Scottish Opera - Glasgow
28 March 2024

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Performance reviews

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Die Zauberflöte

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 6

A very welcome return of the Scottish Opera's 2012 production of The Magic Flute
4 Jul 19 / Opera Journal
A fun-filled Magic Flute
8 Jun 19 / The Opera Critic
This five star production is thanks to the stars aligning in every aspect of its creation
12 May 19 / The Reviews Hub
The Magic Flute is still pulling in the crowds
11 May 19 / The Scotsman
Stovepipe hats are back: Scottish Opera’s steampunk Magic Flute returns
8 May 19 / Bachtrack
A grand night out
7 May 19 / The Herald
Silvano

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 2

Mascagni's Silvano proves to be a topical treat
22 Apr 19 / The Opera Critic
As the wretched Matilde, Emma Bell stole the show
20 Apr 19 / The Scotsman
Kat'a Kabanova

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 6

Death on the Volga
25 Mar 19 / The Opera Critic
A traditional staging of Katya Kabaonva at Scottish Opera that is poetic and thoughtful
22 Mar 19 / The Spectator
Scottish Opera’s new Kátya Kabanová is musically strong but intermittently satisfying
18 Mar 19 / Seen and Heard
At Scottish Opera, a great season for Kátya Kabanová continues
17 Mar 19 / The Observer
A finely sung Katya Kabanova in rust-bucket Russia
15 Mar 19 / Bachtrack
This is a staging full of big stuff
14 Mar 19 / The Herald
Anthropocene

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 9

Arctic diversions
3 Feb 19 / The Opera Critic
Tensions rise as an Arctic expedition becomes trapped in ice
3 Feb 19 / The Observer
A bankable asset
29 Jan 19 / The Scotsman
A timely chiller from Scottish Opera
29 Jan 19 / Bachtrack
With superb diction from the whole company, Anthropocene is a work of great clarity
28 Jan 19 / The Herald
Atmospheric operatic thriller
28 Jan 19 / The Stage
A tense and riveting 3-Act thriller set in the icy wastes of Greenland
28 Jan 19 / Opera News
Icily resonant tale with a remorseless grip
26 Jan 19 / Telegraph
MacRae's arctic adventure delivers operatic thrills
26 Jan 19 / The Guardian
Rigoletto

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 7

A Rigoletto revival that resonates with today's audience
12 Nov 18 / The Opera Critic
Vocally, Scottish Opera has a wealth of talent
12 Nov 18 / The Reviews Hub
A dark, unflinching Rigoletto from Scottish Opera
23 Oct 18 / Bachtrack
The real fire came from the pit
23 Oct 18 / The Times
Scottish Opera opens the new season with a revival of Verdi’s Rigoletto
22 Oct 18 / Seen and Heard
Greek baritone Aris Argiris brings a sympathetic Zero Mostel-approach to the title character
22 Oct 18 / The Herald
Individually there are golden moments
20 Oct 18 / The Scotsman
Edgar

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 3

Edgar is well worthy of a place in Scottish Opera’s Sunday afternoon opera-in-concert series
3 Nov 18 / The Scotsman
Puccini's early opera gets a rare outing
30 Oct 18 / The Opera Critic
Peter Auty was in superb voice in the title role
29 Oct 18 / The Herald
The Burning Fiery Furnace

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 6

Burning Fiery Furnace is a masterclass in austerity opera
27 Sep 18 / The Spectator
A mesmerising, memorable and quietly provocative production
26 Sep 18 / The Scotsman
The sequence of ritualistic scenes and tableaux suited the work perfectly
25 Sep 18 / The Herald
Jenny Ogilvie struck the right balance between the archaic and the everyday
24 Sep 18 / The Times
Sonorous singing and sensuous ecstasy
24 Sep 18 / The Guardian
A colourful and exotic parable
23 Sep 18 / The Opera Critic
Eugene Onegin

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 15

Everything that is great about Eugene Onegin comes together perfectly in this Scottish Opera production
5 Jul 18 / Opera Journal
Scottish Opera’s first-rate production of Tchaikovsky’s great Eugene Onegin
2 Jul 18 / Seen and Heard
Scottish Opera's Eugene Onegin gives an outstanding account of the Russian soul
30 Jun 18 / The Irish News
Kiwi leading Scottish Opera through a decade of successes
9 Jun 18 / National Business Review
An Onegin full of memories
26 May 18 / The Opera Critic
La Scottish Opera cierra la temporada con Eugene Onegin de Tchaikovsky
16 May 18 / Opera World (Spanish)
Natalya Romaniw thrills in Scottish Opera’s epic Eugene Onegin
9 May 18 / Bachtrack
Scottish Opera’s strongly performed production is charged with emotion
2 May 18 / The Stage
An unflinchingly serious three-and-a-quarter hours
2 May 18 / The Scotsman
Crackling with vitality
2 May 18 / Telegraph
Scottish Opera’s new production of Tchaikovsky’s best-loved opera is nothing if not attention-grabbing
30 Apr 18 / The Herald
The Royal Opera's artistic director stages Tchaikovsky's romantic masterpiece for Scottish Opera
30 Apr 18 / What's on Stage
Magnificent singing in a new production of Eugene Onegin at Scottish Opera
30 Apr 18 / Seen and Heard
A grand production of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece
30 Apr 18 / The Guardian
Natalya Romaniw’s stunningly sung Tatyana one of the highlights
30 Apr 18 / The Times
Francesca da Rimini

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 3

A double dose of Rachmaninov
9 May 18 / The Opera Critic
Scottish Opera’s outstanding performances of rare Rachmaninov operas
8 May 18 / Seen and Heard
Two operas with similar grizzly endings
7 May 18 / The Herald
Aleko

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 3

A double dose of Rachmaninov
9 May 18 / The Opera Critic
Scottish Opera’s outstanding performances of rare Rachmaninov operas
8 May 18 / Seen and Heard
Two operas have similar grizzly endings
7 May 18 / The Herald
Ariadne auf Naxos

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 6

Passionately sung modern dress opera containing elements of burlesque
10 Apr 18 / The Stage
Initial misses give way to big hit
9 Apr 18 / Seen and Heard
A Scottish take on Ariadne auf Naxos
9 Apr 18 / The Opera Critic
Ariadne auf “Glasgow”
4 Apr 18 / Opera World (Spanish)
Scottish Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos is witty and passionate
27 Mar 18 / Bachtrack
Scottish Opera's highly enjoyable Ariadne auf Naxos is proof that unlikely ideas can work
27 Mar 18 / The List
Flight

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 8

Scottish Opera and cast triumph with Jonathan Dove’s Flight
6 Mar 18 / Seen and Heard
The solo piano only added to the sense of intimacy that pervaded the whole evening
6 Mar 18 / The Scotsman
Flight takes off, despite the weather
5 Mar 18 / The Opera Critic
Witty and poignant tale of airport life at Scottish Opera
27 Feb 18 / Bachtrack
Jonathan Dove's airport opera soars above the ordinary
20 Feb 18 / The Guardian
Jonathan Dove’s must-see work, set in an airport departure lounge, shows how modern opera can be thrillingly relevant
19 Feb 18 / The Times
Flight is the musical equivalent of a supermarket’s premium range convenience food
19 Feb 18 / Telegraph
Twenty years on, Flight looks more modern and relevant than ever
19 Feb 18 / The Herald
Greek

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 4

Scottish Opera’s Greek: a lively update on Oedipus
6 Feb 18 / Bachtrack
This Greek is a classic of our time
6 Feb 18 / The Herald
Scottish Opera thrills with aggressive Greek from Turnage
5 Feb 18 / Seen and Heard
Greek erupts on stage in Glasgow
5 Feb 18 / The Opera Critic
The Fiery Angel

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 3

Madness, magic and spiritual mayhem
6 Dec 17 / Bachtrack
Sex, demons and cannibalism in Glasgow
5 Dec 17 / Telegraph
A thrilling performance
5 Dec 17 / The Opera Critic
La Traviata

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 9

Compelling La traviata from Scottish Opera
23 Nov 17 / Seen and Heard
McVicar's Traviata is sumptuously minimalist
20 Nov 17 / The Opera Critic
The story was remarkably easy to follow; the singing hard to fault
18 Nov 17 / Edinburgh Guide
Sombre and sumptuous
10 Nov 17 / The Northern Times
Gulnara Shafigullina makes a searing Scottish Opera debut
29 Oct 17 / The Herald
Safe and simple pleasures from Scottish Opera's La traviata
24 Oct 17 / Bachtrack
There are visual pleasures, but the musical thrills are harder to find
23 Oct 17 / The Times
David McVicar’s stylish Traviata is slow to ignite at Scottish Opera
22 Oct 17 / The Observer
McVicar's Verdi is a gorgeous but stilted visual treat
21 Oct 17 / The Guardian
Iolanta

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 2

An engaging performance
1 Nov 17 / The Opera Critic
For a one-off performance, this was sumptuously cast
31 Oct 17 / The Herald
Greek

Edinburgh International Festival


No. of reviews: 9

Alex Otterburn as the Oedipal Stuart, trying to escape from Fate and Tuffnell Park, was devastating and terrifying
14 Aug 17 / The Scotsman
Cockney opera mixes the baleful and the banal
8 Aug 17 / Financial Times
Who would have thought ketchup and beans could feature so garishly in an opera or symbolise so much?
8 Aug 17 / Classical Source
Bold and tacky
8 Aug 17 / The Stage
The real clincher in this production is Hill-Gibbons’ focus on psychology rather than epoch
8 Aug 17 / The Scotsman
The evening belongs to Alex Otterburn's Eddy
7 Aug 17 / The Opera Critic
Re-unveiling of EIF’s past glory is mesmerising when it works
7 Aug 17 / Telegraph
Oedipus opera update as relevant and risque as ever
7 Aug 17 / The Guardian
For Scottish Opera Emerging Artist Alex Otterburn the central role of Eddy is a huge achievement
6 Aug 17 / The Herald
Opera director Joe Hill-Gibbins: How I got an Oepidus complex
The ancient myth speaks to us still, and, through the prism of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s hard-hitting opera Greek, the director of a new production found insights, strange beauty and football chants.
La bohème

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 9

Scottish Opera’s romantic reimagining of La bohème
2 Jun 17 / Seen and Heard
Love, laughter and death at the heart of Scottish Opera's new Bohème
2 Jun 17 / The Opera Critic
For the purists the production was way over-the-top
2 Jun 17 / Edinburgh Guide
Scottish Opera tearjerker was third time lucky
27 May 17 / The Press and Journal
Scottish Opera’s detailed La bohème bursts with joie de vivre
23 May 17 / Bachtrack
Much of Scottish Opera’s Bohème is spot-on – but it begins with an act of petty vandalism
18 May 17 / The Spectator
Detail-rich and resonant
16 May 17 / The Stage
A breathless affair
13 May 17 / The Scotsman
Jazz-age colour and vitality animate Scottish Opera's new production
11 May 17 / The Guardian
Le villi

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 2

A real treat
27 May 17 / The Scotsman
A triumph and a treat
23 May 17 / The Herald
La scala di seta

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 4

Sparkling comedy from Scottish Opera in concert
11 Apr 17 / Bachtrack
Fun and lively early Rossini
4 Apr 17 / The Herald
Rossini's amiable farce fizzes along gleefully
4 Apr 17 / The Guardian
Frothy Rossini, served up with aplomb
3 Apr 17 / The Opera Critic
Duke Bluebeard's Castle

Scottish Opera


No. of reviews: 9

A bloody good double bill
10 Apr 17 / The Observer
An emotional roller coaster
8 Apr 17 / The Opera Critic
Sung with such eloquence it makes you wish we heard more operas in Hungarian
7 Apr 17 / The Spectator
What’s behind Bluebeard’s 8th door? Chilling double bill from Scottish Opera
4 Apr 17 / Bachtrack
A tantalising prospect
2 Apr 17 / The Herald
Bartók’s opera is partnered with a new work in an intriguing double bill
1 Apr 17 / Financial Times
Intense and moving
1 Apr 17 / The Stage
Scottish Opera's compelling tour of Bartók's horrors
31 Mar 17 / The Guardian
Karen Cargill is simply at the top of her best remarkable form as Judith
30 Mar 17 / The Herald
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Performance schedule
Verdi
8 May to 9 Jun 2024

News & Articles

Scottish Opera announces 60th anniversary season for 2022/23
Scottish Opera has unveiled its 2022/23 Season which includes four new main stage productions, with one of the four an outdoor community opera.
19 May 2022 / Scottish Business News
Scottish Opera withdraws nomination for Sky Arts Award
The Scottish Opera has withdrawn its nomination for a Sky Arts Award for its production of Nixon in China after being criticized for its use of 'yellowface' makeup, The Times reports.
14 Jun 2021 / Broadway World
Scottish Opera announces Spring/Summer season
Scottish Opera’s forthcoming season includes two specially made films, along with plans to bring live opera back to audiences with outdoor performances in the summer.
15 Apr 2021 / Opera Now
Scottish Opera reveals plans to stage 200 'pop-up' shows
Scottish Opera has revealed plans to stage more than 200 outdoor performances for around 12,000 people across Scotland as it emerges from lockdown restrictions.
8 Apr 2021 / The Scotsman
Singing in the rain
Scottish Opera is beginning live performances again with a string of pop-up shows across the country - with musicians behind screens and singers staying three metres apart.
6 Sep 2020 / BBC News