Scottish Opera is to mark its 50th anniversary season with four full operas in a programme consisting of 11 productions, playing 133 performances in 63 venues. More details below.
But of special interest to us, is the announcement that they will be marking Wagner's bicentennial year with their first Wagner opera since 2003. 2013 will see them premiere a new production of Der fliegende Holländer directed by Harry Fehr, conducted by Francesco Corti and featuring Peteris Eglitis as the Dutchman and Rachel Nicholls as Senta (full cast list below) Peteris Eglitis is no doubt familiar to regular readers while Rachel may be less so. For those unaware, Rachel has a long established career in the baroque repertoire but this year marks her first major Wagner role when she makes her debut in Longborough Opera's new production of Gotterdammerung - as Brunnhilde. The Wagnerian interviewed Rachel earlier this year and this can be
found here.
Official announcement from Scottish opera:
We’re marking our 50th anniversary season with eleven major shows,
including eight new productions, four world premieres, five
collaborations and 133 performances in 63 venues.
General Director
Alex Reedijk said, ‘This is a
momentous year for Scottish Opera; for 50 years the Company has been
dedicated to bringing imaginative opera productions to the very
doorsteps of the people of Scotland. This anniversary season celebrates
our unique position in the world of opera, with a powerful combination
of high quality opera, new productions, nationwide touring, world
premieres of newly commissioned operas and successful education
initiatives.’
In a season of new productions, highlights include director
Sir Thomas Allen and designer
Simon Higlett returning to the Company to stage Mozart’s
The Magic Flute, following their successes with
The Marriage of Figaro and
The Barber of Seville. Massenet’s
Werther comes to the Scottish stage for the first time since 1986 with world-renowned Hungarian mezzo
Viktoria Vizin and acclaimed American tenor
Jonathan Boyd in the lead roles. Marking 200 years since Wagner’s birth,
Harry Fehr directs
The Flying Dutchman, with baritone
Peteris Eglitis as The Dutchman. And Scottish Opera joins with the
D’Oyly Carte Opera Company – returning to the stage for the first time in over a decade – in a new co-production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s
The Pirates of Penzance, conducted by D’Oyly Carte Music Director
John Owen Edwards, with
Martin Lloyd-Evans directing.
We’re also delighted to be presenting four new operas, three of which
are world premieres, at the Edinburgh International Festival. This is
the culmination of a five year programme to develop the skills in
Scotland to create new opera,
Five:15 – Opera’s Made In Scotland.
The Lady from the Sea with music by
Craig Armstrong and
Zoe Strachan is a co-production with Edinburgh International Festival.
Clemency reunites composer
James MacMillan and poet
Michael Symmons Roberts
in a co-production with ROH2 that was first presented in London in
2011. A double bill, co-commissioned and co-produced with Music Theatre
Wales, features
In the Locked Room which teams composer
Huw Watkins and librettist
David Harsent, and
Ghost Patrol, which sees composer
Stuart MacRae and crime-writer
Louise Welsh coming together.
Celebrations begin on 5 June 2012 as we mark the anniversary of our first performance with a concert of Mascagni’s
Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo’s
Pagliacci at Glasgow’s City Halls. Conducted by Music Director
Francesco Corti, and featuring
The Orchestra of Scottish Opera and chorus, it stars Italian soprano
Antonia Cifrone and tenor
Francesco Anile.
It’s a season of anniverseries, as well as commemorating our own 50th
and marking the 200 years since Wagner’s birth, we join the
celebrations of two other great composers. A new production of
La Traviata directed by
Annilese Miskimmon marks the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth. Our eighth annual collaboration with
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland marks Britten’s Centenary with a production of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
performed by student singers and accompanied by The Orchestra of
Scottish Opera. The Orchestra of Scottish Opera take centre stage in
their regular St Andrew’s in the Square series of concerts, as well as a
special concert at Paisley Abbey celebrating the building’s 850th
anniversary in 2013.
Scottish Opera's commitment to building new audiences continues with
an extensive programme of free events for 2012/13, including
Opera Unwrapped, hour-long tasters of mainstage productions, and
A Little Bit of..., lively 20-minute versions of
The Magic Flute and
The Pirates of Penzance. And three new young singers join the Company’s Emerging Artists programme, mezzo-soprano
Katie Grosset, tenor
Rónan Busfield and baritone
Andrew McTaggart.
The company's education and outreach activities continue. Alongside
long-running core activities such as touring to Scotland’s primary
schools, there are new initiatives. Last season's successful
BabyO is joined by its bigger sibling
SensoryO,
a new interactive show for toddlers of 18 to 36 months. The autumn sees
a further world premiere, in the form of children’s opera
The Elephant Angel, by composer-in-residence
Gareth Williams, who is working with writer
Bernard MacLaverty.
The Flying Dutchman - Cast
Conductor
Francesco Corti
Director
Harry Fehr
Designer
Tom Scutt
Lighting
James Farncombe
Daland
Scott Wilde
Senta
Rachel Nicholls
The Dutchman
Peteris Eglitis
Erik
Julian Gavin
Mary
Sarah Pring
Steersman
Nicky Spence
Dates:
Theatre Royal,
282 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 3QA
Thu 4 Apr 7.15pm•Sat 6 Apr 7.15pm•Tue 9 Apr 7.15pm
Festival Theatre,
13–29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9FT
Sat 13 Apr 7.15pm•Tue 16 Apr 7.15pm•Fri 19 Apr 7.15pm
Flying Dutchman Unwrapped Fri 5 Apr 6.00pm
Pre-show talkSat 6 Apr 6.00pm.
Which might explain his need to clarify that he was lip syncing last week. 
As we received a lot of emails concerned about his health we thought we might put your worries to rest. Recorded 19th may 2012, it premieres his performance of the new UEFA Champions League Anthem. Alas, it is neither Wagner, Verdi or for that matter Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds's "Three Lions". But in its defense it is at least not Fat Les' "Vindaloo" .
Quiet extraordinary, it seems the Fisher Centre in NY - home of the Bard Music Festival - make available on-line , free of charge, previous years programs. This is the program to the 2009 festival which as it name suggests concentrated on Wagner. 
I found the following rather old, yet interesting, post over at the blog: Note x Note: Musical Musings & Cultural Observations.
As already noted, London's most ambitious Ring Cycle moves up a gear this month with the premiere of Walkure and a reprise of its Rheingold later this year - with the support of the Wagner Society.
That little bird has once again escaped the forest and whispered in my ear the following - unofficially of course. But if it was correct you can tell everyone you heard it here first, unless you didn't, or it isn't - in which case I know nothing. And if it is, it would be subject to change of course. Alas, no information if it will be relayed to cinemas yet. Oh, and a random Knappertsbusch video or two thrown in - to get you in the mood.
As received: 
Perhaps. In an interview over at Musical Criticism, Grange Park's founder: Wasfi Kani has announced, while making no firm commitment to a full Grange Park Ring Cycle, that 2015 will see Grange Park stage their first Rheingold with a Walkure to possibly follow.
Those little devils over at the Bavarian State Opera's marketing department are at it again it would seem. Should you wish, you also can take part as we believe registration is still open, although might we suggest taking a flask of your favorite tipple - just to stay warm mind.
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