Opera Scotland

Flight 2006Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD)

Read more about the opera Flight

This production was the Scottish premiere of Jonathan Dove's comedy, launched on the Glyndebourne Tour of 1998. That original staging was televised and recorded, with the work being greeted with near-universal delight. The press reports of this staging by Will Kerley were rather less enthusiastic, seeing the music as derivative and the text as lacking conviction. Certainly the remarkable absence of crowds at what is apparently a busy international airport does strain credulity - but it is hardly the first opera to attempt to establish a credible situation in such circumstances. The characters are three-dimensional. The situations are amusing. Most importantly, it is beautifully composed and orchestrated. All the soloists have interesting and vocally grateful writing, some of it extremely difficult.

Cast details are from a copy of the programme in the Mitchell Library.