Lammermoor is perhaps one of Donizetti's best known works. Even in the mid 1960's it was quite frequently performed, and as such was considered a strange choice for Wexford. At this time there was a view among certain sections of the festival executive council that some more well known operas should be included in the programing, and Lucia was a concession to this. Casting was a strong as ever. Lino Puglisi and Franco Ventriglia were to return for the final time, to sing Enrico and Raimondo. Soprano Karola Agai from Hungary was engaged for the title role.The tenor role of Edgardo, was taken by Spanish tenor Giacomo Aragall. Prior to his appearance at Wexford, Aragall had won the prestigious Verdi singing competition in Italy, after which he Italianised his name from Jaime to Giacomo. Appearances at all the major Italian theatres including La Scala followed. In fact when he made his debut at La Scala in 1962 at the age of 23 he was the youngest tenor ever to debut at that theatre. Aragall went on to have a very good career, but he was considered a little uneven. A stunning performance could be followed by a mediocre one. Dr.Tom put this down to nervous intensity, as he described Aragall as the most highly strung singer he ever knew, and as you will appreciate, most singers are highly strung !

Franco Ventriglia and Giacomo Aragall

1965 has gone down in Wexford Festival history as "the year of the three Eberts". The operas that year were La Traviata by Verdi, which was directed by Peter Ebert with designs by Reginald Woolley. La finta giardiniera by Mozart, also directed by Peter Ebert, with designs by his daughter Judith. These productions would be Peter's last at Wexford. The final opera was Massenet's late masterpiece Don Quichotte, directed by his father, Carl Ebert, with designs by Reginald Woolley. 

La Traviata was well cast and staged but was not considered a success. Egyptian soprano Jeanette Pilou was Violetta with tenor Veriano Luchetti as Alfred and baritone Octav Enigaresco as his father. It is worth noting that tenor Philip Langridge was making his festival debut that year in the role of Gastone. Dr.Tom had wanted to stage a Mozart opera for quite a while, but realised that to do so he would need a perfect cast. He found it for La finta giardiniera. The opera was written by the 18year old Mozart for Munich, and shortly after this he translated it into German, and this was the version that flourished. But even in the German version it was only performed occasionally. These Wexford performances gave the original Italian version a new lease of life, and the opera has since gained a tentative foothold on the repertory.

Dr. T.J. Walsh with cast of La finta giardiniera

Contino Belfiore was sung by Italian tenor Ugo Benelli, in his first appearance at Wexford, an association that would continue over many operas and years. Sopranos Mattiwilda Dobbs, Birgit Nordin and Maddalena Bonifaccio, mezzo Stefania Malagu, tenor Francis Egerton and bass Federico Davia completed the cast.

Carl Ebert was a German, (later American) producer and administrator. He studied and worked as an actor before moving into directing. In 1934 together with Fritz Busch and John Christie he set up the Glyndebourne Festival and served as Artistic Director until 1959. He also founded the Turkish State School of Opera and Drama. Having been head of the opera school at the University of Southern California from 1948, he returned to Berlin in 1954 as general administrator of the State Opera until 1961 when he retired. From then until 1967 he occasionally accepted invitations to work as guest director, and this was the case with Wexford in 1965. Dr.Tom remarked that this "brought a feeling of true greatness to the festival". Don Quichotte premiered at Monte Carlo, with the great Russian bass Chaliapin in the title role. In Wexford, Yugoslav bass Miroslav Cangalovic took the lead, and was joined by his countryman Ladko Korosec as his trusty squire Sancho. Czech mezzo Ivana Mixova sang Dulcinee. Albert Rosen, the Austrian born Czech conductor lead the performances, in what was be the first of many operas he was the conduct at Wexford over a period of thirty years.

A scene from Don Quichotte

The 1966 festival was to be Dr.Tom's final festival as Artistic Director. He had informed the council of his decision in August 1965. For his final season, financial issues meant that only two works could be staged and they were Fra Diavolo by Auber, and Lucrezia Borgia by Donizetti. Fra Diavolo is an opera-comique, but at Wexford it was performed in an Italian translation. Ugo Benelli, and Alberta Valentina made return visits to sing Diavolo and Zerlina. Italians Antonio Boyer, Enrico Fissore and Renato Ercolani, were also joined by Anna Reynolds, Nigel Douglas and Pascal Allen to complete the line up. Myer Fredman conducted, Dennis Maunder directed and designs were by Reginald Woolley.

 Ugo Benelli, Walter Alberti and Alberta Valntina in Fra Diavolo

The title role of Lucrezia Borgia was sung by the American-Italian soprano Virginia Gordoni. Her husband Don Alfonso was sung by Turkish bass Ayhan Baran. The tenor role of Gennaro, who turns out to be her son, was taken by Angelo Mori and Stefania Malagu returned for the final time as Orsini. Reginald Woolley designed, Frith Banbury directed and Albert Rosen was the conductor. My late uncle was a member of the backstage team for over 50 years, and told me many stories of the past festivals. I would to like to share what he told me about Lucrezia Borgia. 

Gordoni came to Wexford with a great reputation and was expected to be the star of the festival. At the public dress rehearsal things changed. Don Alfonso has a big aria midway through Act 1, and after Ayhan Baran sang it, the audience went crazy, with people actually standing and cheering. On opening night rumour spread backstage that Gordoni could not sing. She said that the stage was too cold and would affect her voice. Dr.Tom went to the backstage crew and said to them; "get a heater, it will make no difference, fly it over the stage where she could see it and I will do the rest". Dr.Tom went to Gordoni's dressing room. He later told the crew what had transpired. He said he "apologised for the cold in the theatre. This was caused by drafts due to the theatre doors being open to allow in the hundreds of people who had come from all over Ireland to hear Gordoni". She swallowed it hook line and sinker, went on stage and sang like a bird for the rest of the festival.

Ayhan Baran and Virginia Gordoni