I have been to two operas in Glasgow fairly recently, and was very disappointed with audience numbers. In other European cities, both performances would have been packed out, and difficult to get tickets for.
So, what is going wrong? Scottish Opera does all the right things, and ticks the right boxes. They go into schools, they have great discounts for people under 26, they tour small scale round the wee corners of Scotland, they have Friends, and they work hard to obtain sponsorship from both individuals and businesses. But there remains a fundamental ‘disconnect’ about opera in Scotland: as an art form, it is simply off many people’s radar, and there is no popular culture of ‘going to the opera’ as there is in the rest of Europe.
It is such a shame, because I know that many people would have really enjoyed both these operas. They were easy to understand, funny, tuneful and sung in English with English supertitles. The Two Widows , a transfer from the Edinburgh Festival, in particular was world class.
What needs to happen to get more people into the opera house?
I think for us it’s because we know nothing about it. The name tells us nothing about the story or the music – it’s just something we’re completely unfamiliar with. That makes the decision to go very difficult as we can’t unfortunately get a ticket for £10.
I think I’ve also got the mental image of Wagnerian style operas with busty sopranos and flaxen plaited hair.
So here’s a challenge for you. Taking into account we’re complete opera novices (does Tommy count?) and know nothing about the genre – pick one out for us. We’ll go along and give it a try. Either Glasgow or Edinburgh suits – please remember that I’ve only recently managed to get Statler to give musicals a chance!
Well, internationaly renowned opera director (and recent Desert Island Discs guest), David McVicar is returning home to Glasgow to direct a new production of Verdi’s La Traviata, which opens on the 30th October. It looks like an exciting fresh interpetation of a traditional opera. The Times ran a preview article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4974889.ece
It is in Glasgow on the 30th October and 1st November, returning in February. Edinburgh from 19th November.
http://www.scottishopera.org.uk has all the details, as well as other operas they are performing between now and June.
La Traviata is a big and popular opera, with a full orchestra, lots of soloists, some teriffic chorus singing and memorable tunes. And not a microphone in sight. It is being sung in Italian with English Supertitles – check that these are visible from your seat if you are going.
Don’t be put off about the genre – like theatre, it is the whole ‘live performance’ which makes this so worthwhile. Opera does not transfer well to TV or radio – for the full experience, you simply have to be there. And the Theatre Royal opera audience encompasses a healthy wide range of ages.
There is an Opera School attached to the RSAMD, and the students there put on several operas in 2009. The programme is still under wraps, but they take their productions very seriously, professionally and are always worth a look. These are considerably cheaper than Theatre Royal across the road.
And Scottish Opera are repeating the Five:15 exercise at Oran Mor in February. This is five new specially commissioned operas each lasting 15 minutes. Last year was good fun, although some worked better than others. I am not sure yet who is writing this batch.
So, that is quite a range of things to be going on with, but I think that giving La Traviata a try would be a good beginning.
We’ve booked up for Five:15 at Oran Mor and we’re currently trying to schedule in La Traviata. The one thing that did horrify me was the £44 a ticket price tag for front stalls – I think seats slightly further back might be in order.
Thanks for the tips – and we’ll report back.
That’s really exciting that you are giving this a try (I feel extremely responsible!).
Full scale opera is expensive – but if you think about it, there is everything you get in a play – plus around 90 in the orchestra + about 50 chorus + all the extra technical people, wardrobe staff and so on. The actual cost is very much more than the ticket prices, hence the need for subsidy, sponsorship, friends and so on. If you compare it to opera prices elsewhere, it is actually pretty good value. And look how much you can pay at a rock concert, or big football match.
In Theatre Royal, the stalls are good, and the front halves of both balconies are good too. Even the front half of the Gods isn’t too bad. Do check for supertitle viewing though – most seats are OK these days. It might be best to call round at the Box office to choose your seats. Oh, remember that it is a 7.15 start. I really hope that you enjoy it.