Opera Scotland

Hamish MacCunn

Posted 19 Nov 2011

Hamish MacCunn (born in Greenock) was singled out at an early age due to his musical ability, as one of the most promising talents in the UK. He was commissioned by Carl Rosa himself to write an opera on The Massacre of Glencoe or a similar subject, to be delivered within two years. However, by the time MacCunn complied, Rosa himself was dead.  Jeanie Deans, the resulting piece, was a work that the Carl Rosa company premiered in Edinburgh. It was performed regularly over the next twenty years, but rarely since, though excerpts have been recorded. MacCunn is now remembered for only one work - his Concert Overture The Land of the Mountain and the Flood, a work of his youth. But this is a greater achievement than many manage! MacCunn also taught and conducted, and indeed conducted Carl Rosa performances in Scotland. Read more about MacCunn here.