Opera Scotland

Tosca 1982Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Tosca

Anthony Besch's ground-breaking update of Tosca, launched in 1980, had a thoroughly-deserved rapid revival. Of course, if the idea of an update to the era of Mussolini had not worked, Peter Rice's sets were so authentic-looking that it would have been easy enough to produce new costumes to make it into a traditional production if necessary. But instead, it became the longest-running staging in the company's history.

This cast brought back the recent Violetta for another successful run. After Manon Lescaut later in the year, Nelly Miricioiu's international career took off, and so she did not perform in Scotland again. Peter Glossop, a veteran Scarpia, sang the part in Scotland for the first time since the Sadler's Wells tour of 1961. It was also his farewell after many years as a regular guest with Scottish Opera.

Zurab Sotkilava was an impressive Georgian tenor with extensive Bolshoi experience and an excellent vocal technique, though little evidence of acting ability. Bill McCue, John Robertson and Norman White went on to repeat their roles in numerous revivals, which were generally conducted by Gibson.