Brio SCOTTISHOPERA.ORG.UK
ISSUE 31 / SUMMER 2019
Anthropocene Edge-of-seat thrills and philosophical depth in MacRae and Welsh’s exhilarating icy premiere
THE MAGIC FLUTE
NEW SEASON 19/20
ROXANA HAINES
Sir Thomas Allen reveals his Glasgow inspirations
Festival visits, new partnerships and opera on the road
Scottish Opera’s new Staff Director on opera and drama
WELCOME
A fine start to 2019!
ISSUE 31 / SUMMER 2019 CONTENTS
We’ve had an exciting and hugely successful beginning to 2019 at Scottish Opera. The brand new Anthropocene – by composer Stuart MacRae and librettist Louise Welsh – garnered enthusiastic reviews across the board, and excited feedback from audiences, too. Likewise, Stephen Lawless’ new production of Kátya Kabanová has been widely praised for its vivid, powerful storytelling and exceptional performances, and for designer Leslie Travers’ evocative set. And our Spring Opera Highlights tour has been warmly received by audiences of aficionados and novices alike in 17 venues across the length and breadth of Scotland.
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We’re delighted, too, to be expanding opportunities for audiences to engage with Scottish Opera’s work. In recent months, the Company has performed everywhere from Brooklyn to London, from Oman to East Kilbride, as well as many other locations, and our productions have travelled to Vancouver, Genoa and Oslo. We still have plenty to look forward to across the rest of the current Season – not least Sir Thomas Allen’s spectacular The Magic Flute. It’s a staging that brings together many influences, one of which is the iconic Glasgow landmarks that have most inspired Tom. He takes us on a tour of them in this issue of Brio. We’re also delighted to welcome Roxana Haines as Scottish Opera’s new Staff Director. Read about her background in theatre and music, her formative collaborations and her plans on pages 12 and 13. The bulk of this issue, however, is devoted – not surprisingly – to our new Season, which we were delighted to reveal recently. It includes returns to the Edinburgh International Festival and Lammermuir Festival, main-stage operas from Puccini to G&S to John Adams, a brand new commission from former Composer in Residence Lliam Paterson, and an intriguing project lining up Scotland’s Bard alongside the bad boy of the Classical period. Read about them all – and plenty more – across the coming pages. I hope to see you at one (or more!) of our performances across the rest of the current and the 2019/20 Seasons, and I wish you very enjoyable opera-going.
4–5 Feature The Magic Flute 6–7 New Season: Summer Festivals 8–9 New Season: Main-Stage Operas 10 New Season: On the Road 11 Scottish Opera Emerging Artists 2019/20 12 – 13 Roxana Haines 14 – 15 News 16 – 18 What the Media Said... 19 Performance Diary
Alex Reedijk General Director
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IMAGE CREDITS: Nadine Boyd, Bridgeman Images, Eoin Carey, James Glossop, Jane Hobson, Julie Howden, Sally Jubb, Helen Musselwhite/ Jonathan Beer, Simon Phipps, Circus 103/ Significant Object. Writers: Emma Ainley-Walker, Ian Brooke, Catriona Downie, Emily Henderson, David Kettle Print: J Thomson Colour Printers This magazine is printed on an FSC® certified paper. © Scottish Opera 2019
HEADLINES
WATCH ANTHROPOCENE ONLINE Anthropocene, the new opera by composer Stuart MacRae and librettist Louise Welsh that received its premiere in January, will be available to view free of charge on the website OperaVision from May this year. The film of Anthropocene, directed by Jonathan Haswell and produced by Andrew Lockyer, was recorded at London’s Hackney Empire. The full performance will be available to view on the platform from 17 May for six months, marking the first time that a Scottish Opera production has been available online. Launched in 2017, OperaVision streams performances from all over Europe, allowing viewers to watch productions from many of the greatest opera houses from the comfort of their own home. As well as full-length performances, it features extracts, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. With an eight-strong ensemble cast, Anthropocene received huge critical acclaim at its premiere in January this year (see page 16). Anthropocene is available to watch from 17 May to 17 November 2019 at operavision.eu/en Anthropocene is supported by the John S Cohen Foundation, RVW Trust and Scottish Opera’s New Commissions Circle.
Blind auditions in new vocal contest A new singing competition has been launched that uses blind auditions to discover opera stars based solely on their vocal performance. By Voice Alone is open to all singers currently eligible to work in the British Isles, with no age restriction, consideration of background or prior experience. The first round of auditions took place in London in March and April, with hopefuls performing from behind a screen to a panel of judges. For rounds two and three, the judging panel includes Scottish Opera’s Head of Casting Sarah-Jane Davies, as well as representatives from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and The Grange Festival. The competition final takes place on 20 May at Kings Place, London.
CRITICS’ CIRCLE PRIZE FOR JENNIFER FRANCE Former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist Jennifer France was presented with the 2018 Critics’ Circle Emerging Talent (Voice) Award at the first performance of Anthropocene at London’s Hackney Empire, on 7 February. The Award was given to Jennifer, who sang the role of Ice, by Mark Valencia, one of the judging panel. He praised Jennifer for her ‘effortless coloratura that retains its warmth however high the ledger lines’, and recognised that she ‘has made a potent mark in UK opera’. In recent Scottish Opera productions, Jennifer also sang the roles of Controller in Flight and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. scottishopera.org.uk SUMMER 2019 / 3
THE MAGIC FLUTE
Sir Thomas Allen’s Guide to Glasgow Take a trip around the locations and venues that have inspired the spectacular steampunk Magic Flute – in the company of the production’s director ‘Glasgow is very much inside me. I love to explore all its alleyways and cross-streets – it’s ugly and yet so beautiful at the same time. It’s a fascinating place, very inspirational.’ That’s quite a declaration from Sir Thomas Allen, who has jet-setted round the globe for decades as one of the world’s greatest baritones. Tom has created four new productions for Scottish Opera across the past 12 years, as well as singing in 2018’s Ariadne auf Naxos. This Spring, he’s back in Glasgow to revive his 2012 production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, in spectacular designs by Simon Higlett that are inspired by the city. The production makes a welcome return to stages across Scotland, as well as Belfast and London, with crucial support from Scottish Opera’s ‘Play a Supporting Role’ Appeal. Tom’s memories of Glasgow go back to his childhood: ‘Returning home with my parents from holidays elsewhere in Scotland, we would drive through the city. I have such vivid memories of it. It was like a Lowry painting had just appeared before your eyes.’ Those memories are perhaps so strong because Tom was raised in a similarly industrial area in the north-east of England. ‘When I was growing up in Sunderland, my grandad worked in the shipyards on the Wear,’ he says. ‘My dad used to like nothing more than hoisting me onto the wall to look down at the various docks. Those were magical days as far as I was concerned – seeing so many ships being built. I still have those pictures in my mind, and so Glasgow, with its own shipbuilding industry, was not much removed – which makes me feel so much at home here. There are so many connections and parallels from my early life.’ It’s these connections and parallels that inform Tom’s production of The Magic Flute, with its stunning steampunk music hall/library setting. The Magic Flute: See page 19 for full performance listings. The Magic Flute is supported by Scottish Opera’s ‘Play a Supporting Role’ Appeal. The Dementia Friendly performances are supported by Cruach Trust, Forte Charitable Trust, Miss E.C. Hendry’s Charitable Trust, Murdoch Forrest Charitable Trust, Sylvia Aitken Charitable Trust and Scottish Opera’s Education Angels.
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KelvingroveMuseum Museumand andArt ArtGallery Gallery Kelvingrove Glasgow’s civic art collection is housed thisSpanishSpanishGlasgow’s civic art collection is housed ininthis influenced, red sandstone palace, built for the 1901 influenced, red sandstone palace, built for the 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition. ‘New York has Glasgow International Exhibition. ‘New York has itsits skyscrapersalong alongCentral CentralPark, Park,and andMoscow Moscowhas hasitsits skyscrapers Stalinist towers, but Kelvingrove is magnificent,’ says Stalinist towers, but Kelvingrove is magnificent,’ says Tom. ‘With all its towers and curlicues, it’s one of themost most Tom. ‘With all its towers and curlicues, it’s one of the beautiful buildings you could ever look at. I wandered beautiful buildings you could ever look at. I wandered inin oneSunday Sundayafternoon afternoonand andthere therewas wasan anorgan organrecital recital one going on. There were two boys of no more than seven going on. There were two boys of no more than seven sitting cross-legged on the marble floor in their football sitting cross-legged on the marble floor in their football shirts,listening listeningtotothe themusic. music.ItItwas wasjust justwonderful.’ wonderful.’ shirts,
FEATURE
Hunterian Museum Glasgow has a long-standing and international reputation for collecting and a thirst for knowledge, demonstrated in the late 18th century by William Hunter, who bequeathed his anatomy, zoology, mineral and scientific instrument collections to the University of Glasgow. ‘The name Hunter was always at the forefront of my mind,’ says Tom of his production. He loves the ‘cabinets of curiosity’ in this museum, which is Scotland’s oldest, dating back to 1807.
Pavilion Theatre and Britannia Panopticon Music Hall ‘Any production of The Magic Flute has to be immediately accessible,’ says Tom. ‘It’s not high art that you have to do your homework for beforehand. Glasgow has been associated with popular entertainment for many years, and I find it fascinating that there are still places like the Pavilion Theatre and Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in the city. Glasgow’s theatres were known as the “graveyards” of so many English comedians. It was a curse to know that you were going to be there on a Saturday evening and get barracked mercilessly if you didn’t impress the very tough audience.’
Riverside Museum and The Tall Ship ‘If I’m ever at the BBC to give interviews, afterwards I like to go over the footbridge and on to see the Riverside Museum and The Tall Ship,’ says Tom. ‘All along the Clyde you’re looking at industrial archaeology – the remains of the berths, gantries and shipbuilding works. Even today, you don’t need too vivid an imagination to see what the river would have looked like.’
A Home In Hackney Scottish Opera’s recently established relationship with London’s Hackney Empire is growing all the time, providing the Company with an invaluable regular venue for audiences in the UK capital. The Magic Flute travels to Hackney for two performances on 20 and 22 June, following London outings for Anthropocene in February. And, next Season, Stuart Maunder’s new production of The Gondoliers, as well as Utopia, Limited, head to Hackney for performances in July 2020. scottishopera.org.uk SUMMER 2019 / 5
NEW SEASON: SUMMER FESTIVALS
A SEASON OF COLLABORATION Collaboration is the name of the game for Scottish Opera’s 2019/20 Season, with partners and co-producers from Houston, Texas to South Australia. For Scottish Opera General Director Alex Reedijk and Music Director Stuart Stratford, it’s essential not to work in isolation. ‘At a time when, perhaps more than ever, we are all thinking about partnership, these relationships are critical to our ability to create new work for audiences,’ explains Reedijk. This Season sees Scottish Opera working for the first time with The Royal Danish Theatre, State Opera South Australia and Houston Grand Opera. The Company is also continuing existing links with D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and Opera Ventures – the latter integral in the creation of the recent production of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Greek, a hit at the Edinburgh International Festival and at New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music.
BREAKING THE WAVES Scottish Opera returns to the Edinburgh International Festival with the European premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s critically acclaimed opera
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enowned but iconoclastic Danish film director Lars von Trier’s 1996 movie Breaking the Waves might not seem the obvious candidate for an operatic rewrite. ‘The film, while fascinating and moving, is at moments very difficult to watch,’ acknowledges California-born soprano Sydney Mancasola, who sings the central role of Bess in this new production. ‘Opera by nature suspends reality through time and music, and for such an intensely gripping piece of drama, this suspension actually makes the story easier for the audience to digest.’ In her view, it’s a story worth revisiting, and opera is the perfect medium. ‘Opera and drama are symbiotic partners. If the drama isn’t visceral enough, it can’t support the opera. We are talking about an art form that harnesses not only the power of an orchestra, but also the human voice being expressed at its full potency. This is a story that can support that.’ Missy Mazzoli has been hailed as one of the most exciting contemporary composers working today, and following its 2016 world premiere by Opera Philadelphia, Breaking the Waves was nominated for the 2017 International Opera Award for Best World Premiere, going on to win the inaugural Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera in 2017. This new production is directed by Tom Morris and conducted by Stuart Stratford. Breaking the Waves: See page 19 for full performance listings. Breaking the Waves is a new co-production with Opera Ventures and Houston Grand Opera, in association with Bristol Old Vic. Co-presented with Opera Ventures and Edinburgh International Festival. This production has been made possible with support from Howard and Sarah Solomon Foundation, Denise Coates Foundation, Karl Sydow, Scottish Opera’s New Commissions Circle, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and a syndicate of donors.
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RETURN TO LAMMERMUIR A verismo double bill at the East Lothian festival
FOX-TOT! A world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe sees composer Lliam Paterson returning to the world of children’s opera
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ambinO, the hugely popular opera from 2017 for 6- to 18-month-olds, was a joy from start to finish for composer Lliam Paterson. ‘The challenge of developing something that nods to operatic forms while being directly aimed at a specific age group is very exciting,’ he explains. Fox-tot!, a brand new commission by Scottish Opera with Northampton’s Royal & Derngate, continues this work, but this time the show is for toddlers rather than babies. ‘Opera is a fascinating world with lots to offer toddlers: exciting music, colourful sets and costumes, unusual sights and sounds.’ Directed by Roxana Haines and performed by a countertenor, a mezzo-soprano and two instrumentalists, Fox-tot! explores themes of empathy and compassion through the eyes of a small fox cub, sent out into the woods by its mother to explore. The work promises a magical experience that also aims to deliver ‘proper’ opera for children right at the start of their musical lives. That’s something Lliam is passionate about. ‘The idea for Fox-tot! originally came from thinking about French Baroque and Romantic opera. I was interested in the wonderfully extravagant world of French Baroque opera and dance, the works of Rameau and Lully. The musical language is so colourful and expressive – perfect for this age group. Jules Massenet and his brand of French Romantic opera is also an influence – I keep thinking of the Fairy Godmother in Cendrillon as an inspiration for Mother Vixen.’
Following the huge success of Britten’s The Burning Fiery Furnace in September 2018, Scottish Opera’s partnership with the Lammermuir Festival continues this year with a double bill of verismo opera – Mascagni’s Zanetto and Wolf-Ferrari’s Susanna’s Secret, performed at St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington, on 20 September. Conducted by David Parry, Zanetto is sung by Sinéad Campbell-Wallace and Hanna Hipp, while Susanna’s Secret features Richard Burkhard and Clare Presland. The pair of twohanders, selected by Music Director Stuart Stratford, continues the celebration of the work of Pietro Mascagni – a passion that’s further explored in the rest of the Season’s Opera in Concert series, which features performances of his Japan-inspired Iris (1 Dec) and his much-loved Cavalleria rusticana, performed alongside Leoncavallo’s Zingari (2 May 2020), and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia, Limited (May-Jul 2020). The Opera in Concert series is supported by Scottish Opera Endowment Trust & Friends of Scottish Opera
Fox-tot! is at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 2 to 16 August, tours to Northampton from 27 August to 1 September, and will tour Scotland in Spring 2020. Fox-tot! is supported by Scottish Opera’s Education Angels and New Commissions Circle.
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NEW SEASON: MAIN-STAGE OPERAS
TOSCA
NIXON IN CHINA
A classic landmark production of Puccini’s psychological thriller looks set to jangle the nerves
Contemporary resonances make John Adams’ acclaimed historical news-opera all the more eagerly anticipated
ore than 50 years after its premiere in Rome, Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca was described by the musicologist Joseph Kerman as a ‘shabby little shocker’. Rightly or wrongly, that description has stuck. It can’t be denied that this psychological thriller of an opera grips like a vice from the very start. A famous singer, the passionate, suspicious Floria Tosca, finds herself caught between protecting her lover, the tortured (quite literally) artist Mario Cavaradossi – who is harbouring an escaped political prisoner – and fending off the advances of manipulative, sadistic chief of police Baron Scarpia, who will stop at nothing to stay in control. The claustrophobic plot builds to a tense denouement on the battlements of Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo. And yet, Puccini peppers this blood-soaked storyline with some of the most beautiful, lyrical arias in opera. Think of ‘Recondita armonia’ and ‘E lucevan le stelle’ for the tenor Cavaradossi, and Tosca’s act-stopping (in more ways than one) ‘Vissi d’arte’. Scarpia for his part has the cynical Te Deum and the truly chilling Credo. Back in 1980, director Anthony Besch relocated the action from the Napoleonic Wars to Mussolini’s Italy during the Second World War. Since then, this landmark production has caught the imagination of audiences around the globe. This latest revival features, in the title role, Natalya Romaniw, who charmed last year as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, with Gwyn Hughes Jones (Manrico, Il trovatore 2015) as Cavaradossi and Roland Wood (Golaud, Pelléas and Mélisande 2017) as Scarpia. Scottish Opera Music Director Stuart Stratford brings all his authority in verismo opera to bear on this astonishing score.
controversial US president, with an eye on grabbing favourable headlines, flies halfway round the world to extend the hand of friendship to the enigmatic head of state of a country with which relations are at an all-time low. Sound familiar? But no, this is 1972, and President Richard Nixon is visiting China to talk with Chairman Mao. This eyebrow-raising subject matter forms the plot to American composer John Adams’ first opera, Nixon in China, which was premiered in Houston in 1987. Adams is often associated with musical minimalism. But the score of Nixon in China has so much more than that: here you’ll find influences from Wagner, Gershwin, Stravinsky and Strauss (Johann, perhaps not Richard), as well as big band music and 1930s jazz. It’s been described as changing the whole face of opera.
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Tosca: Oct–Nov 2019 in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh. Tosca is supported by The Scottish Opera Syndicate.
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‘Nixon in China has been described as changing the whole face of opera’ In this co-production with The Royal Danish Theatre and Teatro Real Madrid, directed by John Fulljames, baritone Eric Greene leads the all-star cast as Richard Nixon, with Mark Le Brocq (Anthropocene 2019) as Mao, Julia Sporsén (Ariadne auf Naxos 2018) as Pat Nixon and Hye-Youn Lee (La bohème 2017) as Madame Mao. Acclaimed conductor Joana Carneiro makes her Scottish Opera debut. Nixon in China: Feb 2020 in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Nixon in China is a new co-production with The Royal Danish Theatre and Teatro Real Madrid.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Magic and mischief in Britten’s enchanting operatic take on Shakespeare’s tale of summertime love
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idsummer. Twilight. Welcome to a forest near Athens, and to Benjamin Britten’s operatic take on Shakespeare’s tale of lovers – both human and fairy. Britten chose distinct instrumental colours for the various character groupings. Harps, percussion and keyboard characterise the fairies; strings and woodwind enliven the various lovers; and low woodwind and brass signal the rustic performers. The result is an evening of pure enchantment, of high and low comedy, of breathless romance. Dominic Hill, Artistic Director of Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, has previously directed Verdian operatic adaptations of Shakespeare (Falstaff and Macbeth) for Scottish Opera, and now brings all his theatrical insight to bear on Britten’s beguiling 1960 opera. His dream cast is led by David Shipley, a lugubrious Sparafucile in Rigoletto last Autumn, as Bottom, with former Emerging Artist Jennifer France returning to Scottish Opera as Tytania following her show-stopping appearances as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Ice in Anthropocene. Scottish Opera Music Director Stuart Stratford conducts.
‘The result is an evening of pure enchantment, of high and low comedy’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Mar–Apr 2020 in Edinburgh and Glasgow. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is supported by The Alexander Gibson Circle.
THE GONDOLIERS Gilbert and Sullivan’s joyful wit and whimsy in a brand new production
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ou know how it is when you’re a humble gondolier. You spend most of your time enjoying the attentions of Venice’s women, and you have the pick of the bunch. You become engaged, as does your brother. Then a nobleman arrives and tells you that one of you is heir to the kingdom of Barataria, and that his daughter is your wife-to-be. The only trouble is, he doesn’t know if the new king is you or your brother. Time to put sibling rivalries aside and take a trip to Barataria for some unlikely power-sharing… Gilbert and Sullivan had long been masters of the art of taking potshots at Victorian society when The Gondoliers was premiered at London’s Savoy Theatre in 1889. Lined up in the cross hairs this time round are class (of course) and the monarchy, prime targets for the duo’s trademark wit and whimsy. And what a joyous score they delivered, from the carefree ‘We’re called Gondolieri’, via the tongue-twisting ‘In enterprise of martial kind’ and foot-tapping ‘Dance a cachucha’ to the wish-fulfilment ‘Regular Royal Queen’ quartet. Following the fantastic success of The Pirates of Penzance (2013) and The Mikado (2016), Scottish Opera once again teams up with D’Oyly Carte Opera, and for this co-production with State Opera South Australia too. The staging, directed by Stuart Maunder and conducted by Scottish Opera Head of Music (and resident G&S aficionado) Derek Clark, promises to be fast, furious and fun-filled. And there’s an extra treat for all G&S fans: very rare semistaged performances – in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London – of the pair’s penultimate opera, Utopia, Limited. The Gondoliers: May–Jul 2020 in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh and London. Utopia, Limited : May–Jul 2020 in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. The Gondoliers is a new co-production with D’Oyly Carte Opera and State Opera South Australia, supported by Scottish Opera’s ‘Play a Supporting Role’ Appeal.
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NEW SEASON: ON THE ROAD
TRAVELLING LIGHT Scottish Opera productions visit 54 locations across the country in 2019/20
OPERA HIGHLIGHTS HHHH
The Scotsman 2019
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The Herald 2017
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ouring the length and breadth of Scotland is at the heart of Scottish Opera’s role as a national company. The 2019/20 Season is no different, with travelling productions that bring work to no fewer than 54 locations around the nation. Supported by Friends of Scottish Opera, Opera Highlights goes on the road in Autumn 2019 and Spring 2020, visiting a grand total of 34 venues around Scotland, from Stonehaven to Stranraer and beyond. The varied programme of music, curated by Scottish Opera’s Head of Music, Derek Clark, sees four singers and a pianist perform works by Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti and Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as a new piece by Scottish Opera Composer in Residence Samuel Bordoli. Scottish Opera Staff Director Roxana Haines directs two different casts of exciting young singers, including some of the new roster of Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists 2019/20 – soprano Charlie Drummond, former young artist at the National Opera Studio; baritone Mark Nathan, recent graduate from the Opera School at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; and baritone Arthur Bruce, a former member of the Scottish Opera Young Company also a recent graduate from the RCS Opera School. More immediately, Pop-up Opera takes a storyteller, two singers, three musicians and a series of colourful illustrations around the nation this Summer in Scottish Opera’s specially adapted trailer with three brilliant shows. The cast performs A Little Bit of Iolanthe and A Little Bit of The Magic Flute, both arranged by Derek Clark into short, sharp, 25-minute versions of the full operas. Puffy McPuffer and the Crabbit Canals, specially created by Marion Christie and Allan Dunn for fiveto eight-year-olds, tells the tale of the waterways that link Scotland from the North Sea to the Atlantic. And coming up this Autumn, Amadeus & The Bard explores similarities and connections between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Robert Burns. It has been conceived, written and directed by Mary McCluskey. The cast includes a four-voice ensemble from the Scottish Opera Young Company, and renowned Scottish actor Andy Clark joins the production alongside soprano Stephanie Stanway and Emerging Artist baritone Arthur Bruce. Opera Highlights: Sep–Oct 2019 and Feb–Mar 2020, various venues. Pop-up Opera: May–Jul 2019, various venues. Amadeus & The Bard: Sep–Oct 2019, various venues. See scottishopera.org.uk for full details. Opera Highlights is supported by Friends of Scottish Opera, JTH Charitable Trust and Scottish Opera Endowment Trust. Pop-up Opera is supported by Thomson Charitable Trust. Amadeus & The Bard is supported by Edith Rudinger Gray Charitable Trust.
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AMADEUS & THE BARD 18TH CENTURY COSMIC BROTHERS
SCOTTISH OPERA EMERGING ARTISTS 2019/20
FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES Arthur Bruce’s appointment as a 2019/20 Emerging Artist is just the latest in a string of crucial connections with Scottish Opera, as he explains was the first time I sang for Head of Casting Sarah-Jane Davies, and after further auditions in London and Glasgow at the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019, I was asked if I’d consider becoming an Emerging Artist. I said: absolutely!
You’ve had several connections with Scottish Opera during your studies and career so far – can you tell us about them? I joined Scottish Opera’s Connect company (now Scottish Opera Young Company) when I was 17, and I did a couple of shows with them – Airheads in 2010, and Dr Ferret’s Bad Medicine Roadshow the following year. Then after graduating, I auditioned for some chorus work with the Company, and I sang in Le villi, La traviata (pictured below) and Iolanta. When I was in Glasgow for Le villi, the Company was holding some of its regular chorus re-auditions, which I took part in. That
Where else have you studied and gained experience? I owe most of my musical education to the National Youth Choir of Scotland. I started in the NYCoS Edinburgh area choir aged 7 or 8, and I stayed until I was 18. They taught me how to read music. I did my undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and my master’s at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. I also took part in English National Opera’s Opera Works programme, and I was a choral scholar at St Martin in the Fields near Trafalgar Square. I also sang in the chorus at Opera Holland Park, which is where I first met Stuart Stratford – shortly after, he became Music Director of Scottish Opera.
How have your experiences at Scottish Opera influenced your career, do you think? Before joining Connect, I’d never considered professional opera singer as a career possibility. It opened up the world of opera to me and showed me how it works, and how people make a living from it. What will you be performing as an Emerging Artist? Some details are still being finalised, but I’ll be doing the Opera Highlights tour in Spring 2020, I have a role in The Gondoliers next year, and I’m in Amadeus & The Bard in the Autumn with singers from the Young Company. What do Emerging Artists do that the public doesn’t see? There are lots of concerts and dinners for the Friends and Patrons of Scottish Opera, which are lovely. I took part in a concert in Newington in Edinburgh last year, which I really enjoyed. You get the opportunity to meet lots of people who love Scottish Opera. How do you feel to be continuing your relationship with the Company? I’m over the moon! It’s the national opera company of the place where I’m from, and I’m really chuffed to have been chosen. And to stay in Glasgow and get paid to sing! I’m getting to do what I love, and I’m immensely grateful for that. Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists are supported by The Robertson Trust, The Garrick Charitable Trust, Elizabeth Salvesen and Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artist Benefactors.
ROXANA HAINES
The drama of opera Roxana Haines’ twin passions for theatre and music came together in her profound love of opera. The Company’s new Staff Director reveals her influences, her inspirations, and her numerous international productions
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eople look at me and think: you can’t be very old.’ Roxana Haines, who joined Scottish Opera as Staff Director in January 2019, is more than aware that she might look – well, fairly young. But looks don’t tell the full story. ‘I’m 25,’ she continues, ‘but I’ve also been directing for ten years. I directed my first main-stage show with full chorus at 18, and also my first play three years before that.’ Roxana joins the Company with a remarkable breadth of experience, having worked nationally and internationally on a rich portfolio of projects across theatre and opera. And her abundant skills – already demonstrated as Director of Puccini’s Edgar last Autumn, and employed as Assistant Director on recent productions of Kátya Kabanová and Ariadne auf Naxos – will be put to good use across an equally rich collection of productions over the coming months and years. It’s an astonishing position to be in, and one that’s full of promise for the future. But let’s go back a bit. Where did Roxana’s passion for theatre and performance originally come from? She points to what’s possibly an unusual background. ‘I come from a musical family,’ she explains, ‘but perhaps one that’s a bit more unconventionally musical. My dad was an old-school DJ with proper vinyl records – we had a whole room of albums at home. I grew up in Bristol, and he used to provide music for what was HTV. I used to spend a lot of my time on my scooter going 12 / SUMMER 2019 scottishopera.org.uk
up and down the hill to the studios, delivering music for news clips.’ Her first musical experience, Roxana says, came from choral singing. ‘I was in the Bristol Schools Chamber Choir. They were fab, and we did some touring. I must have been about 13 or 14.’ It was while at school, too, that Roxana first discovered her passion for theatre – which came as a release from challenges elsewhere in more conventional schooling. ‘I was naughty in class,’ she admits. ‘I think it was a bit of teenage angst.’ But she found escape in drama classes and school plays, going on to act, perform and devise her own work. Ultimately teachers began asking her to be assistant director on projects. These twin passions for music and theatre came together in opera, and it was through a former boyfriend that Roxana first encountered the genre. ‘He sang tenor with Bristol Opera, so I went along to see a show. I thought it was great, but it was a shame the drama didn’t match how dramatic the music was. I became intrigued by what theatre could offer this art form.’ Just a couple of years later, Roxana found herself with the opportunity to explore precisely that. ‘I had joined the Bristol Opera chorus, and I was also working alongside one of the directors on The Cunning Little Vixen. She fell ill and had to step back, so I became associate director. I had to step up my game, and I was also commuting back to Bristol from London, where I was studying by then.’ Roxana’s formal studies took her from Goldsmiths, University of London,
ROXANA HAINES
to an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. And since then, she has complemented her study with substantial theatre and opera projects, including a recent period abroad. ‘For the last 18 months I’ve been job-hopping through Europe – I’d put together a series of jobs that just happened to fit together nicely, and I took the opportunity to learn languages too. I’ve lived and worked in Italy, Germany and France, and before that I revived a show – La petite flûte enchantée – which we performed in Luxembourg, Lisbon and Madrid. I also did my own production of Sweeney Todd in Slaithwaite near Huddersfield.’ It was while committed to Sweeney Todd, however, that Roxana received an invitation she found hard to turn down – one from multi-award-winning theatre and opera director Katie Mitchell, ‘I’d studied her directing process during my master’s course, and then I managed to observe her revival of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera House. We got on, and she invited me out to Aix-en-Provence for a week, where she was directing Ariadne auf Naxos at the festival.’ It’s an opera Roxana knew intimately from her experience at Scottish Opera. ‘They clocked on that I knew the show very well, so they asked me to stay out for six weeks and join the team.’ But what about her commitments to Sweeney Todd? ‘They said: okay, we’ll fly you back every weekend, and then back to Aix every Monday morning. So for six weeks I worked seven days a week, commuting between Aix-en-Provence and Slaithwaite! It was extraordinary, and I learnt an awful lot.’ There’s a certain irony – or perhaps aptness – that Ariadne auf Naxos led Roxana from Glasgow to Aix, then helped her secure her new role back with Scottish Opera. What will being Staff Director actually involve? It’s all about being a link between a production and the Company, she explains. ‘Sometimes that means being Assistant Director on main-stage shows; sometimes it’s directing smaller-scale shows, like Edgar and Silvano; and
always, it’s about looking outward. At every point, I’m the Company’s eyes, looking into the future to see what we could do, or outward to find people we might work with, and helping behind the scenes with any production issues.’ She has several projects in the pipeline for the coming Season. ‘First and foremost,’ she says, ‘there’s Fox-tot!, which I’m directing. I’ll also be Assistant Director for Tosca in the Autumn, and we’re still discussing other projects.’ What does she particularly enjoy about her new, staff role at Scottish Opera? ‘It’s a blessing to wake up every day and think: I have a salary, working in the arts, in a job I have a degree in,’ she explains. ‘And it’s such a happy Company – when you’re touring, you realise how different companies do things differently, and people in Scottish Opera do genuinely enjoy their work.’ Most of all, however, Roxana’s new role enables her to fulfil her underlying passion. ‘I love introducing opera to people who think it’s not for them. Because I was that person. I still feel like an outsider in opera – I’m a dramatist in this musical world, but I’ve taught myself about it to be able to help the drama happen. But I love helping translate the world of opera for people who don’t think it’s for them – because it’s for everybody.’
‘I love introducing opera to people who think it’s not for them. Because I was that person’
(left) Roxana as Assistant Director on Kátya Kabanová; (top right) with an elephant puppet in circus production Circus 1903 ; (right) rehearsing Sweeney Todd in Slaithwaite
scottishopera.org.uk SUMMER 2019 / 13
NEWS
DEMENTIA FRIENDLY TOSCA IN ABERDEEN, EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW Continuing Scottish Opera’s commitment to making opera accessible to people living with dementia, there will be three Dementia Friendly performances of Tosca as part of the 2019/20 Season. These performances have become an integral part of the Company’s work, and this Season is the first time they’ll also take place in His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, alongside Theatre Royal Glasgow and Festival Theatre Edinburgh, in October and November.
Holidays for Supporters Scottish Opera has a long and proud history of hosting international trips for Friends and Supporters, which also help support the Company’s work back home in Scotland. Participants can experience some of the best opera performances that the world has to offer, make new friends – or renew acquaintances – with fellow opera lovers, and sample the cultures of new cities and countries. Recent memorable highlights include a trip last year to Stuttgart for I puritani and Fidelio, alongside a spectacular Carmen at Bregenz’s lakeside stage (pictured right), as well as a well-attended tour taking in Idomeneo, La fille du régiment, Verdi’s Alzira and Brescianello’s Tisbe at the Buxton International Festival, and a visit to Naples and Sicily for Nabucco and Rigoletto. A trip to Glyndebourne in October 2019, including performances of L’elisir d’amore and Rigoletto, has just been announced. Details of other upcoming Scottish Opera Friends and Supporters trips will be revealed soon, including trips to Bristol and Italian destinations. For more information on upcoming trips, contact Anne Higgins, Friends Manager, on 0141 242 0599
14 / SUMMER 2019 scottishopera.org.uk
NEWS
OBITUARIES
Celebrate a life by supporting Scottish Opera If, perhaps, you have lost a special person who had a lifelong love of opera, or a friend has died who shared your own passion for opera, giving a gift to Scottish Opera in their memory can be an uplifting way to celebrate a life, while sharing their passion with a new generation. In 2018, Scottish Opera supporter Dr Nicholas Phillipson, Emeritus Reader in History at the University of Edinburgh, sadly died. A friend (who prefers to remain anonymous) kindly offered to sponsor a Scottish Opera performance in his memory. Nick was a true champion of new work, and Anthropocene was the perfect choice. The opening night of our Edinburgh performances was therefore dedicated to his memory, and an acknowledgement of the support he had given the Company was included in each programme. If you would like to remember someone with a gift to Scottish Opera, please contact Nicola Smith on 0141 242 0598. We have a variety of exciting and interesting opportunities throughout our 2019/20 Season, and we’d be delighted to have your support.
DOCTORS, DISEASES AND OPERA From ailments guiding operatic plots to medical professionals moonlighting as singers, composers, directors and impresarios, there’s a long and rich history of connections between the worlds of medicine and opera. It’s a history that the late Dr J Ian S Robertson had already peered into with his book Doctors in Opera. Where that earlier volume examined physicians as characters on the operatic stage, his follow-up book – Doctors, Diseases and Opera – slices open the contributions of medical men and women to other aspects of the operatic arts. It’s all delivered with Dr Robertson’s trademark acerbic wit, and available for £14.99 (plus £2 p&p). A contribution from sales goes to Scottish Opera. To order, call 0141 248 4567, or write to: Doctors, Diseases and Opera, Scottish Opera, 39 Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow G2 4PT (cheques payable to Scottish Opera).
Dr J Ian S Robertson (1928-2019) Long-standing Scottish Opera Board member, Friends Chairman and eminent Professor of Medicine, Dr J Ian S Robertson passed away in March 2019. As a Board member from 1999 to 2008, Dr Ian (as he was affectionately known) was passionate about the Company and opera more broadly, and had a clearsighted understanding of the opera business. He was previously a popular Chairman of the Friends of Scottish Opera from 1999 to 2004, during which time he launched Brio, reinstated tours to opera centres around the world, and persuaded composer Sir James MacMillan to become Patron of the Friends. He also wrote two informative and entertaining books – Doctors in Opera and Doctors, Diseases and Opera (see left)– that combine the twin passions of his life, and lectured widely on medical aspects of opera. As a Professor of Medicine, he had particular interests in cardiology, hypertension and endocrinology, and was President of the International Society of Hypertension and an advisor to the World Health Organisation. Earlier in his career, he was part of a group that set up the Medical Research Council Blood Pressure Unit at Glasgow’s Western Infirmary. Following his retirement in 1993, he gained a degree in Opera Studies from the University of Manchester. He was also a member of the Advisory Council of The Caledonian Foundation USA and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Rona Dill (née Chisholm) (1970-2019) It was with great sadness that the Company received the news of the passing of Rona Dill in January this year. Rona had been a member of staff with the Company since 1988, when she joined on a work placement scheme. She went on to hold several key roles within Scottish Opera, working in the Publicity and Education departments before moving to work in the Orchestra department in 1992. ‘I feel deeply fortunate to have known and worked with Rona. I continually admired her professionalism, humility and kindness, and her ability to bring warmth and assurance to everyone who came in contact with her. We were all the richer for her friendship.’ Jay Allen, Orchestra & Concerts Director scottishopera.org.uk SUMMER 2019 / 15
WHAT THE MEDIA SAID...
ANTHROPOCENE ‘Welsh knows how to tell a taut story, but so too does MacRae in a score that is approachable but also bold, independent and varied. It’s an edge-of-seat thriller’ Fiona Maddocks, The Observer
‘Its greatest virtue is vividly fluent and expressive vocal writing that enlarges and illuminates as only opera can do’ Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph
‘As the resurrected ice woman, Jennifer France naturally dominates, dramatically and musically’ Richard Morrison, The Times
‘Fine characterisation, great performances and some memorable set pieces’ Keith Bruce, The Herald
‘The three hard-hitting female roles come together in some of the opera’s most exhilarating ensemble numbers’ Ken Walton, The Scotsman
‘Colourful orchestral writing’ Rowena Smith, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Telegraph
The Times
The Scotsman
Opera Now
The i
The Observer
The Herald on Sunday
The List
Opera Guide Scotland
16 / SUMMER 2019 scottishopera.org.uk
WHAT THE MEDIA SAID...
KÁTYA KABANOVÁ ‘Scottish Opera’s fine production is one of tremendous power’ George Hall, The Stage
‘This is a staging full of big stuff that also delights in small things’ Keith Bruce, The Herald
‘Lawless guides the characters through their elemental conflicts with a symbolic precision’ Gareth Vile, The List
‘Conducted with pace and urgency by Stuart Stratford, and designed with desolate beauty by Leslie Travers’ Fiona Maddocks, The Observer
‘Stuart Stratford brought out the wonderfully vivid colours of the score’ David Smythe, Bachtrack
‘The universally superb cast measures up to the emotional gymnastics of Janáček’s music’ Mark Brown, Herald on Sunday
The Stage
Opera Guide Scotland
The List
Bachtrack
The Observer
Scotsgay Arts
The Herald
The Herald on Sunday
Edinburgh Festivals scottishopera.org.uk SUMMER 2019 / 17
WHAT THE MEDIA SAID...
NATIONAL OPERA STUDIO
‘The National Opera Studio did a great job in creating a performance enjoyable for both the opera experts and less experienced audiences’ Sofia Cotrona, Reviewsphere
The Scotsman
1719! PRIMARY SCHOOLS TOUR
OPERA HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT THE AUDIENCE SAID...
‘It’s the bristling energy of the cast, and the enthusiasm and stamina of pianist/ music director Elizabeth Rowe, that load this theatrical menagerie with fun and fizz’
‘Amazing! Amazing! Amazing performance with Scottish Opera and our talented P5/6, P6a and P6b pupils today – phenomenal!’ Corstorphine Primary School, Twitter ‘Just back from watching my son and his classmates at West Coats it was amazing! Couldn’t believe all the expressions on their faces and the effort put in’’ Audience review, Facebook ‘So moved by Ladybank PS pupils’ performance of 1719! with Scottish Opera today. What an amazing experience for the children and us! We hope our families enjoyed it just as much as we did’ Ladybank Primary School, Twitter ‘I loved the costumes and all the movement and dance’ ‘I just want to thank Scottish Opera’ ‘They made it a really fun time for us’ Participants at Baljaffray Primary School, Bearsden (STV interview)
18 / SUMMER 2019 scottishopera.org.uk
Ken Walton, The Scotsman WHAT THE AUDIENCE SAID...
‘It is a real treat to have such perfection close to home, affordable, and I particularly enjoy these small theatre settings where I can sit close to the performers’’ Audience member in East Kilbride ‘A privilege for us on our small island’’ Audience member in Benbecula ‘‘That you should bring your phenomenal talents to us in a far-flung and remote village hall is just wonderful’ Audience member in Harris
PERFORMANCE DIARY
SCOTTISH OPERA MAY – AUG 2019 May Sat 4 7.15pm Wed 8 7.15pm Thu 9 6pm Fri 10 7.15pm Sun 12 3pm Tue 14 7.15pm Thu 16 3pm Sat 18 7.15pm Tue 21 7.15pm Thu 23 7.15pm Fri 24 12, 2 & 3.30pm Fri 24 6pm Sat 25 12, 2 & 3.30pm Sat 25 7.15pm Thu 30 11am, 1 & 3pm Thu 30 7.15pm Fri 31 11am, 1 & 3pm Fri 31 6pm Jun Sat 1 11am, 1 & 3pm Sat 1 7.15pm Wed 5 7.15pm Thu 6 11.30am & 2pm Thu 6 6pm Fri 7 4 & 6pm Fri 7 3pm Sat 8 12, 2 & 4pm Sun 9 3pm Tue 11 7.15pm Thu 13 5.45, 6.45 & 8pm Thu 13 7.15pm Fri 14 5.45, 6.45 & 8pm Sat 15 12, 2 & 4pm Sat 15 7.15pm Sun 16 12, 2 & 4pm Thu 20 7.30pm Sat 22 12, 2 & 3.30pm Sat 22 7.30pm Sun 23 2, 3.30 & 5.30pm Tue 25 6.30pm Wed 26 6.30pm Thu 27 2.30, 6 & 7.30pm Thu 27 7.15pm Fri 28 6pm Sat 29 11.30am, 1.30 & 3pm Sat 29 7.15pm Jul Sat 20 times TBC Aug Fri 2 to Sun 4 10 & 11.30am Tue 6 to Sun 1110 & 11.30am Tue 13 to Fri 16 10 & 11.30am Wed 21 7.15pm Fri 23 7.15pm Sat 24 7.15pm Tue 27 2pm Wed 28 to Sun 1 Sep 11am & 2pm AD Audio-described performance F A Little Bit of The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute Theatre Royal Glasgow The Magic Flute Theatre Royal Glasgow Flute Unwrapped Theatre Royal Glasgow The Magic Flute Theatre Royal Glasgow The Magic Flute AD Theatre Royal Glasgow The Magic Flute Theatre Royal Glasgow Dementia Friendly Flute Theatre Royal Glasgow The Magic Flute Theatre Royal Glasgow The Magic Flute Eden Court, Inverness The Magic Flute Eden Court, Inverness Pop-up Opera I/F/F Perth Concert Hall Plaza Flute Unwrapped Eden Court, Inverness Pop-up Opera F/I/I Perth Concert Hall Plaza The Magic Flute AD Eden Court, Inverness Pop-up Opera F/I/P Gretna Gateway Outlet Village The Magic Flute His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Pop-up Opera F/I/P Logan Botanic Garden, near Stranraer Flute Unwrapped His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Pop-up Opera F/I/P Crawick Multiverse, near Sanquhar The Magic Flute AD His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen The Magic Flute Festival Theatre Edinburgh Pop-up Opera I/F Gavinburn PS, Old Kilpatrick Flute Unwrapped Festival Theatre Edinburgh Pop-up Opera I/F Cowan Park, Barrhead Dementia Friendly Flute Festival Theatre Edinburgh Pop-up Opera P/F/I Rouken Glen Park, Giffnock The Magic Flute AD Festival Theatre Edinburgh The Magic Flute Festival Theatre Edinburgh Pop-up Opera I/I/F Borders Book Festival, Melrose The Magic Flute Festival Theatre Edinburgh Pop-up Opera F/F/I Borders Book Festival, Melrose Pop-Up Opera F/I/I Archerfield Walled Garden, East Lothian The Magic Flute Festival Theatre Edinburgh Pop-up Opera I/F/F Archerfield Walled Garden, East Lothian The Magic Flute Hackney Empire, London Pop-up Opera P/I/F McLaren Leisure Centre, Callander The Magic Flute Hackney Empire, London Pop-up Opera P/I/F Cupar Arts EDEN Pop-up Opera I Banff Primary School Pop-up Opera F Banff Primary School Pop-up Opera P/I/F Aboyne Green, Aboyne The Magic Flute Grand Opera House, Belfast Flute Unwrapped Grand Opera House, Belfast Pop-up Opera P/I/F Haddington Show, East Lothian The Magic Flute Grand Opera House, Belfast Pop-up Opera P
Glasgow Canal Festival
Fox-tot! Fox-tot! Fox-tot! Breaking the Waves Breaking the Waves Breaking the Waves Fox-tot!
Edinburgh Academy Edinburgh Academy Edinburgh Academy King’s Theatre, Edinburgh King’s Theatre, Edinburgh King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Royal & Derngate, Northampton
Fox-tot!
Royal & Derngate, Northampton
HOW TO BOOK Theatre Royal Glasgow 282 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 3QA Box Office 0844 871 7647 atgtickets.com Eden Court, Inverness Bishops Road, Inverness IV3 5SA Box Office 01463 234234 eden-court.co.uk Pop-up Opera Please visit scottishopera.org.uk for booking details for each venue His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen AB25 1GL Box Office 01224 641122 boxofficeaberdeen.com Festival Theatre Edinburgh 13–29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9FT Box Office 0131 529 6000 capitaltheatres.com Hackney Empire, London 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ Box Office 020 8985 2424 hackneyempire.co.uk Grand Opera House, Belfast Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7HR Box Office 028 9024 1919 goh.co.uk Fox-tot! – Edinburgh Festival Fringe Edinburgh Academy, 42 Henderson Row, Edinburgh EH3 5BL Box Office 0131 226 0000 (from 5 June) edfringe.com Breaking the Waves – Edinburgh International Festival King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street, Edinburgh EH3 9LQ Box Office 0131 473 2000 eif.co.uk Royal & Derngate, Northampton 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP Box Office 01604 624811 royalandderngate.co.uk
I A Little Bit of Iolanthe P Puffy McPuffer & The Crabbit Canals
scottishopera.org.uk SUMMER 2019 / 19
The Scotsman
The Times
A quest for love, wisdom and truth
THEATRE ROYAL
HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE
HACKNEY EMPIRE
GLASGOW
ABERDEEN
LONDON
EDEN COURT
FESTIVAL THEATRE
GRAND OPERA HOUSE
4 – 18 MAY
INVERNESS 21 – 25 MAY
30 MAY & 1 JUN
EDINBURGH 5 – 15 JUN
20 & 22 JUN
BELFAST 27 & 29 JUN
Supported by The Scottish Opera Syndicate | Original production supported by Dunard Fund Belfast and London performances supported jointly by Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Arts Council Wales and Creative Scotland
scottishopera.org.uk Registered in Scotland Number SC037531 Scottish Charity Number SC019787