Scottish Opera Archives - North West End UK

Scottish Opera: The Strauss Collection – Usher Hall

9Mar

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Scottish Opera: The Strauss Collection – Usher Hall

Delivering once again a powerful and meticulous performance, Scottish Opera presented a collection of Richard Strauss’ finest works at the Usher Hall. Led by musical director Stuart Stratford, we were taken on a journey filled with melodrama and sly wit that still translates to the modern-day audience. To begin the concert we were presented with the Prologue of Ariadne auf Naxos - a surprisingly self-referential piece where we see an opera take place within the opera - very meta (mise en abyme if you’re fancy). Helena Dix takes the role of Prima Donna by storm with sass and self-assurance, reminding us that opera is not all doom and gloom. Hanna Hipp and Rhian Lois made for a dynamic duo, both with a stunning clarity to their voices. The contrasting roles H...

The Makropulos Affair – Festival Theatre

2Mar

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Makropulos Affair – Festival Theatre

As ever, Scottish Opera delivers sumptuous sets, great lighting, singers who can act, and a wonderful orchestra that never disappoints, but this English rendition of The Makropulos Affair, by Leoš Janàček jarred my senses with its modern-day, casual lexicon. Words, such as F*ck somehow don’t marry comfortably with the impassioned, heightened music and traditional, elegant, and beautiful costumes. It was, no doubt, a deliberate choice. Creating a grating cacophonous lexicon - the use of brutal Viking words rather than those of Latin derivatives gives the opera an earthy groundedness - and caused me a headache. I wanted to lose my sense of reality for an hour or two. I was denied the option. Single syllables and short sentences (translation by David Pountney) reflect the sheer en...

Scottish Opera’s The Puccini Collection – Usher Hall

25Nov

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

Scottish Opera’s The Puccini Collection – Usher Hall

As a lifelong Puccini fan, there’s nothing quite like hearing his music live, and Scottish Opera’s The Puccini Collection at the Usher Hall did not disappoint. This was a moving and celebratory tribute to mark the centenary of Puccini’s death, with Stuart Stratford conducting the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and a stellar line-up of soloists. The programme was brilliantly chosen. Alongside famous excerpts from Tosca, La Bohème, and Turandot, we were treated to earlier works like Le Villi and Edgar—pieces that are seldom performed but give insight into Puccini’s evolution as a composer. The decision to include extended scenes, not just standalone arias, made the performance feel more immersive, as though we were being drawn into the emotional worlds of the operas themselves. Stuart Str...

14Nov

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

Albert Herring – Festival Theatre

On Wednesday night, Scottish Opera brought Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring to the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, offering an evening of comic charm and lively satire. Directed by Daisy Evans, this fresh production reimagines Britten’s comic opera in the 1990s English countryside, a setting that adds humour and nostalgia to the story. Originally inspired by a Maupassant tale, Albert Herring revolves around its shy, naive protagonist, Albert, who’s crowned the town’s “May King” after no “morally suitable” young woman is found. The plot follows Albert’s transformation as he wrestles with the town’s rigid expectations and his yearning for personal freedom. Glen Cunningham’s portrayal of Albert captures both innocence and a quiet depth, making his character’s journey both touching and humo...

Oedipus Rex – National Museum of Scotland

13Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Oedipus Rex – National Museum of Scotland

Set in the National Museum of Scotland with the full Scottish Opera orchestra, this one-hour Stravinski/Cocteau spectacular soared to fill the great dome of the beautiful Museum Hall. Conductor, Stuart Stratford, must have gone home buzzing along with his musicians. The instrumentalists were fabulous, as were the vocals. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that an opera has been staged in the Museum. It is a great space and allowed the audience to choose whether to watch from above, along with the ornately costumed gods, or mingle with the chorus below and feel part of the production. It is theatre in the round and that brings benefits and difficulties. You feel closer to the action but then again, you might miss bits. I looked down from “the gods” but would want to go again to ...

Scottish Opera: La traviata – Festival Theatre

8Jun

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Scottish Opera: La traviata – Festival Theatre

It is an under-reported fact that the 2001 Baz Luhrman jukebox musical Moulin Rouge is an adaptation of 1853 Verdi opera La Traviata, itself an adaptation of the 1848 novel La Dame aux Camelias, the most famous (and autobiographical) work of Alexandre Dumas Fils (son of the more well-known creator of the Three Musketeers). All three works take place in Paris and, in all three, a famous courtesan (here Hye-Youn Lee as Violetta Valery) with consumption falls in love with an idealistic young man (here Ji-Min Park as Alfredo Germont) with a disapproving father (Giorgio Germont as Phillip Rhodes). She then forsakes all others until convinced to leave him by a father figure, which she does reluctantly with a lie, for an aristocrat (either a Count, a duke, or here Baron Douphol, played by Nichola...

Scottish Opera: The Verdi Collection – Usher Hall, Edinburgh

13Feb

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Scottish Opera: The Verdi Collection – Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Two 30ft tall gilded iconic Columns and Pilasters support the muscular un-curtained proscenium arch framing the gargantuan stage of the Usher Hall, internationally acclaimed music venue. It is angular, strong unfettered and on the tiered stage the orchestra of Scottish opera are arranged, and ready. The orchestra immediately launch into a frenzied overture, La Forza del destino, under the baton of Stuart Stratford, which puts a wide smile on the faces of the nearly full audience. Stuart then, rather breathlessly, addresses the packed audience and introduces a collection of some highlights from the middle years of Giuseppe Verdi, one of opera’s most beloved and recognisable figures. The format of the show is somewhat problematic, without a set, costume changes, lighting effects or pro...

Don Giovanni – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

7Jun

By Melissa JonesNo Comments

Scotland

Don Giovanni – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

‘Hurry hurry’ one character sings to another. ‘I can’t’ the other character replies. This is Mozart after all and the composer has never been known to keep things short and to the point. Don Giovanni doesn’t drag like the final acts of Figaro, but you do have to buckle yourself in for a lengthy ride. For those who don’t know the storyline of one of the greatest operas in the canon, the titular character of the opera, Don Giovanni, is more than just a philandering womanizing rake. He’s a liar, a rapist and a murderer. This is all apparent in the first 10 minutes when he’s already a committed a murder. As the opera progresses there are a series of characters baying for his blood, all wronged by his actions. When it seems he has achieved the impossible and dodged his demise he meets his en...

Edinburgh International Festival Announces 2021 Programme

3Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Edinburgh International Festival Announces 2021 Programme

Edinburgh International Festival, the world’s leading performing arts festival, pioneers the return of live performance in Scotland from 7th – 29th August with a diverse programme of UK and international artists. This return to live performance marks a significant turning point for Scotland's cultural sector by providing a platform for artists to return to the stage after over a year. The Festival's ambition is to pave the way for other organisations to rebuild their own live performance programmes and to re-establish Edinburgh as a global centre for culture. The 2021 programme features over 170 classical and contemporary music, theatre, opera, dan...

Hansel and Gretel – Scottish Opera on Screen

14Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Hansel and Gretel – Scottish Opera on Screen

Take your favourite childhood story but turn it into an opera. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Well, I believe that the ‘Scottish opera’ took these two worlds and fused them together perfectly for any age to enjoy. Indulge in the breathtaking vocals and you might just find some darkness hidden behind the innocent sugar-coated façade. A mother tired of her son and her daughter misbehaving sends them off into the forest to pick berries, not knowing the dangers lurking within. Hansel and Gretel were taught to never speak to strangers. Although who could blame them for giving into the temptation of endless marshmallows, lollipops and pies galore! If only that wasn’t followed by getting kidnapped by a witch... The cast is made up of nine actors, four of them making up the ‘ensemble’ of the pe...