Opera Scotland

Traviata 1992Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Traviata

The first revival of the Nuria Espert staging from 1989 (a co-production with Madrid). The best feature was the Violetta of Anne Williams-King, fast developing into an excellent singing actress with a creamy, effortless voice ideal for roles such as Violetta and Butterfly. Nancy Gustafson, the originator of the production, also returned for a single performance. The main drawback was the too-metronomic conducting of Takuo Yuasa, at the time Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish. It was simply too fast and inflexible. The new Alfredo, Marek Torzewski, had a beautiful voice and an attractive personality, but chose not to sing his cabaletta – an odd decision nowadays, not to be encouraged when we expect to hear the score complete. Jason Howard continued to show promise as a very young older Germont.

 

Scottish Opera's Season - 1991/92

At this period, Scottish Opera generally mounted nine main-stage operas each season, in groups of three. If funds allowed, there would be a small-scale production as well. For the 1991/92 season, the piano-accompanied tour, with 33 performances through the autumn, was of Maria Stuarda. The main stage schedule began at the Edinburgh Festival with a new production of La Clemenza di Tito. There were two more new stagings - Die Walküre and Don Giovanni. The six revivals were Madam Butterfly, Carmen, La traviata, Billy Budd, The Marriage of Figaro and Aïda.