Opera Scotland

Messa da Requiem 1974Edinburgh International Festival

Read more about the opera Messa da Requiem

Giulini's previous Verdi Requiem in Edinburgh had been with the New Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra. By now he was working with the LPO and the magnificent Edinburgh Festival Chorus, superbly trained by Arthur Oldham.

If Raffaele Ariè was in slightly effortful form, the tenor and mezzo were quite majestic, but then they were Pavarotti and Cossotto, both giving memorable performances. Neither of them had visited Edinburgh recently - the tenor not since 1967 and Cossotto ten years before that when she had sung with Callas.

However the first night was reported to be rather uneasy, as Martina Arroyo had a nasty cold and her usual silky vocal production was sadly below her best. Understandably she had risked giving a performance, in what turned out to be her only Scottish appearance. Sometimes these risks come off to memorable effect, but on this occasion it was not to be. For the second evening, Rita Hunter was summoned from London - a singer unknown to Giulini, and who enjoyed something of a triumph. She was just reaching her peak as a Wagnerian but was managing to keep a wonderful flexibility in the voice, allowing her to triumph in Mozart and Bellini as well as Verdi. The second performance was memorable for the right reasons.