Opera Scotland

Essential Scottish Opera 1998Scottish Opera

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The Essentials format continued as before, with four highly promising if unfamiliar singers knocked into shape by a young pianist and director for a fifteen stop tour of the Highlands (with Skye as the token Island). There were three new venues, one in the central belt (Cumbernauld) with two up north (Forres and Huntly).

The programme was a judicious mix of familiar and less well-known items. as follows:

Part 1

Bernstein: 'The Best of All Possible Worlds' Candide.

Offenbach: 'Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour' (Barcarolle) Les contes d'Hoffmann.

Tchaikovsky: Lensky's Aria Eugene Onegin.

Mozart: Papageno's Suicide Aria & Duet with Papagena The Magic Flute.

Handel: 'Io t'abbraccio' Rodelinda.

Mozart: 'Non più andrai' The Marriage of Figaro.

Rossini: 'Nacqui all'affanno....Non più mesta' La cenerentola.

J Strauss II: Act 1 Finale Die Fledermaus.

Part 2

Verdi: 'Un dì si ben rammentami...Bella figlia dell'amore' Rigoletto.

Bellini: 'Ah, per sempre' I puritani.

Dvořák: Song to the Moon Rusalka.

Bizet: 'Au fond tu temple saint' The Pearl Fishers.

Bizet: 'Près des ramparts de Séville' Carmen.

Cardillo: 'Catari! Catari! (Core'ngrato)'.

Messager: 'Trot here and there' Véronique.

Sondheim: 'You're gonna love tomorrow' Follies.