Performer: Mark Hathaway

A contrasting Double Bill of classic Purcell and a little-known French absurdist opera by Poulenc provides an entertaining evening of contrasts.

With a cast of over 20 parts, here sung by 18 soloists, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland made a bold choice by staging Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria to showcase the current students at the Opera School. Continuing the “Opera Up Close and Personal” series, this was performed in the tiny opera studio to an audience of around 100, creating an intimate evening of early music.

Claudio Monteverdi was employed by Victor Gonzaga, the Duke of Mantua, but was dismissed from the court when his son Francesco Gonzaga took title in 1612. Monteverdi moved to Venice to take up the appointment of Director of Music at St Mark’s Basilica.

In Scotland, the world of tapestry has been emerging in an exciting revival, bringing this too often overlooked art form into focus. In 2010 the 104-metre Prestonpans tapestry of embroidered panels was unveiled, celebrating the journey 25-year-old Bonnie Prince Charlie made from France, then through the Scottish Highlands to victory at the Scottish town of Prestonpans.