Opera Scotland

Pearl Fishers 1982Scottish Opera

Read more about the opera Pearl Fishers

Steven Pimlott's excellent staging, which had begun in 1981, double cast, with a long tour of medium-scale theatres extending into 1982, later moved into the Theatre Royal with new singers, with an improved grasp of idiomatic French - all with busy continental careers. At the time a little-known work, rarely performed, in this colourful and atmospheric but extremely simple staging it proved just as popular. A lot depended on the designs and lighting creating a suitable atmosphere. The autumn cast reconvened for a handful of further performances in the spring of 1983, the last time the production was seen.

Jill Gomez returned to the company where she had much of her early success. Norman Phillips, an American baritone based in Germany, had made an impact at the Edinburgh Festival in Musgrave's Voice of Ariadne, and also appeared in Manon Lescaut. Ian Caley and Brian Bannatyne-Scott would also make their careers largely on the continent. The chorus and orchestra also made their essential contribution to the success of this production.

Cast details, from various programmes, are incomplete.