Opera Scotland

Turn of the Screw 1971Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Turn of the Screw

Scottish Opera's tour in Spring 1971 was one of its most extended and elaborate, stretching from 11 March to 12 June. There were two clear phases, the first took in Perth, Aberdeen, Newcastle and Liverpool, with the second embracing Glasgow, Edinburgh and a return to Aberdeen.

The Perth opening included the recent stagings of Magic Flute and Traviata, accompanied by the BBC SSO, with two Britten revivals, Albert Herring and Turn of the Screw. for which the pit was occupied by the Scottish Opera Chamber Ensemble. In Aberdeen the SNO joined up for the revival of the 1967 Rheingold staging, as preparation for the single Ring Cycle announced for December. In Glasgow, Albert Herring dropped out, and the season's two big new productions, Siegfried and Der Rosenkavalier, arrived.

This 1970 production was already showing its value to the company, along with Albert Herring, since these simple and effective stagings could be slotted into the repertoire for odd performances in different venues. The company also had the facility to use company-based covers on occasion, as when Sadler's Wells needed Gregory Dempsey to substitute for an ailing tenor in London, and John Robertson was able to go on.