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2013-09-30T12:39:23+00:00

When Michael McCarthy and Michael Rafferty co-founded Music Theatre Wales (MTW) 25 years ago, it was a gem of an idea, a glimmer of hope that a company producing contemporary opera could one day become a pioneering international force.
Over the last two and a half decades MTW has commissioned 12 operas and collaborated with some of the world's greatest living composers, including Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies, Philip Glass and Mark-Anthony Turnage.
In 2011 they won a UK Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for Mark-Anthony Turnage's Greek – a production they are reprising this season, with the original cast.
And 2013 has been a stellar year so far, seeing them scoop The Southbank Sky Arts Award for their production of Ghost Patrol and be nominated for an Olivier Award for their double-bill of Ghost Patrol and In The Locked Room.

Louise Winter and Marcus Farsnworth in Greek by Music Theatre Wales. Photo: Clive Barda

I caught up with Michael McCarthy amid rehearsals for Greek and a new production of The Killing Flower, an opera by Salvatore Sciarrino, which they will perform next month – its premiere in the UK.
He said: "It feels amazing to be celebrating our 25th anniversary. Occasionally I have to pinch myself to remind myself it is all really happening.
"It's wonderful to know that from a tiny idea between a couple of people, followed by a great deal of thought and energy while trying to put it together, we have created an opera company that has secured a unique place in the UK opera scene. And it continues to innovate and remain dedicated to creating new work.
"We've got some fabulous plans for the next three years and feel that the company is preparing to be more artistically vibrant than it ever has been before, which gives us every reason to continue working hard."
Greek opens in Cardiff on 1 October when it is performed at The Weston Studio at Wales Millennium Centre.
There will also be performances in Birmingham, Manchester and at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

Sally Silver, Marcus Farnsworth and Louise Winter in Greek. Photo: Clive Barda

Michael said: "It feels right to bring it to Cardiff as they missed out last time. It's a landmark show and it feels really exciting to do it again with exactly the same cast – it’s very high energy and high impact and the rehearsals are just fizzing.
"It's a brilliant example of how a new and small-scale opera can work musically and theatrically.
"It's based on Steven Berkoff's Greek and is all about the power and ion of the characters. It is a very visceral and violent story but with some very comedic moments. Turnage's musical energy is just phenomenal."
Greek is a co-production with Theatr Brycheiniog and the Cardiff performance of Greek is presented by Welsh National Opera.
The Killing Flower opens on 18 October in a specially designed auditorium on the stage at The Donald Gordon Theatre at Wales Millennium Centre, before venturing to The Linbury Studio at Royal Opera House London (24 October), Venue Cymru Llandudno (2 November) and Grand Theatre Swansea (26 November).

George Humphreys and Amanda Forbes in The Killing Flower. Photo: Clive Barda

The opera by Sciarrino was inspired by the true story of Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, renowned for his musical work but equally notorious for the cool, brutal murder of his wife and her lover.
Michael said: "In the Killing Flower the composer invites listeners to eavesdrop on muted conversations, hushed whispers and fraught silences, all played out against a backdrop of soft sounds.
"To fit in with that sense of it being a whispered piece with whispered singing and playing, we have created an inbuilt intimacy by placing the audience on stage alongside the singers and musicians.
"I want the audience to be right inside the set and witness events just as they happen. It will immediately cast a spell and make them listen to the music differently."

Amanda Forbes as Duchess in The Killing Flower by Music Theatre Wales. Photo: Clive Barda

The Killing Flower is a co-production with Wales Millennium Centre, sung in English with translation by Kit Hesketh-Harvey and Paola Loreto.
Michael McCarthy will give a pre-show talk at all venues an hour before each of the performances of both operas.
Next year will also be an exciting one for MTW with a newly commissioned opera by the American composer Philip Glass, The Trial, based on Franz Kafka's novel of the same name.
Music Theatre Wales's relationship with the music of Philip Glass goes back to 1989, when the company gave the European premiere of The Fall of the House of Usher, also revived in 1990 and 1993. The success of that production led to Music Theatre Wales' decision to stage the UK premiere of another of Glass's so-called 'pocket' operas, In the Penal Colony.
Glass himself approached MTW offering to create something for them and the piece will see him working with the Oscar-winning theatre and film writer Christopher Humphrey.
Tickets for both Greek and The Killing Flower are available from the Wales Millennium Centre's ticket office on 02920 636 464 and at www.wmc.org.uk.
Trailers and further information about the operas and tour venues are available at musictheatrewales.org.uk.

2013-09-03T12:19:05+00:00

Popular culture's obsession with the turbulent Tudors shows no sign of abating, with the RSC soon to stage Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, the V&A's recent Tudor and Stuart treasures exhibition and the ongoing popularity of the BBC Two series.
This season Welsh National Opera will perform Donizetti's three Tudor operas, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux - the first time they have ever been staged together in the UK.
It marks the start of WNO's three-year exploration of the Bel Canto repertoire. Kicking off next week in Cardiff, the triple bill will accompany a new production of Michael Blakemore's classic Tosca with all four shows then touring to Swansea, Oxford, Liverpool, Bristol, Birmingham, Llandudno and Southampton.
And because of the evident fascination and appetite for this period in history, a raft of off-stage events will accompany the tour.

Serena Farnocchia as Anne Boleyn in a dress rehearsal. Photo: Robert Workman

For the first time WNO has forged a partnership with the National Trust to breathe new life and understanding into the torrid affairs of the Tudor court.
I caught up with the company's trainee dramaturg Sophie Rashbrook, who has helped co-ordinate a series of special events and days out at National Trust properties close to each of the tour venues.
She told me: "We have been working with the historian Anna Whitelock who says our obsession with the Tudors stems from the huge consequences their private lives had for Europe. They were really the first celebrities and left such a fascinating legacy that is still part of our heritage today.
"Anna Whitelock and the novelist Suzannah Dunn are taking part in a programme of site specific events under the title Fact and Fiction, and will help audiences re-imagine the historical events these operas are concerned with.
"Suzannah will talk about why she feels inspired by the Tudors as a novelist while Anna will talk about the departure Donizetti makes from the historical facts."
Also starring will be Lynn Boudreau and Caryl Hughes (mezzo-soprano, covering Giovanna Seymour in Anne Boleyn) who will sing excerpts from each opera in costume.

Alaistair Miles (Henry VIII) and Serena Farnocchia (Anne Boleyn). Photo: Robert Workman

The events will also feature read extracts from Mary Stuart's letter the night before she was beheaded and Anne Boleyn's trial speech to further interweave fact with fiction.
They will take place at Tredegar House near Newport, Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton near Birmingham and Plas Newydd Country House and Gardens, Anglesey, when the operas are on tour in each area.
There will also be the opportunity to explore the Tudor Merchant's House in Tenby, and Speke Hall and Little Moreton Hall near Liverpool, with a speaker putting Donizetti’s operas into historical context.
To tie in with the National Curriculum work on the Tudors, WNO will be working with primary schools throughout the tour via an interactive project at National Trust properties. Pupils aged 7-11 will be able to take part in a creative adventure which will use 'time travel' to link history, literature and music during two day-long workshops held both in the classroom and on location at the houses.
Experts will also hold talks at each venue to introduce audiences to the stories, background and music of each opera and on Thursday there will be a talk with WNO artistic director David Pountney in conversation with historian Peter Stead and the director of Anna Bolena and Roberto Devereux, Alessandro Talevi, exploring The Tudors season at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
The operas mark a WNO debut for both directors - Alessandro Talevi and Rudolf Frey - and offer a dramatic re-imagining of some of history's most infamous characters.

Daniel Grice (Lord Rocheford) and Robert Mherson (Lord Percy). Photo: Robert Workman

Sophie added: "The events of the operas do differ wildly from the facts, particularly in Maria Stuardia where you have a showdown between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots as the climax of the piece, although that meeting never actually happened."
Director Rudolf Frey says the meeting of the two queens in Maria Stuarda will make for gripping theatre: "The simple presence of the two queens has an enormous explosive power. In this production we will give them their own equal but distinctive habitat on stage - the larger than life queens will almost appear as if they were precious artefacts in a contemporary exhibition.
"Obviously the opera concentrates on a love-theme with Count Leicester as the catalyst of this triangle. This raises questions about Elizabeth's status as the 'Virgin Queen' when compared to the affairs and crimes Mary Stuart is being accused of.
"We get an insight into the most vulnerable point of the two monarchs as they are being driven by their will to rule, survive and retain their female identity in a male-dominated society."
Each opera will share a set designed by Madeleine Boyd which will be modified for each production and is an abstract take on the Tudor court.
This modern reinterpretation of classical style is echoed in the costumes of the chorus, which will have articles added and removed to them throughout each opera. While the corsets and long waistcoats of the Tudor period are in evidence, the costumes will also appeal to modern tastes. And Queen Elizabeth will borrow some of her style from the 80s visions of designer Vivienne Westwood!

Detail from Madeleine Boyd's costume design for Henry VIII. Image courtesy of Madeleine Boyd

Sophie added: "Donizetti wrote these operas to entertain but they also feature very elegant singing and incredible virtuosic ornaments. Audiences will be fascinated by the historic elements but will also get to enjoy a gripping drama and there will be surtitles so you don't have to be fluent in Italian to understand what's being said."
Also featuring on the tour is a new production of Puccini's Tosca with American soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams and Austrian baritone Claudio Otelli making their WNO debuts, as well as an appearance from Gwyn Hughes-Jones.
The new season kicks off on 7 September and runs until 30 November. For more information on WNO visit wno.org.uk.

2013-06-26T15:22:12+00:00

What a wonderful Cardiff Singer competition this has been! This has been my third competition, and I genuinely believe that the standard of this year's competitors has been of the highest order.

My favourite non-round winner to make it into the Final didn't. I really loved the velvety, yummy, smooth darkness of Susana Gaspar's voice, and am a little gutted I never got to hear her on stage at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, where she has been a Jette Parker Young Artist during the 2012/2013 season. Nonetheless, I was delighted for Croatian bass-baritone Marko Mimica's inclusion in the final. I love the sound of a bass-baritone.

We rehearsed with the competitors on Saturday. For the final, each competitor works with the conductor they have worked with in their round, and so for the final we worked with both Jun Markl, and also Graeme Jenkins, who had conducted our WNO colleagues in rounds two and four.

For the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, there is a lot of repertoire to get through on the final rehearsal day. All the competitors have new programmes, and there is no opportunity to see the music beforehand. Thanks must go to the librarians who had our parts marked up meticulously, with all cuts and changes clearly marked.

In addition to this, working with two different conductors brings its own challenges, and with everything is ing before your eyes so quickly - it really is a tiring day. The hall's air conditioning was taking its toll on my lenses too, so by the end of Saturday I was tired and half blind.

At the hall on Sunday evening, the excitement in the air was palpable! We started with the USA's Jamie Barton whose un-diva like manner, general pleasantness, and great laugh had already made her a big favourite with the orchestra. As we played the first chord of her first piece, I had a wardrobe malfunction! I was wearing a concert dress with a detachable strap, and with the first chord it just went ping! Thankfully, there was enough corsetry in my dress for this not to be a major disaster, and, suppressing giggles, my desk partner Pete popped my now utterly useless strap into his tails pocket for me.

In the final we play for all the competitors before the interval. This is a long stretch and you've got to be in full concentration mode. This is such a big moment for the competitors, and there is a big responsibility on the shoulders of the conductors and the orchestra to be as ive and solid as possible. You've got to be ready to accommodate anything that happens in the performance, sympathetic to the competitors' voices, and slip between styles for each aria.

Genuinely, I was blown away by the final. From Daniela Mack's vocal pyrotechnics in her Rossini, to the great characterisation throughout his programme from Marko Mimica, from Olena Tokar's coquettish Musetta, to the utterly delicious wickedness of Jamie Barton's Witch's Aria, it was a privilege to be a part of this competition final.

I didn't envy the their decision, but Jamie Barton was declared a very worthy winner. Having also won the Song Prize, she has had quite a week. We have worked with English tenor Ben Johnson on a number of occasion, and we were delighted to see him take the Audience Prize.

Truly, this has been an incredible Cardiff Singer of the World. The competitors for 2015, as yet unchosen, have a lot to live up to.

Catch up with the Final of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World on BBC iPlayer.

2013-06-26T10:48:04+00:00

For round two of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, our colleagues from the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera (WNO) were on duty, and saw Hungarian soprano Maria Celeng lift the round trophy.

In other more minor successes, Twitter tells me that the trumpets and lower brass of WNO enjoyed the pencils and biscuits they found in our studio during rehearsals!

For Concert Three we were accompanying soloists from Lithuania, Portugal, Ukraine, Belarus, and Wales' own Gary Griffiths. From the start of rehearsal it was clear that this was a very strong round, with some fabulous repertoire, and an incredible high level of performance.

Returning to St David's Hall on Wednesday night, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales was now in full Cardiff Singer mode, with having very definitely picked their favourites, and backstage discussion mostly focussed on the importance of programme for this competition.

I guess there are two ways of looking at it; you choose a programme full of variety that will show off the range and scope of your voice and ability, a real competition winning programme, or you take the competition as a shop window, and show the bookers, scouts, and agents who are watching with great interest what roles you want.

That is just speculation on my part of course. However, I came away from the round thinking that certain programmes were amazing and perfect for competition, but from their programme choice, already imagining how great it would be to see certain competitors in specific roles.

In this round in particular, I was struck by the incredible number of languages the competitors must be competent in (Welsh baritone Gary Griffiths alone sang in four - Italian, Russian, German and French). OK, so they don't need to be fluent, or able to hold a full blown conversation, but they must be convincing in whatever language their chosen repertoire is in.

They must understand what they are singing in order to delve the emotional depths of the work, and also have more than sufficient grasp of all the little quirks of a language in order that they be able to communicate the words and music to the audience. Clear diction is paramount, or else it just sounds like a jumble of meaningless sounds.

As this is an opera prize however, the quality of voice must also be combined with an ability to embody the role being performed convincingly. In this round, for me, Olena Tokar and Susana Gaspar were most successful. Olena sang one of my favourite arias, Glück, das mir verblieb, from Korngold's Die Tote Stadt and her voice, combined with her graceful, subtle gesture had me nearly weeping on stage.

Olena Tokar was crowned the victor of Concert Three, but other highlights for me were Susana Gaspar's entire programme, and Yuri Gorodetski's Una Furtiva Lagrima (Donizetti). I think he'd be fabulous in a romantic role, like Romeo.

Catch up with all of the rounds from Cardiff Singer of the World on BBC iPlayer until Sunday 30 June.

2013-06-21T14:07:37+00:00

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I do not need much excuse to get excited about, well, pretty much anything. Various colleagues threaten to sedate me/have me committed/thump me with something very heavy on an alarmingly regular basis. So, you can only imagine the dizzying levels of excitement that have been growing steadily as BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2013 approached.

What's not to like? As an extrovert stuck in an introvert's body, I love the showbiz of anything we do that has a stage set, dramatic, atmospheric lighting, and a TV crew. Moreover, I genuinely love opera - I love the costumes, the generally ridiculous or melodramatic story-lines, never mind the fact that an accomplished singer can turn me to mush.

In addition to this, the fact that you have 20 top young opera singers vying for the title of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World makes it rather intense.

Finally, as I'm not a brass player, I will always have plenty to play (it is a constant source of moaning, in particular from our lower brass, that they don't have enough to play in these things - we've Mahler 5 next week though, so that should placate them).

Our rehearsal day, Sunday, was spent simply running the competitors programmes, one after the other, with conductor Jun Märkl making little balance adjustments here and there, or changing dynamics in order that we not swamp the competitors' voices.

It's paramount to have the right conductor for a competition like this. My desk partner for Concert One, Bob Gibbons, summed it up perfectly (he's well known for his sage comments on orchestral life), stating that the conductor has to not only be helpful and encouraging to the competitors, but able to guide them a little without undermining their interpretations, and they must be a conductor utterly on top of the repertoire.

Additionally, because the human voice is such a delicate instrument, we in the BBC National Orchestra of Wales need a conductor who is utterly aware of the constantly fluctuating balance problems between singer and the full forces of the orchestra. Jun Märkl has made accompanying the competitors not only a pleasure, but also very easy.

On Monday afternoon, we had a run through with each competitor in St David's Hall, then a long dinner break before the round. As you will know by now, Jamie Barton of the United States was crowned the victor. However, I also really liked Katherine Broderick's Letter Scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (sooooo expressive), Marko Mimica's Verdi (gloriously dark bass-baritone sound), and Kihwan Sim's La Calunnia from Rossini's Barber of Seville (perhaps the only obviously humorous turn of the evening).

However, I firmly believe that, as in all competitions, programme is everything, and not only did Jamie Barton (wearing a stunning cobalt blue) sing splendidly, but her programme allowed her to show off all the facility of her technique, and a real variety of styles.

Coming offstage at 10.25pm, the orchestra were all very aware of being back in the studio at 10am the next day to prepare for our next outing (Concert Three). The short post match orchestral analysis suggested that our were in agreement with the 's decision, although Katherine Broderick was very much enjoyed by all. And so, Cardiff Singer of the World 2013 Round One, drew to a close.

2013-06-21T13:29:40+00:00

There are some events that without a doubt have their own unique aura. The Aldeburgh Festival, the Three Choirs Festival, and the BBC Proms, for example, all have a real electric undercurrent. They bring with them a collective feeling of pride in our music making, of renewed commitment to creative excellence, and, quite simply, an honest love for music and the arts.
Now in its 30th anniversary year, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World is another of these events with its own special atmosphere. It is a competition of international renown, and without doubt, a very big deal, but equally the atmosphere is like that of a week-long festival dedicated to the celebration of the opera world's emerging talent.
There is a very special atmosphere in St David's Hall as the auditorium doors close for the first round. As the house lights go down, and the stage lights come up, the audience waits in agitated silence for the first competitor to take to the stage.
The audience plays a very special role in Cardiff Singer, with many of the audience attending all the rounds, all the lieder rounds, and all the associated events. Pre-round, post-round and during the interval, the bar areas are abuzz with in depth discussion of the competitors.
Favourites emerge, and are heatedly defended by their ers, arguments ensue about repertoire, and who should have sang what, or who would be great to hear in a particular role, past competitors are recalled, and, obviously, frocks are discussed at length.
It is much the same in the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Working closely with the finalists in rehearsal before their round, we have the opportunity to see perhaps a little bit more of their personality than the audience does when they walk onto stage with their 'game face' on, and so players very quickly find themselves rooting for one competitor or another.
What a feeling it must be to be a competitor in this competition. There is a two year build up to it (although obviously that is a mere blink of the eye in of the years of training and dedication the finalists will have already put into their careers), you are representing your country, and you are in a very public shop window for the bookers of pretty much every major management, opera, broadcasting and recording company out there.
Just take one moment to try to imagine yourself in that position, waiting in the wings. One step will take you out onto the stage. You walk out to applause, in front of the of the orchestra, trying not to trip on the set or electrical cables.
You shake hands with the maestro. You take a moment to gather yourself and calm your breath, before turning to face the darkened auditorium with its sea of unknown faces, and the very well-known faces of the illuminated by the lights on their table - all these faces focused squarely on you.
You try to ignore the TV cameras pointed at you, try not to think of the multitude watching this at home. You inhale, filling your lungs with air and as the orchestra start to play you begin your programme. You've only one chance, and in such a short time, it is over.
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World is an incredible competition to be involved in. The talent of the competitors is staggering, and it is an honour to hear them at this stage in their careers. You can see coverage of this year's competition on BBC Two Wales and BBC Four, and you can also follow the action as it happens on Twitter.

2013-06-18T13:56:44+00:00

Maggi Willis, resident Frockwatcher for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, considers the tricky question of how to present yourself best on stage.

Few music colleges prepare their students to develop their own personal presentation style, however excellent the quality of their musical tuition. But we live in a visual age and often opera reviews contain as many words about the visual as about the aural.

It is important that each Cardiff Singer competitor makes full use of their short time on stage – both with voice and presentation – to capture the attention of jury and audience alike. So, leaving aside the music, Frockwatch's role is to look at how they present themselves onstage.

Of course, the most immediate impact often comes from the outfit. Let's consider first the female competitors. Where do they start?

The design can be a tricky choice. Personal style and comfort are important but there are other points to consider. Strapless dresses may look 'naked' in TV close-up – those cameras can get quite close!

Then there is the question of repertoire. While no one expects authenticity, too much flesh on display sits uncomfortably with tormented nuns and consumptive virgins.

Off-the-peg or made-to-measure? Off-the-peg may be cheaper but, even with alterations, may be inappropriate onstage: fabric too flimsy for stage lights or too revealing of muscle action; straps not reliable - all sorts of unexpected disasters could await.

Many singers prefer the of a corsetted dress which can require a specialist costumier. This also gives confidence and allows her to choose her own colour and fabric, with the help of an expert. Budget obviously plays a major part and many singers have told me of their families' contributions to the costs.

Irina Lungu's corseted bodice allowed her the freedom to make dramatic gestures.

There is one other danger area that may be best avoided. Looking back over 30 years' worth of outfits, it's the contemporary fashion styles that have not stood the test of time. No fingers will be pointed here – but one decade's fashion is another decade's faux pas. Beware!

Female singers have an advantage over the men because they can wear colours to stand out against the all black worn by the orchestra. Now what about those men". There are practical reasons of course. White tie and tails is a serious investment for a young singer and will see him through many engagements. A well-made suit is constructed to pull back the wearer's shoulders and make him stand upright – ideal for singing.

Some men add personal details. In 2001 Leigh Melrose had his jacket lined in red silk; not visible to the audience other than an occasional tantalising flash and surely a confidence-booster. He also had a handsome cream brocade waistcoat. Not all men to elegantly conceal that untidy shirt/tro waistband junction.

There are variations of evening wear that are less reminiscent of Pavarotti. The long-line jacket, single-breasted, with either a Nehru collar or slim lapels, is a handsome choice. It also gives a sense of early 18th century fashion without appearing to be fancy dress.

Just occasionally, the male peacock is seen in the land - the countertenor. Now, most countertenors dress conventionally but some embrace their theatrical side more readily.

Sergejs Jegers stood out in 2005. I vividly a suit with a red piped line running from mid-left shoulder, down the left tro crease and onto the co-ordinating shoes.

Sergejs Jegers (Latvia, 2005) showing countertenor style in his Song Prize recital

So, you've chosen your dress or suit. How to add the finishing touches? Ah yes, accessories.

Most singers have a favourite heel height they feel comfortable in and which helps their posture. I Natalie Christie's high high heels, long before the current fashion, that gave a tiny lady height and presence.

But too many singers (OK, men) forget that their shoes are at the eyeline of the stalls audience. If you are wearing evening suits, smart shoes please, thin soles not stout walking shoes and CLEAN. Toes and heels polished to a shine! And leather soles need to be scored to avoid the 'walking on ice' entrance.

Shawls and stoles are another potential danger area. Ideal for Carmens to flounce and women under threat to hide behind but all too often they slide off the shoulder or force the singer to cling to them like a drowning soul.

There's no easy choice – too soft and they flop pathetically, too stiff and they stand proud and independent of the performance.

Nino Surguladze (Georgia, 2003) used her shawl to help her get into character as Carmen

Jewellery is less contentious but always to be looked for. The female contestants have usually got the measure of it, filling in gaps at neck and wrists, drop earrings at just the right length to give movement but not distract.

More recently we've seen men adding a jewelled detail. These are often a national symbol – think Bryn Terfel's lapel pin or Tommi Hakala's tie clip.

Presentation starts with the way a singer walks on stage. The joy of Cardiff is that the audience is totally on the singers' side. But the singer must also reach out to them and nothing beats a warm, confident smile. It's also good to acknowledge the orchestra – it shows a confident command of the stage.

The next question is how much do you act the role? This is tough because a balance must be struck between opera house acting and wooden and disengaged.

This is no moment to offer your new interpretation of Don Giovanni as a misunderstood orphan. So don't go over the top, don't blend into the background, don't internalise too much, do convey your character's emotion in that song or aria and do share with the audience. There, it's easy!

And please look as if you enjoy it, even though we are all sure it must be scary up there!

As an audience member, there is nothing more enjoyable than to sit back in your seat and sigh at the end of a singer's performance. Not with boredom, but with the pleasure of having spent 20 minutes in the company of someone who has enjoyed sharing their talent with us and successfully delivered the full package.

2013-04-05T12:47:29+00:00

When it comes to the stuff of local legend, there is no one better equipped to assume the role of storyteller than the very community the folklore concerns.
For the people of Merthyr, delving back into the area's history for an arts and heritage project has yielded great hidden gems, which now form the basis of an opera being staged next week.
Ynys Gwydr: Island of Glass tells the story of the fall of the royal court of the Kings of Brycheiniog and follows on from outreach work undertaken by Head for Arts, based at the Llanhilleth Miners Institute in Abertillery, which has involved as many as 500 local people.

Rehearsal photograph from Ynys Gwydr: Island of Glass. Photo: Darren Warner

The production is set to the music of Handel but with a new libretto devised by the community in a series of workshops with artistic director Peter Morgan Barnes.
It tells how the royal residence, once built on a man-made island on Llangorse Lake, toppled from supremacy following a series of scandals involving arson at the behest of a Saxon queen and abduction.
Peter Morgan Barnes said: "This is just the type of historical story that would have appealed to Handel, who regularly re-used his favourite pieces of music, updating them with new lyrics.
"We have tried to bring the story to life using both modern language and some sections in medieval Welsh."
The tale, which according to archaeological surveys has some origins in truth, has been a big source of inspiration for the work created for Fragments, an exhibition Head for Arts put on in January.
Now in this second phase of the History and Mystery project, which is being staged at Theatr Soar in Merthyr, soloists from the local community and students from Merthyr College have ed forces with a community choir, schoolchildren, a small team of professional opera singers and a string quartet for two unique performances.

Young people in Ynys Gwydr: Island of Glass. Photo: Darren Warner

Dan Perkin, the opera's musical director, said: "This has been a chance to bring together people of all ages to demystify the world of opera and show them that it is something that everyone can enjoy."
One of the aims of the project was to give performers at all stages of their life a springboard for their creativity and give those who have never sung in public before, a moment in the limelight.
The team of professional singers, soprano Phillippa Scammell, mezzo Jeanie Larkin, baritone Nicholas Dunbar and tenor Paul Rothwell, sing with the local performers to encourage them and are ed by Emanuela Barazia – a Merthyr resident who is singing the role of the bard Llywarch Hen.
Local amateur singer Steve Williams, who is playing King Alfred, added: "I am really looking forward to the performances, thoroughly enjoying this experience, which I thought would not have been possible."

In rehearsal for Ynys Gwydr: Island of Glass. Photo: Darren Warner

Merthyr College students not only perform in the opera, but are working backstage and have created projections for the show as well as documenting the whole project in a film to be shown immediately before the performances.
Head for Arts project officer Bethan Watkins said: "I am really pleased that several of the participants have been with us from the start, and have been involved in different of the project, not only taking part in the background research but also developing ideas for the opera storyline, helping to make the costumes and even singing in this unique performance."
Performances will take place at Theatr Soar on Friday 12 April (7.30pm) and Saturday 13 April (2pm and 7.30pm). Tickets for the performance can be purchased from Theatr Soar on 01685 722176 and cost £5/£3.50.
Further information can be found on the Head for Arts website.

2011-10-18T09:31:50+00:00

One of the best-loved biblical stories of all time is to be staged in five venues across Wales from this week.

Benjamin Britten's opera Noye's Fludde takes the popular Noah's Ark tale and turns it on its head using words from the medieval Chester mystery play, this time with an important new environmental twist.

More than 1,000 schoolchildren and young people have been involved in the productions, which are being led by Mid Wales Opera with the first outing being staged at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

The company has undertaken the daunting task of staging the opera in just eight days with performances for the public on Thursday.

Dozens of actors, singers, dancers and musicians from the local area will take to the stage, accompanied by professionals from the company's own orchestra and opera team and choreography from Ballet Cymru.

The show finds biblical hero Mr Noah in something of a pickle, abandoned by a wayward Mrs Noah who has got mixed up with 'the wrong sort' and ditched him and her children. At the same time Mr Noah finds himself unable to turn his attention away from how quickly deforestation is ravaging his beloved planet. The plot sees him determined to win back his wife, while saving the world. No mean feat!

The project is being ed by the Arts Council of Wales, the Colwinston Trust and Size of Wales - a unique scheme launched last year by the Prince of Wales. Size of Wales aims to protect an area of tropical rain forest the size of Wales from the forces of deforestation and illegal logging and is driven by Cardiff-based charity The Waterloo Foundation.

Fitting it is then that the Voice of God in the production will be provided by the environmentalist and television celebrity Iolo Williams.

He said: "I am delighted to be involved in such an exciting and important project. "The issues of climate change that the production highlights are of great importance to our children and I welcome Size of Wales' involvement."

Mr Noye will be played by baritone Charles Johnston with mezzo-soprano Ann Atkinson as his wife Mrs Noye, who is partial to a bit of sunbathing.

All the others role are taken by youngsters from schools, youth theatre groups, dance groups and orchestras across Wales, conducted by Mid Wales Opera's Artistic Director, Nicholas Cleobury.

The idea behind this interpretation was dreamt up by Clare Williams after 25 years of producing huge and engaging theatrical events for young people.

She said: "It's a great challenge to mount an opera in eight days, but Wales is so rich in musical and theatrical talent that we are confident that the young people will do the piece justice."

Mid Wales Opera Company will be resident in Aberystwyth Arts Centre from 16-20 October working with the following schools: Ysgol Gymraeg, Plas Crug Primary School, Craig yr Wylfa Primary School, Llancynfelin Primary School, Talybont, Comins Coch Primary School and Tregaron Secondary School.

The performances will be on Thursday 20 October at 1pm and 7pm. Tickets are available from Aberystwyth Arts Centre ticket office 01970 62 32 32 or go online: www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre.

The company will also tour the production through the winter and into Spring 2012 at four other venues. These are Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon, Gwyn Hall, Neath, Park and Dare Theatre, Treorchy and Theatr Hafren, Newtown.

For further information and full tour details visit www.midwalesopera.co.uk. To find out more about the Size of Wales project and how to get involved visit www.sizeofwales.org.uk.

2011-03-23T15:22:22+00:00

Welsh actor and director Terry Jones has written a Monty Python-esque libretto for a new opera, which is set to open next month at the Royal Opera House.

Jones has written the libretto for The Doctor's Tale, which he will also direct. The story focuses on the plight of a devoted doctor, with a wonderful cure rate, whose devoted patients rush to the rescue after he is forced to stop practising by the General Medical Council - because he is a dog. The patients protest and eventually rescue the doctor from the dog pound, where he was due to be put down.

The Doctor's Tale is one half of a double bill of new short operas called OperaShots, commissioned and produced by ROH2 - the contemporary arm of the Royal Opera House. The productions have been developed by famous names outside the world of opera, and often have unexpected subjects and novel approaches.

Terry Jones, Anne Dudley and Stewart Copeland. Photo: Perou

Composer Anne Dudley - who scooped an Academy Award for her work on the music score for The Full Monty - is also involved with The Doctor's Tale, which will be performed at the Royal Opera House from Friday 8 April to Saturday 16 April. (Former Police drummer Stewart Copeland is also involved with the other OperaShots production, The Tell-Tale Heart.)

This latest venture isn't Jones' first foray into the world of opera. He co-wrote and directed an opera called Evil Machines, based on a series of his own short stories where a group of household appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and tumble dryers, rise up to overthrow their human masters.

For more information on The Doctor's Tale visit the Royal Opera House website, and read an interview with Jones on the WalesOnline website.

Plus listen to an audio clip from the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, in which Nicola Stanbridge met Stewart Copeland and Terry Jones in rehearsals for the productions.

2010-07-01T13:25:09+00:00

This evening's BBC Radio Wales Arts Show features a giant of the Welsh classical and operatic world, Bryn Terfel.

Bryn Terfel as Hans Sachs in the WNO's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg © Catherine Ashmore

Terfel is currently starring in the Welsh National Opera's production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. He makes his role début as Hans Sachs, the shoemaker and poet who is at the very heart of the opera.

Photograph © Catherine Ashmore
Listen to an audio clip taken from tonight's show, in which Terfel discusses his role in the WNO production:

Tune in to the Radio Wales Arts Show at 6.30pm this evening, and on BBC iPlayer for the subsequent seven days. Learn more about Bryn Terfel on the BBC Wales Music website.

Find out more about the production on the Welsh National Opera website.

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2010-05-28T13:21:52+00:00

Tenor Rhys Meirion told me on this week's Radio Wales Arts Show about the tight schedule he's got for himself on the last weekend in June.

Rhys is the artistic director of Gwyl Gobaith - a three-day festival of music at Deeside College in Northop from 25-27 June. He's singing in the final concert along with Shan Cothi and David Kempster but needs to be there for the opening night's assembled choirs concert too.

However, Rhys is also scheduled to be at Wales Millennium Centre on Saturday 26 June for a performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger with Welsh National Opera. So he's going to be a turbocharged tenor travelling from North to South and back again to sing at both ends of Wales two nights running!

Rhys said he was just as excited about both commitments - the Wagner opera is a marathon which he's enjoying rehearsals for at the moment and Gwyl Gobaith will raise funds for Hope House children's hospices in North Wales.

There are full details of the three concerts on the festival website and, if you go to any of them, spare a thought for poor Rhys on the road in between!

2009-11-20T10:44:06+00:00

Streetwise currently work in 11 homeless shelters and the result of a recent project, My Sacred Heart, will be on show at Taliesin before the discussion and also on Friday evening. It's a remarkable music and film installation commissioned last year by Streetwise Opera and homeless people.

The discussion will debate what part the arts can play in the lives of homeless people.
It should be an interesting afternoon as it's an area I know very little about. I'll report back next week but if you've got any ideas about the subject, please let me know.

More details of Streetwise and My Sacred Heart on taliesinartscentre.co.uk and streetwiseopera.org.

2009-11-16T15:32:56+00:00

On Friday they'll be giving a Gala Concert at Cardiff University's Corbett Hall and last weekend saw them working with pupils from three South East Wales schools - Howell's School and Ysgol Gyfun Plasmawr in Cardiff and Hawthorn High School in Pontypridd.

It was the culmination of a 10 week project to give 16-18 year olds the experience of singing operatic choruses alongside the professionals and then to perform the extracts from six operas at BBC Hoddinott Hall in a cleverly staged production by Thomas Oliver.

The whole cast - pupils and young professionals - performed brilliantly and the schools and Academy are looking forward to being able to continue the work and increase young people's interest in opera.

On Thursday's Radio Wales Arts Show I'll be ed by Australian mezzo-soprano Lauren Easton and Welsh tenor Alun Rhys Jenkins. They'll be telling me more about the different experiences they're gaining on the CIAV course and proving that the operatic world is anything but stuffy.

2009-11-02T16:25:50+00:00

As Bryn says, you don't get much chance to play the good guys as composers wrote most of the romantic leading roles for tenors. But there's great satisfaction in playing the baddies when you're such an accomplished artist as Mr Terfel. He's really interesting on the subject of characterisation, dramatically and vocally and obviously has had a ball making the CD.

The range of bad boys that Bryn features takes us from the out and out villains - actually the devil appears more than once in his operatic guises - to wide boys and chancers. It goes from Mozart's Don Giovanni - a trio in which Bryn sings all the roles (that would be a bit tricky in the concert!) to Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.

Bryn's performing the Bad Boys concert at Cardiff's St David's Hall on 9 November but have a listen to the man himself with me on Thursday 5 November at 6.30pm.