Opera Scotland

Vanishing Bridegroom 1990Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Vanishing Bridegroom

Judith Weir's second opera proved to be a fascinating piece, based on little known highland folklore. It was a short work, and the three tales played for an hour and a half without an interval. Unlike most new works at the time, it was given a good run, in addition to the opening performances in Glasgow. The tour ended with a performance at the Royal Opera House during the company's first visit there, where it shared the limelight with the wonderful production of The Trojans.

Musically, the performances were excellent even though none of the singers were recognised stars. Virginia Kerr and Peter Snipp played the couple all the way through, while Harry Nicoll and Robert Poulton nicely differentiated the contrasting characters they played in each episode. Iain Paton and Elizabeth McCormack also made notable debuts. The staging itself worked well for the most part, though there were some clumsy aspects which could have been worked on if the production had ever been revived. Sadly, that did not happen.

The cast divides across the three stories. Those listed down to, and including the Good Robber, appear in the first episode, The Inheritance. The second batch down to the Policeman, feature in The Disappearance. The last five characters take part in The Stranger.

 

Scottish Opera's Season - 1990/91

The 1990/91 season of Scottish Opera featured nine operas, most notably the world premiere of a new piece by Judith Weir, The Vanishing Bridegroom and the British premiere of an unknown American work, Regina by Mark Blitzstein. The three other new productions were Les Troyens, Fidelio and Falstaff. There were also revivals of Bohème,  Tosca, The Cunning Little Vixen and The Barber of Seville. It was also the first season in which the company introduced supertitles, though not yet when the work was being sung in English.