Scottish Opera 2013/14 season

Scottish Opera's 2013/14 season is something of a challenge as the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, is closed from February to May 2014 as part of the theatre's redevelopment. Alex Reedijk has in fact produced an imaginatively lively season with some very strong casts. The company will be performing three operas on the main stage, a new productions of Mozart's Don Giovanni and Donizetti's Don Pasquale, plus a revival of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. In addition there is a smaller scale revival of Verdi's Macbeth, Handel's Rodelinda tours Scotland and the company will have a strong presence at this year's Edinburgh Festival.

The new production of Don Giovanni is directed by Sir Thomas Allen, with an interesting cast which includes Jacques Imbrailo in the title role, Susan Gritton as Donna Anna, Lisa Milne as Donna Elvira and Ed Lyon as Don Ottavio. Don Pasquale is directed by Renaud Doucet with Colin Lee as Ernesto, Bruno Pratico as Don Pasquale and Ruth Jenkins as Norina. Madama Butterfly returns in David McVicar's production with Hye-Youn Lee and Anne Sophie Duprels sharing the title role.

There is a chance to both say farewell to Scottish Opera's outgoing music director and welcome the incoming one. Madama Butterfly will be conducted by the company's new-appointed music director Emmanuel Joel-Hornak. Joel-Hornak is also conducting the revival Verdi's Macbeth with chamber orchestral accompaniment, at the Glasgow Citizen's theatre and Edinburgh's King's Theatre. Outgoing music director Francesco Corti will be conducting a concert performance of Puccini's Turandot at Edinburgh's Usher Hall.

Macbeth returns in Dominic Hill's production, with Elisabeth Meister as Lady Macbeth and David Stephenson as Macbeth. Turandot will feature Claire Rutter in the title role with Sir Willard White as Timur and Jose Ferrero as Calaf.

There are also a variety of smaller initiatives. The company will have a strong presence at the Edinburgh Festival this year when they will be performing Olga Neuwirth's American Lulu, a co-production with Opera North; plus revival of Kally Lloyd-Jones' production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins. 2013/14 will also see a small scale touring production of Handel's Rodelinda travelling to 16 smaller venues in Scotland.

Work is already underway redeveloping the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and the revival of Madama Butterfly in May 2014 will mark the reopening of the theatre; the opera is the first one ever performed by Scottish Opera.

Further information from the Scottish Opera website.

Elsewhere on this blog:

• Britten & Shostakovich violin concertos - CD review
• Weber - Der Freischutz - CD review
• Wagner songs at the London Song Festival
• Arensky Chamber Orchestra
• Cambridge Handel Opera - Atalanta
• Wolf - Das Italienisches Liederbuch - CD review
• An encounter with Stephen Barlow
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