Opera Scotland

Enfant et les sortilèges 1975Scottish National Orchestra

Read more about the opera Enfant et les sortilèges

The SNO rarely performs opera in concert, and it is even rarer for such things to happen outside the central belt. The only follow-up to this was in 1990 when a main season Erwartung was followed by a Prom when Sir Peter Maxwell Davies conducted Trial by Jury. More obvious concert works such as Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Der fliegende Holländer, Elektra, and Mozart and Salieri have only been presented in Edinburgh and/or Glasgow.

This wonderful event was a Ravel centenary concert beautifully conducted by the orchestra's imaginative Principal Guest Conductor, Gary Bertini. The programme for the first half of the evening was perhaps more obvious - the Mother Goose (Ma Mère L'Oye) ballet and Piano Concerto in G major (with Ilana Vered as soloist).

Even in concert form the diminutive mezzo Cynthia Buchan was perfectly cast as the Child - such a pity that she never appeared in Scotland in a fully-staged production. The other roles are also well filled with the company's resident Papageno (Gordon Sandison) and Queen of Night (Alexandra Gordon) leading the ensemble of Scottish Opera's salaried principals. Note also recent recruit from college Linda Finnie. The only soloist who was not a company regular was the high character tenor Bernard Dickerson.

The visual side of the presentation was greatly helped by the use of projected illustrations prepared some years before by Gerard Hoffnung.