Ian Wallace (singer) Again in Scotland, he appeared at Ledlanet Nights in his one-man shows and other performances including Colas in Mozart's early singspiel "Bastien und Bastienne"; Schlendrian in Bach's "Coffee Cantata"; and Mr Somers in "Gentleman's Island" by Joseph Horovitz. Also in the 1960s, he sang the main Donizetti buffo roles, "Don Pasquale" (Welsh National Opera, 1967) and Dulcamara in "L'elisir d'amore" (Glyndebourne Touring Opera, 1968). A late addition to his repertoire was Polyphemus in Handel's "Acis and Galatea" in 1977. Though not a fluent sight-reader of unfamiliar music, Wallace took on out-of-the way operatic roles including Konchak in "Prince Igor", Wagner
The Diary of a Madman (opera) The Diary of a Madman (opera) The Diary of a Madman is a one-act chamber opera by the composer Humphrey Searle. It is based on the short story of the same name by Nikolai Gogol. The opera was premiered in 1958 in Berlin. The libretto is by the composer. The work, which is the first of Searle's operas, was commissioned by Hermann Scherchen, then the director of the Berlin Festival. Scherchen gave Searle complete choice of subject, stipulating only that the orchestra be of no more than 15 players, and that there should be no more than four singing roles.