Opera Scotland

Maid of Orleans 1990Bolshoi Opera, Moscow

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If Mlada is an almost completely unknown piece, at least the title gives audiences some idea of what to expect from the Tchaikovsky. The opera itself was by no means as fascinatingly different as the Rimsky had been, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable, and the staging worked remarkably well, given the improvised nature of the theatre.  Even the machinery levitating Joan at the end worked efficiently and silently. Most of the scenes were essentially in tableau form, and not necessarily all that vivant. If one singer stood out, it was perhaps the second Lionel, Vladimir Redkin, youthful and offering a lovely sense of phrasing. The next year he was quite justifiably promoted to the first team, leading off the Onegin performances in Edinburgh, and Scottish Opera also employed him for some welcome Verdi performances over the next few years.