Opera Scotland

Scottish Opera's new season announced

Posted 3 May 2025

Scottish Opera have announced the details of the 2025/26 season.  The most obvious novelty is a world premiere with a uniquely Japanese theme. The Great Wave has music by Dai Fujikura and a text by Harry Ross with a central theme derived from the famous print by Hokusai.

The season opens with new productions of an interesting double bill of works by two great twentieth century masters, Maurice Ravel and William Walton.  Scottish Opera did give us L'Heure espagnole as long ago as 1963, the company's second season, but Walton's operas, including his late comedy The Bear, have been conspicuous omissions.

As usual two popular favourites are given extended runs that include performances in Aberdeen and Inverness, as well as Glasgow and Edinburgh.  The autumn revival is Renaud Doucet and André Barbe's thoroughly enjoyable staging of La bohème, first seen in 2017.  The spring tour is one of the company's best productions, first seen in 2010 - Sir Thomas Allen's visionary interpretation of The Marriage of Figaro, which he will come back to revive.

There is a long-awaited return to the works of Wagner, with two concert performances of Tristan und Isolde, while a concert programme of excerpts this year is centred on Tchaikovsky.

The company's small-scale activities continue with autumn and spring tours of a Highlights programme.  The Pop-Up Opera series also continues to spread the length and breadth of the country.