Classical review: Scottish Opera’s 50th Anniversary Concert; Glasgow City Halls

By accident of birth, Scottish Opera’s 50th Anniversary Concert – an unstaged double bill of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, known in the operatic trade as “Cav & Pag” – fell on the very same day as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Was it a right royal occasion?

As a double bill these mini operas are pretty indestructible, both loaded with a surfeit of great tunes, high emotion, and that unmatchable Italian trait of making joyousness out of misery.

But this was Scottish Opera on tip-top form, its orchestra and chorus no doubt fired up by the occasion, enhanced by a cast completely equipped for the task, and with musical director Francesco Corti firing on all of his native Italian cylinders.

But the voice that really trumpeted in the celebrations was tenor Francesco Anile, making his Scottish Opera debut, and doing so with supreme exhilaration and power, even in his off-stage opening as Turiddu in the Mascagni. It’s a while since the company has fielded such ripe stardom. Let’s hope for more of this in the coming 50th season. The same might be said for Antonia Cifrone’s fiery and passionate Santuzza, also making her debut with the company.

If “Pagliacci” wasn’t so spot on as a performance – not always so precisely together – its exuberant opening and the sheer outgoing eccentricity of the score maintained the uplift of the evening.

Rating: ****