Opera Scotland

Duke Bluebeard's Castle 2004BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO)

Read more about the opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle

2004 appears to be a year in which this superb piece became almost a commonplace in Scotland. This performance by the BBC SSO with two Hungarian soloists was followed by a staged production by Scottish Opera. There was a second concert performance at the Edinburgh Festival, which also featured Volkov and his orchestra, though with different singers.

One change in this programme came as a result of the illness of soprano Iréne Theorin, down to open proceedings with Schoenberg's Erwartung. Unable to locate a replacement at short notice, the management substituted a performance of Martinů's Sixth Symphony, performed on the orchestra's tour to Prague the previous September.