Barton Mc Guckin - With Carl Rosa 1880-1887

With Carl Rosa 1880-1887

He made his stage debut with the Carl Rosa Opera Company in 1880, and remained with them at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane until 1887, singing in London and the provinces. He achieved great success, both for brilliant singing and for his acting. In this period he created several important roles, notably Phoebus in A. Goring Thomas's Esmeralda (with Georgina Burns, Clara Perry, James Ludwig, Ben Davies (his operatic debut) and Leslie Crotty, in 1883; next Orso, the hero, in Alexander Mackenzie's Colomba, with Alwina Valleria and Franco Novara, again in 1883; then Waldemar in Goring Thomas's Nadeshda, much acclaimed, with Alwina Valleria, Josephine Yorke and Leslie Crotty in 1885, and also Oscar in Frederick Corder's Nordisa in 1887. All were under the baton of Alberto Randegger and the artistic direction of Augustus Harris. In January 1885 he played Des Grieux in the first performance in England (at Liverpool) of Massenet's Manon, with Marie Roze. In 1887 and 1888 he visited the United States, and sang in opera there.