AS I RECALL, what most recently fanned the flames of controversy, in the letters pages at least, was a Herald opinion poll which placed opera below a range of other artforms including traditional music, with theatre gaining most support. What nobody has yet, to my knowledge, publicly observed is that the poll was curiously skewed in the first place, making no reference whatsoever to the visual arts or literature. But, of course, opera’s low rating was highlighted by the paper, coupled with the news that Scottish Opera were seeking an advance on next year’s grant. Music critic Michael Tumelty declared his firm support for the company.
 

There followed a correspondence indicting Scottish Opera for gross extravagance, with extortionate seat prices perpetuating a cult of elitism – all at the expense of other artforms, particularly traditional music. The assumption appears to be that the company’s work is confined to opulent main-stage productions that only the wealthiest can attend. It should be acknowledged that full-scale grand opera is not cheap to mount, featuring, as it must, a cast of soloists, chorus and large orchestra, professional musicians employed in, and contributing to the economy of, Scotland. Perhaps admission charges should be reduced across the board – which would require increased funding….
 

But Scottish Opera’s remit isn’t just to serve the central belt bourgeoisie in Glasgow’s Theatre Royal and the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. Full-scale productions do travel to venues as far afield as Inverness, Elgin, Dumfries, Ayr and Kelso. Scottish Opera Go Round tours full-length operas with reduced companies and a piano replacing the orchestra, while Essential Scottish Opera brings highlights throughout mainland Scotland and as far North as Kirkwall, with Skye and Mull also on the itinerary.
 

The company’s educational wing, Scottish Opera for All, lists around 170 schools in 28 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, visiting such evocative locations as Lochpots, Fox Covert, Onthank, Carlibar, Seaview, Sunnyside and Touch, where they conduct workshops and classes and occasionally create “site specific community operas”. We should acknowledge that this not quite undercover - but not overpublicised - work touches on the lives of thousands of Scots, young and old, of all social classes, employing the skills of many highly trained practitioners.
 

I should make it clear that I am not an “opera buff”, though I’ve enjoyed the few live performances I’ve seen. Nor am I in the pay of Scottish Opera. I’ve written two librettos; neither was commissioned or performed by Scottish Opera. The first, a community project, was set to the music of Black Isle man Alasdair Nicolson, and brought around 100 performers from Skye on to the Eden Court stage before packed houses. William Sweeney’s opera, professionally produced by Paragon Ensemble, had performances in Inverness, Skye and Oban. But I’ve also enjoyed working with musicians in the folk tradition, of the stature of Phil Cunningham, Donald Shaw and Andy Thorburn, among others. There is no reason why the different musical styles can’t provide equal satisfaction to audiences as well as performers.
 

  Next Page | Previous Page                  Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4