Meston Reid
Encyclopedia
Alexander Meston Reid better known as Meston Reid, was a Scottish
opera singer, best known for his performances in tenor
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
.
, Scotland. He began his musical career as a boy soprano. At the age of eighteen, he joined the Lyric Musical Society of Aberbeen, and also sang with the Inverness
Opera Company. He made his professional debut at the Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen, in a Scottish variety show, then sang with Sadler's Wells Opera for four years, first in the chorus before graduating to small parts. His first solo role was Lun Tha in The King and I
in 1972. In 1973 he appeared in The Leslie Crowther Show, Lilac Time
, and later that year was Sid-el-Karr in The Desert Song
.
Reid joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1974, singing Earl Tolloller in Iolanthe
. He soon added the roles of Mr. Box in Cox and Box
, Alexis Poindextre in The Sorcerer
, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
, the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
, Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore
, and Marco Palmieri in The Gondoliers
. When Utopia Limited was revived for the 1975 Centenary season, Reid played the role of Captain Fitzbattleaxe. In 1975, also, Reid added Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance
and Leonard Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
to his repertoire. He added Prince Hilarion in Princess Ida
when that opera was revived in February 1977. In 1977, he played the role of Ralph in the Royal Command Performance
of Pinafore at Windsor Castle
to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee
. He continued to play principal tenor roles with the company until it closed in 1982.
After leaving D'Oyly Carte, Reid appeared in the chorus of The Metropolitan Mikado in 1985. He also sang with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, as well as in the show Grand Tour of Melody with Richard Baker
. In 1989, he went on concert tours of Scotland, and in 1993 he appeared in concerts with "The Stars of Operetta."
From 1987 to 1993 Reid also worked as a director of the Godalming Operatic Society, an amateur society with a long history of ex-D'Oyly Carte directors and producers. He died suddenly in 1993 at the age of 48.
(1976), Marco in The Gondoliers (1977), Aesculapius Carboy in The Zoo
(1978), and Leonard Meryll in Yeomen (1979). In 1989 he made a recording of traditional Scottish songs.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
opera singer, best known for his performances in tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
.
Life and career
Meston Reid was born in Royal Deeside, AberdeenshireAberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland. He began his musical career as a boy soprano. At the age of eighteen, he joined the Lyric Musical Society of Aberbeen, and also sang with the Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
Opera Company. He made his professional debut at the Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen, in a Scottish variety show, then sang with Sadler's Wells Opera for four years, first in the chorus before graduating to small parts. His first solo role was Lun Tha in The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
in 1972. In 1973 he appeared in The Leslie Crowther Show, Lilac Time
Lilac Time
Lilac Time can refer to:*Das Dreimäderlhaus, a 1922 operetta also produced under the name Lilac Time*The Lilac Time, a British alternative rock band...
, and later that year was Sid-el-Karr in The Desert Song
The Desert Song
The Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
.
Reid joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1974, singing Earl Tolloller in Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
. He soon added the roles of Mr. Box in Cox and Box
Cox and Box
Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers, is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce Box and Cox by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic opera. The story concerns a landlord who lets a room to two...
, Alexis Poindextre in The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer
The Sorcerer is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of The Sorcerer is based on a Christmas story, An Elixir of Love, that Gilbert wrote for The Graphic magazine in 1876...
, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, the Duke of Dunstable in Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore
Ruddigore
Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
, and Marco Palmieri in The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers
The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances , closing on 30 June 1891...
. When Utopia Limited was revived for the 1975 Centenary season, Reid played the role of Captain Fitzbattleaxe. In 1975, also, Reid added Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
and Leonard Meryll in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
to his repertoire. He added Prince Hilarion in Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
when that opera was revived in February 1977. In 1977, he played the role of Ralph in the Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
of Pinafore at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
. He continued to play principal tenor roles with the company until it closed in 1982.
After leaving D'Oyly Carte, Reid appeared in the chorus of The Metropolitan Mikado in 1985. He also sang with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, as well as in the show Grand Tour of Melody with Richard Baker
Richard Baker (broadcaster)
Richard Baker OBE is a British broadcaster best known as a newsreader for the BBC News from 1954 to 1982. He was a contemporary of Kenneth Kendall and Robert Dougall and was the first person to read the BBC Television News in 1954. At one time he lived in Barnet, North London...
. In 1989, he went on concert tours of Scotland, and in 1993 he appeared in concerts with "The Stars of Operetta."
From 1987 to 1993 Reid also worked as a director of the Godalming Operatic Society, an amateur society with a long history of ex-D'Oyly Carte directors and producers. He died suddenly in 1993 at the age of 48.
Recordings
Reid's roles recorded with D'Oyly Carte included Fitzbattleaxe in Utopia (1976), Ernest Dummkopf in The Grand DukeThe Grand Duke
The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel, is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on March 7, 1896, and ran for 123 performances...
(1976), Marco in The Gondoliers (1977), Aesculapius Carboy in The Zoo
The Zoo
The Zoo is a one-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by B. C. Stephenson, writing under the pen name of Bolton Rowe. It premiered on 5 June 1875 at the St. James's Theatre in London , concluding its run five weeks later, on 9 July 1875, at the Haymarket Theatre...
(1978), and Leonard Meryll in Yeomen (1979). In 1989 he made a recording of traditional Scottish songs.
External links
- Meston Reid at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte
- Profile of Reid