A pioneering project to perform a classic opera in Scots and Gaelic will be coming to the Fèis Arainn this summer with a selection of scenes from Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas sung completely in Scots and Gaelic.
The Scots Opera Project is fast building a reputation for these ground-breaking productions; having previously created, performed and toured Charpentier’s Actéon, La Descente D’Orphée Aux Enfers and Mozart’s The Magic Flute, sung entirely in Scots. This year The Scots Opera Project will introduce Gaelic alongside the Scots Language, with a new production of Dido & Aeneas.
Scots and Gaelic may not be the most obvious choice of language for an opera performance, but David Douglas, a tenor and the creative force behind the project, feels it works very well. ‘Operas are performed in the native languages of countries all over the world. Therefore when performing an opera in Scotland, I felt that the use of Scots and Gaelic would work; it would bring it to life in an entirely different way for both performers and audience,’ he said.