OPERA, MUSIC, THEATRE & THE ARTS | SCOTLAND
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[Rating: 3] Scottish Opera has produced a solid and pleasing Don Giovanni but one which, though it contains some fine singing, takes few risks and makes few demands of its audience. Sir Thomas Allen sang the title role for years so knows the piece inside out, therefore this opportunity to direct the work must presumably…
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This review also appears on the Opera Britannia website [Rating:2] Taking Alban Berg’s Lulu as a starting point, Scottish Opera at the Edinburgh International Festival present American Lulu – a new re-envisioned interpretation of this piece by Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth, who re-orchestrates Berg’s original, attempts to set it within the context of the Civil Rights movement in America and provides a conclusion to compensate…
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[Rating: 4] (This review should appear at Opera Britannia in due course) Scottish Opera and the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company have set sail with a sure-fire summer hit with their new production of Pirates of Penzance. A real crowd pleaser, this production deserves the success that it will undoubtedly have. It became quickly obvious during…
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[Rating:2.5] This review appeared first on Opera Britannia. An underwhelming lead and a mismatched cast make this Scottish Opera production something of a mixed bag. However, one stunning voice and an absolutely electric chorus offer some reasons for seeing this production. Scottish Opera attempts to bring the Dutchman home at last in this production which…
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This review appeared first at Opera Britannia The start of Scottish Opera’s new production of Massenet’s Werther is deceptive. As the curtain goes up we have a pleasant enough scene. A wooden structure is present with what look like rickety stairs. Snow soon starts to fall at the rear of the stage – snow that…
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[Rating:3.5] This review appeared first at Opera Britannia Scottish Opera’s revival of Anthony Besch’s Tosca offers a rewarding evening, though not one without its problems. Vocally, this is a Tosca not to be missed. Unfortunately, most of the evening is marred by insensitive conducting and far too much noise from the pit. The production itself…
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This review was first published at Opera Britannia Hansel & Gretel – Engelbert Humperdinck [Rating:3.5/5] Theatre Royal, Glasgow – 4 February 2012, Scottish Opera Just a dozen or so years before Engelbert Humperdinck wrote his most famous opera, the world was tasting saccharine for the first time. The great danger with Hansel and Gretel is…
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Scottish Opera and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 20 January 2012 [Rating: 2.5] Prokofiev’s Betrothal in a Monastery is seldom staged in this country. This production by Scottish Opera in collaboration with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland worked reasonably well as a showcase for the singing talents of those on stage. However, no persuasive case…
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Scottish Opera is at the start of taking a bawdy romp around Scotland and Northern Ireland with an inventive, witty and utterly filthy Orpheus in the Underworld. This is an exemplary touring show – satirical, relevant, well sung and with plenty of naughtiness to torment Tain, disgust Dumfries or provoke outrage in Armagh. That it…
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This review first appeared on Opera Britannia. [rating:2] There cannot be many opera venues where it is possible to buy ear-plugs behind the bar. However, such was Scottish Opera’s quest for novelty that we found ourselves in a venue more usually known as a rock venue in Glasgow than for ballet chanté. This was the…