The 16th September meeting saw club members on a cultural journey with speaker Iain Fraser and ‘Opera in Scotland’ (www.operascotland.org).

Iain proved to be hugely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about opera, with what seemed an encyclopaedic memory for opera performances and artists dating back many, many years.

We were treated to a timeline from the 18th century to the present day - all with a Scottish perspective. and often too with the background stories - scandal and all!

We had ‘Gentle Shepherd from 1725 and ‘Beggars Opera’ of 1728. We explored opera singers; Scottish vocalist Mary Ann Paton, Guiseppe de Begnis making fourteen visits to Edinburgh, Jenny Lind in the 184’s, George Wood in the 1850’s, Hortense Schneider in the 1870’s, Marie Roze, Zelie de Lussan and Aberdeen-born Mary Garden. We heard too of the influence of conductors including Sir Thomas Beecham and  Sir Alexander Gibson. 

We heard of the origins of opera with ‘Dafne’ by Peri in 1597 and then too of Iain’s father’s involvement on opera in Italy, providing entertainment for troops during WW2. We were brought completely up to date with an explanation of the ‘OperaScotland’ website - in the creation of which Iain played an important part. This attractive site provides information and listings for performers and locations of opera in Scotland.

Altogether a revealing and engrossing talk by a man who’s enthusiasm was totally infectious. Following questions, the evening concluded with an appreciative vote of thanks, proposed by Roderick Skinner.