Opera Scotland

Lustige Witwe 1976Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Merry Widow

Anthony Besch's breezy 1973 staging of The Merry Widow was hugely successful, running up dozens of performances in a short period. Here, it provided a week of entertainment to celebrate the opening of the new Eden Court Theatre, at last adding Inverness to the short list of population centres in Scotland that the company could visit, though not with the largest shows.

There followed a run in Edinburgh, as a pre-festival appetiser, and finally a festive treat for Glaswegians, straddling New Year, with performances on Hogmanay and New Year's Day.

Given the intensity of the demands made on singers, the larger roles were double-cast, allowing the work to be given twice daily if needed. Elizabeth Robson had not had a chance to sing the title-role before, and the Swedish tenor Jonny Blanc had only visited during the memorable Stockholm Opera appearance at the 1974 Festival. Eric Garrett was a member of the resident company at Covent Garden, and the Widow was never seen there, so it gave him a chance to try something new. And Patricia Reakes had already spent time with the company in the spring, touring in Don Giovanni and Die Fledermaus. A new recruit to the company, Linda Finnie, would soon be singing at Bayreuth.

Of the conductors, Neil Dodd was returning to his old company after several years working in Norway.