Scottish Opera Archives - North West End UK

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...

Scottish Opera presents a filmed performance of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel

8Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Scottish Opera presents a filmed performance of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel

Scottish Opera premieres Humperdinck’s enchanting Hansel and Gretel in the latest Scottish Opera: On Screen, filmed at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal on 19th December. The whole family can immerse themselves in this modern adaptation of the classic fairy tale from Wednesday 10th February at 6pm, via the Scottish Opera website. Sung in English, with staging by Daisy Evans, this vivid and joyful reimagining of Humperdinck’s opera tells the heart-warming story of two children and their journey from an impoverished home, into the mystery and danger of the woods. Brought to life by Daisy’s unique staging, with a Christmas-crazed witch and a shopping trolley full of sugary sweets and garish goodies, Hansel and Gretel seem a long way from their simple family life. Packed full of charm and sparkle thi...

20Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Cosi fan Tutte – Scottish Opera

Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte is an ideal opera to be performed in today’s climate. A small leading cast, and a relatively light-hearted plot, Scottish Opera’s production, directed by Roxana Haines with musical direction by Stuart Stratford, brings the comedy into the modern world in a socially distanced performance exploiting the world of reality TV. The piece opens with exuberant music played by a masked orchestra behind screens, as the Chorus sit in the theatre’s boxes, making up the various audience members of the reality show which our couples find themselves competing in. The Chorus revel in their roles throughout the piece, creating some excellent emotional reactions from wistfulness, to excitement, to boredom, creating a real sense of a live studio audience to the television show we a...