Music Theatre Wales
Encyclopedia
Music Theatre Wales is a touring contemporary opera company, based in Cardiff
, Wales
. MTW performs newly commissioned works, alongside existing pieces from the recent past which are either neglected or have been unseen in the UK
. Works are toured across the UK and internationally. Over its 22 year history MTW has performed almost 30 productions and 14 world premieres.
In 2002 it became the first Associate Company of the Royal Opera House
.
and Michael Rafferty, Music Theatre Wales was created from the merger of two previous companies -both formed in south Wales
in 1982 - Cardiff New Opera Group and St Donats Music Theatre Ensemble.
At that time both organisations had identified a gap in the provision of opera
in Wales. Though Welsh National Opera
had achieved great success in exploring lesser known areas of the repertoire and had established itself as the leading, innovative opera company of the UK, there was very little commitment to new work. Audience and critical response to the work of Cardiff New Opera Group in particular demonstrated that there was indeed a hunger for new opera and a demand to see it tour in Wales.
Initially the repertoire was selected from works that already existed but which deserved wider exposure. Fundamentally, the repertoire was inspired by the work of Peter Maxwell Davies
and his own company, The Fires of London. The first MTW production was a setting of Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Martyrdom of St Magnus
in the graveyard of the Saxon church in the grounds of St Donats Castle. The production was then adapted for touring in Wales and later re-worked into a production for Glasgow
European City of Culture 1990, playing at the Tramway, and at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
, London
in collaboration with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
. This was followed by the European premiere of Philip Glass
's The Fall of the House of Usher which toured in Wales and England
, establishing on route many long-term relationships with venues and festivals, and led to the company’s first international collaboration when it was presented in Norway
as the first production of Opera Vest (recently re-formed as Den Nye Opera–Norway’s second main-scale opera company presenting a mixed programme of new and established repertoire).
Since 1988 MTW has created almost 30 productions and presented 14 world premieres. It has an established programme to help nurture new opera composer
s and has created productions with a wide range of partners including Opera National du Rhin
in Strasbourg
, the Berlin Festival, Opera Vest in Norway, Banff Centre
in Canada
, Theatr Brycheiniog
in Brecon
, Haarlem Theatre in The Netherlands, Treffpunkt in Stuttgart
, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
. MTW has been recorded on CD, broadcast on BBC radio, and one production has been re-created and screened on BBC2. The company has twice been short-listed for the Prudential Awards for “creativity, excellence, innovation and accessibility.” The opera Gwyneth and the Green Knight by Lynne Plowman, produced by MTW in 2002 and later as a co-production with ROH2 was the first opera to win the British Composers Award and Lynne Plowman’s second opera commissioned by MTW, The House of the Gods, was also shortlisted for this award in 2007. In 2009, the company worked for the first time in Welsh
, commissioning a new performing version of The Soldier's Tale–Stori’r Milwr. 2010 sees the Signum Records release of a CD of Michael Berkeley
’s opera For You and the UK premiere tour of In the Penal Colony
by Philip Glass.
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. MTW performs newly commissioned works, alongside existing pieces from the recent past which are either neglected or have been unseen in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Works are toured across the UK and internationally. Over its 22 year history MTW has performed almost 30 productions and 14 world premieres.
In 2002 it became the first Associate Company of the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
.
History
Founded in 1988 by Artistic Directors Michael McCarthyMichael McCarthy
Michael McCarthy is an Irish Labour Party politician, who was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Cork South West constituency at the 2011 general election. A former member of Seanad Éireann, McCarthy was first elected to the Seanad in 2002, ans was re-elected in 2007, on the Labour Panel on both...
and Michael Rafferty, Music Theatre Wales was created from the merger of two previous companies -both formed in south Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
in 1982 - Cardiff New Opera Group and St Donats Music Theatre Ensemble.
At that time both organisations had identified a gap in the provision of opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in Wales. Though Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
had achieved great success in exploring lesser known areas of the repertoire and had established itself as the leading, innovative opera company of the UK, there was very little commitment to new work. Audience and critical response to the work of Cardiff New Opera Group in particular demonstrated that there was indeed a hunger for new opera and a demand to see it tour in Wales.
Initially the repertoire was selected from works that already existed but which deserved wider exposure. Fundamentally, the repertoire was inspired by the work of Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
and his own company, The Fires of London. The first MTW production was a setting of Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Martyrdom of St Magnus
The Martyrdom of St Magnus
The Martyrdom of St Magnus is a chamber opera in one act by the British composer Peter Maxwell Davies. The libretto, by Davies himself, is based on the novel Magnus by George Mackay Brown. The opera was first performed in St...
in the graveyard of the Saxon church in the grounds of St Donats Castle. The production was then adapted for touring in Wales and later re-worked into a production for Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
European City of Culture 1990, playing at the Tramway, and at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in collaboration with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is Scotland's national chamber orchestra, based in Edinburgh. One of Scotland’s five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland. The SCO appears...
. This was followed by the European premiere of Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
's The Fall of the House of Usher which toured in Wales and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, establishing on route many long-term relationships with venues and festivals, and led to the company’s first international collaboration when it was presented in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
as the first production of Opera Vest (recently re-formed as Den Nye Opera–Norway’s second main-scale opera company presenting a mixed programme of new and established repertoire).
Since 1988 MTW has created almost 30 productions and presented 14 world premieres. It has an established programme to help nurture new opera composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s and has created productions with a wide range of partners including Opera National du Rhin
Opéra national du Rhin
LOpéra national du Rhin is an opera company which performs in Alsace, eastern France, and which includes the Opéra in Strasbourg, the company's ballet in Mulhouse , and the "Opéra Studio" , a training centre for young singers, in Colmar...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, the Berlin Festival, Opera Vest in Norway, Banff Centre
Banff Centre
The Banff Centre, formerly known as The Banff Centre for Continuing Education, is an arts, cultural, and educational institution and conference complex located in Banff, Alberta...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Theatr Brycheiniog
Theatr Brycheiniog
Theatr Brycheiniog is a modern theatre, arts and community venue in Brecon, the old county town of Brecknockshire and now part of south Powys in Mid Wales.- Location :...
in Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
, Haarlem Theatre in The Netherlands, Treffpunkt in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. MTW has been recorded on CD, broadcast on BBC radio, and one production has been re-created and screened on BBC2. The company has twice been short-listed for the Prudential Awards for “creativity, excellence, innovation and accessibility.” The opera Gwyneth and the Green Knight by Lynne Plowman, produced by MTW in 2002 and later as a co-production with ROH2 was the first opera to win the British Composers Award and Lynne Plowman’s second opera commissioned by MTW, The House of the Gods, was also shortlisted for this award in 2007. In 2009, the company worked for the first time in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, commissioning a new performing version of The Soldier's Tale–Stori’r Milwr. 2010 sees the Signum Records release of a CD of Michael Berkeley
Michael Berkeley
Michael Berkeley is a British composer and broadcaster on music.-Early life:His father was the composer Sir Lennox Berkeley...
’s opera For You and the UK premiere tour of In the Penal Colony
In the Penal Colony
"In the Penal Colony" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919....
by Philip Glass.
Repertoire history since 1988
- In the Penal Colony Philip Glass
- Letters of a Love Betrayed Eleanor AlbergaEleanor Alberga-Life:Eleanor Alberga was born in Kingston, Jamaica. She decided at the age of five to be a concert pianist and began composing short pieces. She studied music at Jamaican School of Music and in 1970 she won the biennial West Indian Associated Board Scholarship which allowed her to study at the...
and Donald Sturrock (commission 2009) - Crime FictionCrime fictionCrime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
Huw WatkinsHuw WatkinsHuw Watkins is a British composer and pianist. Born in South Wales, he studied piano and composition at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, where he received piano lessons from Peter Lawson...
and David HarsentDavid HarsentDavid Harsent is an English poet & TV scriptwriter. As Jack Curtis and David Lawrence he has published a number of crime fiction novels....
(commission 2009) - Stori’r Milwr (new Welsh version of The Soldier’s Tale, commissioned 2009)
- For You Michael Berkeley and Ian McEwanIan McEwanIan Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....
(commission 2008) - JulieJulie (opera)Julie is a one-act chamber opera written by the Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans who is composer-in-residence of the Brussels opera house, La Monnaie...
Philippe BoesmansPhilippe Boesmans-Life:Boesmans was born in Tongeren and studied piano at the Conservatory in Liège, where he was also introduced to serial composing techniques by Pierre Froidebise. However, it was only after coming into contact with the "Liège Group" in 1957 that he began to write music, as a self-taught composer...
and Luc BondyLuc Bondy- Biography :Trained in Paris with the theatre teacher Jacques Lecoq, he received a job in 1969 as an assistant at the Hamburg Thalia Theatre. In a surprise, he took over in 1985 after the resignation of Peter Stein at the Schaubühne in Berlin. He also worked as a producer of both plays and operas...
(based on Strindberg) - House of the Gods Lynne Plowman and Martin RileyMartin RileyMartin Riley may refer to:*Martin Riley , former Canadian basketball player*Martin Riley , 19th-century Yorkshire cricketer*Martin Riley , English professional football defender...
(commission 2006) - The Knot GardenThe Knot GardenThe Knot Garden is the third opera by composer Michael Tippett for which he wrote the original English libretto. The work had its first performance at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, on 2 December 1970 conducted by Sir Colin Davis and produced by Sir Peter Hall...
Michael TippettMichael TippettSir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music... - The Piano TunerThe Piano TunerThe Piano Tuner is a historical novel by Daniel Mason, set in British India and Burma.-Synopsis:The novel is set in 1886, in the jungles of Burma. The protagonist, a middle-aged man by the name of Edgar Drake is commissioned by the British War Office to repair a rare Erard grand piano belonging to...
Nigel OsborneNigel OsborneNigel Osborne MBE, FRCM is a British composer.He serves as Reid Professor of music at the University of Edinburgh and has been teaching at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.He studied composition with Kenneth Leighton ,...
and Amanda HoldenAmanda HoldenAmanda Louise Holden is an English actress and presenter. Among her roles are Mia Bevan in Cutting It, Sarah Trevanion in Wild at Heart, and the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award...
(commission 2004) - Ion Param VirParam VirParam Vir is a British composer originally from India.Born in Delhi, Param Vir read philosophy at Delhi University and studied composition in England with Peter Maxwell Davies and Oliver Knussen....
and David LanDavid LanDavid Lan is an English playwright, filmmaker and theatre director.Born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1952, he emigrated to London in 1972. Since 2000 he has been artistic director of the Young Vic theatre in London's South Bank.-Career:...
(commission 2003) - The Electrification of the Soviet UnionThe Electrification of the Soviet UnionThe Electrification of the Soviet Union is an opera in two acts by Nigel Osborne. The libretto was written by Craig Raine and based on The Last Summer and Spectorsky, two semi-autobiographical works by Boris Pasternak who appears as a narrator in the opera...
Nigel Osborne and Craig RaineCraig RaineCraig Raine is an English poet and critic born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England. Along with Christopher Reid, he is the best-known exponent of Martian poetry.-Life:...
(new version commissioned 2002) - Gwyneth and the Green Knight Lynne Plowman and Martin Riley (commission 2002)
- Jane Eyre Michael Berkeley and David MaloufDavid MaloufDavid George Joseph Malouf is an acclaimed Australian writer. He was awarded the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2000, his 1993 novel Remembering Babylon won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, he won the inaugural Australia-Asia Literary Award in 2008, and he was...
(commission 2000) - The Rape of Lucretia Benjamin BrittenBenjamin BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
and Ronald DuncanRonald DuncanRonald Duncan was a writer, poet and playwright, now best known for preparing the libretto for Benjamin Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia, first performed in 1946.... - Punch and JudyPunch and Judy (opera)Punch and Judy is an opera with music by Harrison Birtwistle and a libretto by Stephen Pruslin, based on the puppet figures of the same names. Birtwistle wrote the score from 1966 to 1967. The opera was first performed at the Aldeburgh Festival, which had commissioned the work, on 8 June 1968,...
Harrison BirtwistleHarrison BirtwistleSir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
and Stephen Pruslin - The Roswell Incident John HardyJohn HardyJohn Hardy can refer to:*"John Hardy" , an American folk song about a murderer*John Hardy , British composer*John Hardy , British human geneticist and molecular biologist*John Hardy , jewelry maker...
and Heledd Wyn (commission 1997) - In the House of Crossed Desires John WoolrichJohn WoolrichJohn Woolrich is a British composer. He was BBC Radio 3 'Composer of the Week' in March 2008, involving the broadcast of over 4 hours of his music in one week.-External links:**...
and Marina Warner (commission 1996) - The Soldier’s Tale Igor StravinskyIgor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
(new performing version commissioned from Sion Eirian 1995) - Pierrot LunairePierrot LunaireDreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
Arnold SchoenbergArnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School... - Flowers John Hardy and Ed ThomasEd ThomasEd Thomas was the high school football coach for Aplington-Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg, Iowa. On June 24, 2009, Thomas was shot and killed in the football team's weight room. Ed Thomas's killer is Mark Becker, a 2004 Aplington-Parkersburg graduate and one of Thomas' former players...
(commission 1994) - The LighthouseThe Lighthouse (opera)The Lighthouse is a chamber opera with words and music by Peter Maxwell Davies.The scenario was inspired by a true story. In December 1900 a lighthouse supply ship called the Hesperus, based in Stromness, Orkney, went on its routine tour of duty to the Flannan Isles in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland...
Peter Maxwell Davies - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a HatThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a HatThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales is a 1985 book by neurologist Oliver Sacks describing the case histories of some of his patients. The title of the book comes from the case study of a man with visual agnosia...
Michael NymanMichael NymanMichael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
and Christopher Rawlence - 8 Songs for a Mad King Peter Maxwell Davies
- The Four Note Opera Tom Johnson
- UbuUbuUbu may refer to:*Ubu Repertory Theater*Ubu, Nepal*Ubu or Uub, a character in Dragon Ball media*Ubu Roi , a French play by Alfred Jarry, along with subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné featured "Ubu" as the main character*Ubu Roi, mascot of Ubu Productions*Pere Ubu, an experimental rock...
Andrew TooveyAndrew TooveyAndrew Toovey is a classical composer, and recipient of composition awards including the Tippett Prize, Terra Nova Prize, the Bernard Shore Viola Composition Award and an RVW Trust Award. Two CDs of his music were released on the Largo label in 1998...
and Michael FinnissyMichael FinnissyMichael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...
(commission 1992) - The Fall of the House of Usher Philip Glass and Arthur YorinksArthur YorinksArthur Yorinks has written and directed for opera, theater, dance, film, and radio and is the author of over thirty-five acclaimed and award-winning books, including "Hey, Al," a children's book which earned the Caldecott Medal in 1987....
- The Martyrdom of St Magnus Peter Maxwell Davies