Welsh National Opera - celebrating the first 60 years by Graffeg

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Celebrating the first 60 years Editor Caroline Leech

Editor Caroline Leech

Caroline Leech is a public relations consultant and writer specialising in the performing arts. She was Head of Press and Public Affairs at Welsh National Opera until the end of 2005. Her move to Wales followed nine years in the Press Office at the Arts Council of England in London. Caroline is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, and lives in South Wales with her husband and three children. Her favourite opera is Verdi’s Don Carlos. Welsh National Opera is a world-class internationally renowned touring opera company based at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. For more information about WNO visit wno.org.uk or contact us: Welsh National Opera, Wales Millennium Centre Bute Place, Cardiff CF10 5AL Wales UK Tel: +44(0)29 2063 5000 marketing@wno.org.uk

Other Graffeg titles: About Cardiff Steve Benbow and David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 2 4 paperback £12.95 Cardiff Caerdydd Steve Benbow and David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 0 8 paperback £24.95 About Wales David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 7 5 paperback £14.99 Food Wales Colin Pressdee ISBN: 0 9544334 6 7 paperback £12.95

‘This book, celebrating WNO’s 60th anniversary is a wonderful record of a wonderful company; it charts life behind the scenes and gives an insight into what has put WNO at the forefront of the world’s opera companies. Long may it continue.’ Bryn Terfel ‘This is world-class Opera.’ Wall Street Journal

‘WNO… is probably, pound for pound, Britain’s best opera company.’ The Times ‘A world-class company.’ The Independent ‘WNO… our most consistently successful opera company.’ Sunday Times

WELSH NATIONALOPERA

welsh national opera

welsh national opera Celebrating the first 60 years Editor Caroline Leech

Landscape Wales Tirlun Cymru Steve Benbow and David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 1 6 hardback £24.95

Editor Caroline Leech This book celebrates 60 years of Welsh National Opera from its post-war infancy to its development into the major international company it is today. The book remembers the Company’s first performance in 1946 and pays tribute to the pioneers of the first 40 years of WNO. As a celebration of the last 20 years in particular, it charts the Company’s growth to musical maturity under its Music Directors, and shares the memories of members of the WNO Company.

Today, Welsh National Opera is multi-award winning and brings world-class opera to thousands of people across the UK every year. Productions since 1985 are featured here – the favourites such as Carmen, La bohème and Madam Butterfly with more challenging operas such as Wozzeck and The Queen of Spades. All are included in this celebratory book in magnificent spreads of photography and text. They will evoke special memories for those who saw these productions, and will entice and captivate those who did not.

Published by Graffeg copyright Graffeg 2006 ISBN: 1 905582 00 5 Designed by Peter Gill & Associates

£19.99

Tirlun Cymru Steve Benbow a David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 5 9 clawr papur £12.95 Graffeg, Radnor Court, 256 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF5 1GZ Wales UK Tel: +44(0)29 2037 7312 sales@graffeg.com www.graffeg.com

Celebrating the first 60 years

A photographic essay follows WNO on the road, and another sees the Company settle into its new home in the outstanding Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

‘This is a world-class ensemble of singing actors in a world-class production.’ The Independent on Sunday

Landscape Wales Steve Benbow and David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 3 2 paperback £12.95

welsh national opera

'A wonderful record of a wonderful company' Bryn Terfel

£19.99

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The first 40 years

In 1985 Richard Fawkes wrote Welsh National Opera, a book which charted in detail the 40 years of WNO. Twenty years on, Richard has revisited his book and remembers here the pioneers of WNO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the coalminers, nurses and shopkeepers who strove to give opera to Wales and beyond. Forty years of ground-breaking work firmly laid the foundation for WNO at the heart of Welsh cultural life, developing it into the world-class company it is today. From 1945 onwards the members of Welsh National Opera Company would pay 6d to attend each rehearsal, and a log was kept of their attendance and timely payment of subs. 9 9

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Home at last

Photographer Neil Bennett was given 'Access All Areas' when he joined WNO as it worked towards the opening weekend in its new home in Wales Millennium Centre. Even as the packing cases were being emptied, 250 WNO singers, musicians, technicians and administrators were preparing for one of WNOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important seasons in 60 years, and Neil was there to capture them on film.

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Mozart The Magic Flute 2005

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Director Dominic Cooke worked closely with designer Julian Crouch and costume designer Kevin Pollard to create a magical world, inspired by the work of the artist Magritte. He said: ‘I’ve always loved Magritte’s work: it’s populist and accessible at the same time as being disturbing and challenging.

We found ourselves looking at Magritte’s paintings for textures rather than a complete world: his is a crazy world of dream, of subconscious and juxtaposition. We felt that in a world inspired by Magritte we would be able to be more fluid and playful.’ Photograph Bill Cooper

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Puccini Turandot 1994

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On the setting for Turandot, Director Christopher Alden said: ‘Turandot was written at the start of the Mussolini era, and I think that in a lot of the piece Puccini was expressing his feelings about what was going on inside and outside Italy, couching them in orientalist terms, but giving what can be read as images of Fascist crowd-control

Choristers and mass hysteria. We havealso dressed found that, as tour the chorus for the crowd scenes as dates approached, ‘barbarian bourgeoisie’ – a cross they were being between a mythological orient and asked to rehearse the kind of clothes middle class fiveinnights a week. people would wear Mussolini’s era, people who actively supported a monstrous regime.’ 2004 revival Photograph Brian Tarr

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Director Calixto Bieito said: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The music of Die Fledermaus is superficially happy, but it is a happiness that conceals a hypocrisy. The root of this hypocrisy is a society that creates and applies strict rules about personal conduct that exist in parallel with licentiousness. The atmosphere of this production is of an eternal party. It goes on

everlastingly, round the clock, in the same location. It is a kind of hell. At this perpetual party, various games are played. In this case, the game is the game of prison, a kind of mental prison. On another day, the game might be a different one. Guests arrive and leave, but the party goes on.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Photograph Clive Barda

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Choristers also Strauss Die Fledermaus 2002 found that, as tour dates approached, they were being asked to rehearse five nights a week.

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The Most Beautiful Man from the Sea 2005

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WNO MAX

WNO MAX was conceived and created in 2001 out of a radical ambition: that WNO and the community it serves should develop side by side, as equal partners in an adventurous programme of work that draws on and inspires the creativity of all its participants. It aims to bring out the operatic in everyone, across a range of ages, communities and abilities. WNO MAX commissioned this oratorio for 500 community singers, the WNO Orchestra, and soloists from the Wales Millennium Centre Chorus. Inspired by a Gabriel GarcĂa MĂĄrquez story, the oratorio explores the regeneration of a community through creativity, and as such

celebrated the newly opened Wales Millennium Centre. The project involved collaboration between WNO, Wales Millennium Centre and the resident companies. Orlando Gough and Richard Chew composed a multi-stylistic score that explodes the boundaries of choral singing.

The libretto was written by Gwyneth Lewis, National Poet of Wales, and captures the shifting atmosphere of an intriguing seashore encounter. Iain Paterson as The Beautiful Man Photograph Brian Tarr

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WNYO The Tailor's Daughter 2005

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In collaboration with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Belfast Grand Opera House, WNO MAX commissioned a new opera, The Tailor’s Daughter, especially for the Youth Opera Group. Belfast-based Brian Irvine composed the music, and Welsh writer Greg Cullen wrote

also the libretto. The Choristers Tailor’s Daughter found that, as tour is a fairytale to appeal particularly datesaudiences, approached, to young and family and they beingin its world première in were April 2005 asked to rehearse the Weston Studio of WMC received great acclaim. five nights a week. Photograph Brian Tarr

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WNO Graffeg 60th Book Cover.qxp

1/3/06

15:14

Page 1

Celebrating the first 60 years Editor Caroline Leech

Editor Caroline Leech

WELSH NATIONALOPERA

welsh national opera

welsh national opera Celebrating the first 60 years Editor Caroline Leech

Landscape Wales Tirlun Cymru Steve Benbow and David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 1 6 hardback £24.95

Published by Graffeg copyright Graffeg 2006 ISBN: 1 905582 00 5 Designed by Peter Gill & Associates

£19.99

Celebrating the first 60 years

A photographic essay follows WNO on the road, and another sees the Company settle into its new home in the outstanding Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

‘This is a world-class ensemble of singing actors in a world-class production.’ The Independent on Sunday

Landscape Wales Steve Benbow and David Williams ISBN: 0 9544334 3 2 paperback £12.95

welsh national opera

'A wonderful record of a wonderful company' Bryn Terfel

£19.99