Siegfried 2002Scottish Opera
Read more about the opera Siegfried
The opera programme at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival was of excellent quality. The two central stagings were of Wagner - a co-production with Salzburg of Parsifal, conducted by Claudio Abbado, directed by Peter Stein, and Siegfried - the third instalment of Scottish Opera's memorable Ring cycle, conducted by Richard Armstrong and directed by Tim Albery. The Turn of the Screw was directed by Luc Bondy and conducted by Daniel Harding. There was also a striking production of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex from Canada, directed by François Girard. Concert performances included Donizetti's Maria Stuarda conducted by Charles Mackerras and Enescu's Oedipe.
Scottish Opera's 2002-03 season was dominated by the continuation of its production by Tim Albery of The Ring. The third instalment, Siegfried, opened at the Festival, followed by performances in Glasgow, with Götterdämmerung scheduled for the Spring. Complete cycles were planned for the 2003 Edinburgh Festival and the opening of the main Glasgow autumn season.
The non-Wagner repertoire consisted of a revived Fledermaus and new Orfeo ed Euridice in the autumn, along with a medium-scale Bohème. The new year saw a performances of Rigoletto, with The Magic Flute in the spring.
This third Ring evening was almost completely successful. The sets were dominated by a curved upward-sloping road which indicated Siegfried's journey from the start. There was a solitary street light, the sodium glare from which could be seen as Fafner's eye, or to illuminate the front door of Erda's abode, which she opened attired in dressing gown and slippers. Wotan and Alberich met up on a park bench like two exhausted old hoodlums, arguing with one another because they couldn't think of anything else to do. The woodbird, dressed in a brilliant white suit, received a fascinating and agile performance. Despite the many jokey elements it all had a sense of unity that was extremely rewarding - probably the best night, overall, in this fascinating cucle.
