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Few cities saw as much innovation and creative output in opera as Paris did during the 19th century. With three major opera houses and composers from France and further abroad vying for a coveted premiere at one (or more) of them, French opera contains a vast variety of musical and dramatic styles as its artists pushed boundaries on stage and in the pit. This concert includes excerpts from some of the era’s grandest and most beloved operas as well as its rarer gems that deserve a second hearing, including excerpts from Les pêcheurs de perles by Georges Bizet, Faust by Charles Gounod, Werther by Jules Massenet, and Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns.

The Orchestra of Scottish Opera captures the vivacity and grandeur of this uniquely brilliant musical epoch under the baton of the Company’s Music Director Stuart Stratford. The first-rate group of singers includes mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison (Cardiff Singer of the World 2017) who last performed with us at the 50th Perth Festival of the Arts opening gala concert in 2022, tenor Alok Kumar who was Don José in our 2023 production of Bizet's Carmen, baritone Roland Wood who performed the title role of Karl Marx in our 2024 production of Jonathan Dove's Marx in London!, and soprano Alexandra Lowe making her Company debut.

The French Collection will be a night of romance, drama, and beautiful music to remember.

Kindly supported by Friends of Scottish Opera and The Scottish Opera Endowment Trust
Part of Scottish Opera's 2023/24 season

Get a flavour of what to expect from our gala concert by listening to some of the highlights from The French Collection's repertoire below.