Andrew Clark says the withdrawal of Scottish Opera’s Music Director means the company needs to raise its game.
In the space of 12 hours at the end of last week, Scottish Opera struck a high and hit rock bottom. Launching its new season with a touring version of Handel’s Rodelinda, the Glasgow-based company showed how adept it has become at presenting shoestring versions of the operatic classics, setting a high standard while presenting a mobile, up-to-date and audience-friendly image.
Directed from the harpsichord by Susannah Wapshott, one of Scottish Opera’s rising stars, the show debuted on Thursday at The Beacon, a spanking new arts centre in the Clydeside town of Greenock. Over the next six weeks Rodelinda will visit 15 outlying communities.
With applause still ringing in its ears, the company learnt the following morning that Emmanuel Joel-Hornak, the French conductor it recently appointed as music director, had pulled out. Friday’s announcement was embarrassing, not only because the withdrawal came at such short notice – he had been due to make his debut at a concert this weekend – but also because neither side would explain the rift.
Crisis is endemic to opera companies. Singers are temperamental. Money is scarce. Productions often fail to meet expectations. The whole enterprise is a rolling ball of unpredictability. But something more serious is happening north of the border.
In the space of 12 hours at the end of last week, Scottish Opera struck a high and hit rock bottom. Launching its new season with a touring version of Handel’s Rodelinda, the Glasgow-based company showed how adept it has become at presenting shoestring versions of the operatic classics, setting a high standard while presenting a mobile, up-to-date and audience-friendly image.
Directed from the harpsichord by Susannah Wapshott, one of Scottish Opera’s rising stars, the show debuted on Thursday at The Beacon, a spanking new arts centre in the Clydeside town of Greenock. Over the next six weeks Rodelinda will visit 15 outlying communities.
With applause still ringing in its ears, the company learnt the following morning that Emmanuel Joel-Hornak, the French conductor it recently appointed as music director, had pulled out. Friday’s announcement was embarrassing, not only because the withdrawal came at such short notice – he had been due to make his debut at a concert this weekend – but also because neither side would explain the rift.
Crisis is endemic to opera companies. Singers are temperamental. Money is scarce. Productions often fail to meet expectations. The whole enterprise is a rolling ball of unpredictability. But something more serious is happening north of the border.