For Scottish Opera, with no booking at the Edinburgh Festival this year, the 2025/26 season kicks off with this attractive double bill of one-act comedies. The company did perform Ravel's L'Heure espagnole, away back in its second season, 1963. Back then, it was paired with a contrastingly serious work by a then living composer Luigi Dallapiccola, Night Flight (Volo di notte).
This time round the companion piece is Sir William Walton's comedy The Bear, based on a Chekhov short story. Of the great British twentieth century composers, Scottish Opera has done plenty of Britten's operas over the years, as well as two by Tippett, but this is the first time anything by Walton has been scheduled - an omission long overdue for filling, The Bear is a late work (1967), premiered at Aldeburgh, with a witty libretto by Paul Dehn.
The conductor is Alexandra Cravero, who made a hugely positive impression in 2022 as a late replacement for Massenet's Thérèse. Ravel and Walton should suit her just as well. The director is new to us, but has had experience at Glyndebourne, which should be sufficient recommendation.
The three singers are all members of the company's new crop of Emerging Artists, and it will be stimulating to see how they all progress through the months ahead.
Scottish Opera's programme for 2025/26
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 is returning to work on.
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.
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