Opera Scotland

Sicilian Vespers 1955Glasgow Grand Opera Society

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Glasgow Grand continued its pioneering exploration of the byeways of nineteenth century opera by mounting the first performances in Scotland of this much underrated product of Verdi's middle period. 1955 was the centenary of its first performances in Paris. Perhaps it is not surprising that the most elaborate of Verdi's ballet sequences should be cut - after all, Covent Garden still followed the same policy when mounting the work for the first time in 2013.

Guest conductor Michael Collins, a highly regarded Sibelius expert, was another example of the company's astute casting policy.

The popular piece in their repertoire that week was Aïda.