Opera Scotland

Salome 1990Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Salome

Scottish Opera’s first staging of Salome, in a production originally mounted by WNO, but with a new cast. The updating to perhaps late 19th century worked surprisingly well, and was full of subtle lighting effects with so many grilles and perforated surfaces in the walls, creating a sense of claustrophobia unusual in productions of this work. The absence of the hackneyed frenzied dance also helped it to seem more subtle than usual. John Mauceri's interpretation was silky-smooth, and not so loud that it risked drowning the voices.

There were two young Americans in leading roles. Cynthia Makris and Greer Grimsley were both tall and slender, and excellent actors. Brazilian tenor Eduardo Alvares and former leading soprano Elizabeth Vaughan were far less grotesque than most interpreters of Herod and Herodias tend to be, while Bonaventura Bottone made a useful contribution as Narraboth.

 

Scottish Opera's Season -1989/90

The 1989/90 season of Scottish Opera included new productions of Salome,  La forza del destino, Così fan tutte,  The Merry Widow, The Threepenny Opera and Duke Bluebeard's Castle.  The revivals were Oedipux Rex (partnering Bluebeard),  Madam Butterfly,  Die Fledermaus and Jenůfa.  There was an Opera-Go-Round tour of Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana (in that order).