Opera Scotland

Live from the Met 2013-14 Season

New York's Metropolitan Opera's transmissions (live in HD) have quickly become part of the operatic landscape in Scotland; experienced opera buffs can pick out operas or performers they have never had a chance to hear, and those new to opera can check out the experience in a cinema closer to home or somewhat cheaper than a performance in the flesh. Often too customers get comfier seats and better legroom than would be found in some theatres. Unquestionably the format has attracted a new...

Posted 16 Jun | Comments

Tosca in Aberdeen's Duthie Park

This year's BP Big Screen event in Scotland is a live transmission of Puccini's Tosca from the Royal Opera House, London on Thursday 18 July, free to all attending. This popular event, displaced last year from its regular mid-summer slot because of the Olympics, returns to its normal time. Sadly this is the only open air screening in Scotland - the other ROH offering, Puccine's La rondine, is not being shown.

Let us hope for good weather. Traditionally this is the largest single operatic...

Posted 8 Jun | Comments

Opera at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Exciting news for all interested in new work - three new operas (all praised when they first appeared) are being revived on the Fringe. The Garden and Last One Out (written for last year's Sounds Festival) and the Sloans Project all make a welcome reappearance.

There are world premieres for Bare and Red as Blood, two new pieces coupled with Walton's The Bear (Helios Chamber Opera with Melos Sinfonia). Operatic favourites include Cosi fan tutte (Opera'r Ddraig), Eugene Onegin (Opera Bohemia)...

Posted 2 Jun | Comments

Natalia Dercho as CioCioSan in the original production

Scottish Opera's New Season Announced

In addition to the new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni revealed earlier, a new production of Donizetti's Don Pasquale and a revival of Sir David McVicar's famous production of Madama Butterfly will be given. Our illustration is from the original performances and shows Natalia Dercho as Cio-Cio-San. Butterfly is a striking anniversary choice because it will echo the first ever performances by Scottish Opera.

Although there will be only three mainstage productions due to the closure of the...

Posted 21 May | Comments

#OperaCo Scotland's new opera company!

A new opera company, #OperaCo, has been founded by a group of young singers. The idea behind the project is to perform popular works in concert form, hence enabling young professional singers to build up experience. Promotion is being carried out largely through Twitter - and with the help of...

Watch Glyndebourne's Ariadne

Glyndebourne's controversial new production of Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos has attracted criticism. Glyndebourne promotes their season under the strapline "See opera differently", and this is very much a non-traditional production. You can watch it free and both acts can be seen...

Opera Holloway for the Fringe

Opera Holloway's first appearance at the Fringe showcases Humperdinck's fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel with an international cast of professional young singers in a vibrant and colourful production capturing the joys of a child's imagination, and more importantly, food. This feast for all...

May Additions

We have continued to add listings (something we usually forget to mention in our monthly review)!

We have also been working with Scottish Opera, helping with their master list of past performances to resolve a few discrepancies. In particular, we've been able to identify some venues more precisely. Watch out for their exciting new book commemorating fifty years of Scottish Opera!

A biography has been added for Thomas Hemsley,...

Posted 5 Jun | Comments