Opera Scotland

Peter Grimes 1997Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Peter Grimes

The 1997-98 season for Scottish Opera started with the brilliant idea of another look at the original 1912 concept of Ariadne auf Naxos. That version started with the performance of an abbreviated text of Molière's comedy Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. This was seen at an early Edinburgh Festival in 1950, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, but had not been seen in Scotland since. The new production, which played at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival, was a co-production with Nottingham Playhouse. The conventional revision, with prologue, followed as part of the main season.

That season started with a long Opera-Go-Round tour of The Barber of Seville. This was followed by eight main stage productions: Norma, Rigoletto, Peter Grimes, Tosca, Così fan tutte, Ariadne auf Naxos, The Queen of Spades and La traviata. In addition there were concert performances of Handel's Samson and three performances of a double bill of Param Vir's Snatched by the Gods and Broken Strings.

This was a successful revival of Joachim Herz's production, restaged by Elaine Kidd, with the company’s experienced Tristan and introducing an excellent Australian soprano as Ellen. Other notable role debuts included Elizabeth Vaughan as Auntie and Christopher Purves as Ned Keene. David Barrell, Stephen Allen, and inevitably in this work, the chorus, all made their mark.