Musical Direction and Conduction by Stuart Stratford ★★★★ When the pomp and visage of opera rein in, and the lavish nature of sets, costumes and lighting make way for the humbleness of the heart of it all: the music, something quite remarkable can happen. And that’s precisely what occurred at the Usher Hall on Saturday, … Continue reading The Verdi Collection – Usher Hall
https://youtu.be/4LidSTvY5OM Libretto by David Henry Hwang Direction & Choreography by Deborah Colker Conducted by Stuart Stratford ★★★★★ Deborah Colker for Scottish Opera has rightened a dichotomy: for nearly two decades, Osvaldo Golijov was the emergence of a postmodernist complexity within the classical world – and his ability to merge Latin American music with the potentials … Continue reading Ainadamar – Festival Theatre
Libretto by W. S. Gilbert Music by Arthur Sullivan Artistic Direction by Alan Borthwick Musical Direction by David Lyle ★★★ There’ll be no parlay amongst these pirates, as The Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society take to the high seas to land their production of The Pirates of Penzance safely into the King's Theatre. But with tongue-twisters and … Continue reading Pirates of Penzance – King’s theatre
https://youtu.be/wgzyPG68UFA Based on the work of William Shakespeare Musical Direction by Dominic Hill Conduction by Stuart Stratford ★★★★★ Shakespearean Opera – it’s a nightmare of a concoction, merging two gigantic forms of artistic expression, running the risk of overwrought emotion or needless complexity. More often than not, the scroll of failures outweighs the pleasant experiences. … Continue reading Scottish Opera: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Festival Theatre
Composed by Giacomo Puccini Conducted by Stuart Stratford ★★★★ Giacomo Puccini. You’d be rather hard-pressed to source a composer of more influence or esteem in the Operatic world; Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Turandot, La Rondine – the progression from Romanticist composer to verismo, Puccini acclimates his works and styles throughout the decades, his various Operatics being adapted, … Continue reading Scottish Opera: The Puccini Collection – Caird Hall
https://youtu.be/BcS1Z1Uh4-s Directed by Stuart Maunder Conducted by Derek Clark and Jonathon Cole-Swinard ★★★★ With tremendous beliefs comes temptation, and when one of two happy-go-lucky Gondoliers is revealed to be the rightful inheritor of a distant kingdom, their Republican ideals are put to the test. Not for greed or glory, but to revolutionise the archaic rule … Continue reading The Gondoliers – Festival Theatre
https://youtu.be/HYcx9lFa3jE Directed by Jeanne Pansard-Besson Music Director & Piano by Fiona MacSherry ★★★★ Stripped back, raw and accessible, Scottish Opera returns with a Highlights season after a two-year gap. This Autumn outing tour across multiple Scottish locations feels like a return to the roots of the industry, playing smaller venues and cutting to the heart … Continue reading Scottish Opera: Highlights – Byre Theatre
Conducted by Stuart Stratford Libretto by Giuseppe Verdi ★★★★ Giuseppe Verdi’s final opera Falstaff emphasises the comedic aspects of the mistaken identities, love triangles and caddish rogues who litter history. Adapted from Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, the opera follows Sir John Falstaff, as plump as he is lustful, as he attempts to keep his dwindling reputation as a … Continue reading Falstaff – Edinburgh International Festival
Conducted by Lothar Koenig Accompanied by The Royal Scottish National Orchestra Adapted from Richard Strauss's 1916 Version ★★★★★ The concept of a comedic opera is far from a unique creation, nor is the sort of ballet featuring humorous segments or narrative. However, infusing the two together is refreshingly dynamic in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, which sees … Continue reading Ariadne auf Naxos – Edinburgh International Festival
Directed by Frederic Wake-Walker Conducted by John Butt Libretto by Errollyn Wallen ★★★ Billing itself as a sequel of sorts, Errollyn Wallen’s new libretto Dido’s Ghost not only begins where Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas concludes, but also seeks to entwine the two. In doing so, it offers a performance of the original that is intermittently stitched into the new production. Through flashback and … Continue reading Dido’s Ghost – Edinburgh International Festival
