The great success of the opening run in 1977 justified an immediate revival of this excellent staging, with most of the cast returning. Although Barstow was absent, South African soprano Wendy Fine was an excellent successor, having already worked with Pountney when he revived the old Covent Garden production a few months earlier. Pauline Tinsley and the others were as riveting as before.
This was the only instance of Alexander Gibson conducting any of the Czech master's work in Britain, though he did later work on Jenůfa again in Houston. The BBC orchestra were also encountering this music for the first time. However Anthony Hose, of WNO's music staff, had worked on the production from the start and was a superbly idiomatic substitute. He would become the first Musical Director of the Buxton Festival when it was established a couple of years later.
Scottish Opera's 1978-79 season
Scottish Opera's fourth season at the Theatre Royal (1978-79) opened with Simon Boccanegra, and continued with Jenůfa, Catiline Conspiracy then an unusual triple-bill of Savitri, Fanny Robin and Dido and Aeneas. Next came Seraglio, Rosenkavalier, Hansel and Gretel, Fledermaus, Midsummer Night's Dream, Bohème, Kátya Kabanová and Rigoletto. In June there followed the company's first staging of a musical, Fiddler on the Roof. Many of these works were also toured.
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