Opera Scotland

Saint of Bleecker Street 2006Edinburgh Grand Opera

Read more about the opera Saint of Bleecker Street

Edinburgh Grand had, in recent seasons, produced the occasional work from outside the standard repertoire. However it was over twenty years since their last Scottish premiere (Puccini's Le Villi in 1985). Menotti had for many years lived a short distance outside Edinburgh, and the rare stagings of his work at the Edinburgh Festival had proved extremely popular. This is considered to be one of his best pieces, and certainly it came up very well in this excellent production. A large orchestra and chorus, with the major roles double-cast, made this a highly ambitious project. It was only regrettable that the composer himself was at his second home in Spoleto and too frail to travel to see it.