Scottish Opera announce new production of The Flying Dutchman.

Scottish Opera is to mark its 50th anniversary season with four full operas in a programme consisting of 11 productions, playing 133 performances in 63 venues. More details below. 

But of special interest to us, is the announcement that they will be marking Wagner's bicentennial year with their first Wagner opera since 2003. 2013 will see them premiere a new production of Der fliegende Holländer directed by Harry Fehr, conducted by Francesco Corti and featuring Peteris Eglitis as the Dutchman and Rachel Nicholls as Senta (full cast list below) Peteris Eglitis is no doubt familiar to regular readers while Rachel may be less so. For those unaware, Rachel has a long established career in the baroque repertoire but this year marks her first major Wagner role when she makes her debut in Longborough Opera's new production of Gotterdammerung - as Brunnhilde. The Wagnerian interviewed Rachel earlier this year and this can be found here.

Official announcement from Scottish opera:

We’re marking our 50th anniversary season with eleven major shows, including eight new productions, four world premieres, five collaborations and 133 performances in 63 venues.

General Director Alex Reedijk said, ‘This is a momentous year for Scottish Opera; for 50 years the Company has been dedicated to bringing imaginative opera productions to the very doorsteps of the people of Scotland. This anniversary season celebrates our unique position in the world of opera, with a powerful combination of high quality opera, new productions, nationwide touring, world premieres of newly commissioned operas and successful education initiatives.’

In a season of new productions, highlights include director Sir Thomas Allen and designer Simon Higlett returning to the Company to stage Mozart’s The Magic Flute, following their successes with The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville. Massenet’s Werther comes to the Scottish stage for the first time since 1986 with world-renowned Hungarian mezzo Viktoria Vizin and acclaimed American tenor Jonathan Boyd in the lead roles. Marking 200 years since Wagner’s birth, Harry Fehr directs The Flying Dutchman, with baritone Peteris Eglitis as The Dutchman. And Scottish Opera joins with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company – returning to the stage for the first time in over a decade – in a new co-production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, conducted by D’Oyly Carte Music Director John Owen Edwards, with Martin Lloyd-Evans directing.

We’re also delighted to be presenting four new operas, three of which are world premieres, at the Edinburgh International Festival. This is the culmination of a five year programme to develop the skills in Scotland to create new opera, Five:15 – Opera’s Made In Scotland. The Lady from the Sea with music by Craig Armstrong and Zoe Strachan is a co-production with Edinburgh International Festival. Clemency reunites composer James MacMillan and poet Michael Symmons Roberts in a co-production with ROH2 that was first presented in London in 2011. A double bill, co-commissioned and co-produced with Music Theatre Wales, features In the Locked Room which teams composer Huw Watkins and librettist David Harsent, and Ghost Patrol, which sees composer Stuart MacRae and crime-writer Louise Welsh coming together.

Celebrations begin on 5 June 2012 as we mark the anniversary of our first performance with a concert of Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at Glasgow’s City Halls. Conducted by Music Director Francesco Corti, and featuring The Orchestra of Scottish Opera and chorus, it stars Italian soprano Antonia Cifrone and tenor Francesco Anile.

It’s a season of anniverseries, as well as commemorating our own 50th and marking the 200 years since Wagner’s birth, we join the celebrations of two other great composers. A new production of La Traviata directed by Annilese Miskimmon marks the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth. Our eighth annual collaboration with The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland marks Britten’s Centenary with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed by student singers and accompanied by The Orchestra of Scottish Opera. The Orchestra of Scottish Opera take centre stage in their regular St Andrew’s in the Square series of concerts, as well as a special concert at Paisley Abbey celebrating the building’s 850th anniversary in 2013.

Scottish Opera's commitment to building new audiences continues with an extensive programme of free events for 2012/13, including Opera Unwrapped, hour-long tasters of mainstage productions, and A Little Bit of..., lively 20-minute versions of The Magic Flute and The Pirates of Penzance. And three new young singers join the Company’s Emerging Artists programme, mezzo-soprano Katie Grosset, tenor Rónan Busfield and baritone Andrew McTaggart.

The company's education and outreach activities continue. Alongside long-running core activities such as touring to Scotland’s primary schools, there are new initiatives. Last season's successful BabyO is joined by its bigger sibling SensoryO, a new interactive show for toddlers of 18 to 36 months. The autumn sees a further world premiere, in the form of children’s opera The Elephant Angel, by composer-in-residence Gareth Williams, who is working with writer Bernard MacLaverty.

The Flying Dutchman - Cast

Conductor
Francesco Corti

Director
Harry Fehr

Designer
Tom Scutt

Lighting
James Farncombe

Daland
Scott Wilde

Senta
Rachel Nicholls

The Dutchman
Peteris Eglitis

Erik
Julian Gavin

Mary
Sarah Pring

Steersman
Nicky Spence

Dates:

Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 3QA

Thu 4 Apr 7.15pm•Sat 6 Apr 7.15pm•Tue 9 Apr 7.15pm


Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9FT

Sat 13 Apr 7.15pm•Tue 16 Apr 7.15pm•Fri 19 Apr 7.15pm

Free events

Flying Dutchman Unwrapped Fri 5 Apr 6.00pm

Pre-show talkSat 6 Apr 6.00pm.