During its years of active production, the Carl Rosa Opera Company is known to have made many live broadcasts on radio (although only one is known to have actually survived) and also issued a series of bespoke studio-made 78rpm recordings.
We’d love to be able to add to our list of extant recordings – if you know of any that aren’t covered here, please do make contact.
LIST 1 – COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS
During the early 1930s, conductors Arthur Hammond and Richard Austin supervised a series of recordings for the Imperial / Crystalate record company – each 78rpm disc contained a series of highlights from a single opera spread over two sides. Each disc was issued with a printed slip detailing the cast and contents. The records are as follows:
| Z.113 (Matrix 132 &133A) | FAUST with Ivor John (Faust), Constance Stocker (Siebel), Redvers Llewellyn (Valentine), Mabel Baker (Marguerita), Frederic Collier (Mephistopheles); conducted by Arthur Hammond |
| Z.115 (Matrix 146A & 148A) | LOHENGRIN with William Boland (Lohengrin), Pauline Maunder (Elsa), Constance Stocker (Ortrud), conducted by Arthur Hammond |
| Z.116 (Matrix 134 & 135) | RIGOLETTO with Mabel Baker, Constance Stocker, John Clifford, AH |
| Z.119 (Matrix 141A & 142) | TALES OF HOFFMANN, conducted by Richard Austin |
| Z.130 (Matrix 136A & 137A) | FLYING DUTCHMAN with Pauline Maunder, Collier, Ivor John as Steersman, conducted by Arthur Hammond |
| Z.133 (Matrix?) | CARMEN |
| Z.135 (Matrix?) | I PAGLIACCI with William Boland |
| Z.146 (Matrix?) | MADAM BUTTERFLY, conducted by Richard Austin |
| Z.147 (Matrix 144A & 145A) | IL TROVATORE, conducted by Arthur Hammond |
| Z.148 (Matrix?) | MARITANA |
| Z.149 (Matrix?) | TANNHAUSER |
| Z.150 (Matrix?) | CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA |
LIST 2 – KNOWN BROADCASTS
There were frequent radio relays of performances by the Carl Rosa Opera Company during the 1930s and 40s – and thereafter until the closure of the company. Only one of these is known to have survived (see below).
| Benvenuto Cellini (Berlioz) | Broadcast from …. on ….. (Coming Soon) |
LIST 3 – OTHER RECORDINGS OF CARL ROSA ARTISTS
| Ben Davies | Coming soon |
| Zelie de Lussan | Coming soon |
| Evelyn Scotney | Coming soon |
| Eva Turner | Coming soon |
| Joseph O’Mara | Coming soon |
| Barton McGuckin | Coming soon |
| Louise Kirkby Lunn | Coming soon |
| G H Snazelle | Coming soon |
| Robert Cunningham | “Yes, let me like a soldier fall” (Maritana) |