Opera Scotland

Turn of the Screw 2002Edinburgh International Festival

Read more about the opera Turn of the Screw

The opera programme at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival was of excellent quality. The two central stagings were of Wagner - a co-production with Salzburg of Parsifal, conducted by Claudio Abbado, directed by Peter Stein, and Siegfried - the third instalment of Scottish Opera's memorable Ring cycle, conducted by Richard Armstrong and directed by Tim Albery. The Turn of the Screw was directed by Luc Bondy and conducted by Daniel Harding. There was also a striking production of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex from Canada, directed by François Girard. Concert performances included Donizetti's Maria Stuarda conducted by Charles Mackerras and Enescu's Oedipe.

Brian McMaster continued his policy of bringing challenging theatre to his Edinburgh audience. This staging was a co-production between the Aix-en-Provence Festival and Vienna Festwochen, performed originally in 2001. Daniel Harding drew a superb performance from members of his Mahler Youth Orchestra, and Luc Bondy’s direction drew equally strong performances from all concerned, which was not necessarily to the taste of all audience members.