music theatre wales spring 2011 newsletter
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Return to Turnage‟s First
Triumph
News No. 3 Spring/Summer 2011
An Unseen but all-seeing Presence MTW‟s Press Consultant Faith
Wilson interviews the man who
captures all our productions
through the eye of a lens
If opera and classical music photography has a
gold standard, Clive Barda is surely its
principle exemplar. For over forty years, his dynamic images have captured some the greatest names in classical music, and have
provided a vivid record of successive productions by all of Britain‟s leading opera companies.
Clive Barda is, unquestionably, the doyen of performance photographers, and Music Theatre Wales counts itself fortunate to have
him as its official photographer – a relationship which dates back to the company‟s production of Michael Berkeley‟s opera Jane
Eyre in 2000 – indeed, who amongst MTWs followers will forget his moody, allusive close-ups of a tightly-corseted Natasha Marsh
as the opera‟s eponymous heroine? (Continued on page 2)
As a composer, Mark-Anthony Turnage
has an uncanny knack of making an
impact. This was all too evident in
February when the Royal Opera House
premiered his latest opera Anna Nicole,
a production that it would not be
unfair to describe as a smash hit in
operatic terms and one that certainly
made the headlines in broadsheets and
tabloids alike.
Every bit as brilliant and provocative is
Turnage‟s first operatic venture, Greek
which we will be taking on tour in a new
co-production with Theatr Brycheiniog
this summer and autumn. It made a
sensational impact when it was first
staged at the Munich Biennale in June
1988 despite Turnage being a relatively
unknown composer at the time. Within
two years of its German premiere, the
opera travelled to the Edinburgh
Festival, transferred to the screen in an
award-winning film version by the BBC
and made the Laurence Oliver Awards
shortlist following its London staging by
English National Opera - quite a feat!
Based on the play of the same name by
S t e v en Be r ko f f , Gr ee k i s a
contemporary re-telling of the Oedipus
myth set in the East End of London.
Turnage has spoken of the “exhilarating
shock” he felt on first encountering
Berkoff‟s work. “His combination of
poetry, humour and physical theatre is
incendiary” he says, adding that
Berkoff‟s language “has exactly the right
combination of high-flown lyricism and
earthy, everyday speech - a heady
cocktail of Shakespeare and Cockney”.
From these ingredients Turnage
created a ground-breaking work: an
opera, yes but also a robust piece of
physical theatre fizzing with raw energy
and pungent melancholy.
Full Tour Dates on page 4
2
To find out what factors shaped his career and what excites
him as a photographer, I meet him on a wintry February
afternoon at London‟s Garrick Club, where he‟s perfectly at
one with his august surroundings – immensely affable, tweed-
suited and sporting the trademark bow-tie.
A career as a professional photographer, it seems, arrived
almost by chance: as a young man he doubled working in the
City by day and studying for a Modern Languages degree by
night. And yet, dig deeper and you see that there‟s a steely
determination there, and a capacity for hard work which
transformed the purest strokes of luck into golden
opportunities. With twinkling eyes he recalls his „Damascene
moment‟ – a chance encounter in Spain with a young woman,
the production secretary of a West Country lifestyle
magazine. “She asked me to photograph the harpist Susan
Drake for the magazine and I remember that I took them with
a Canon Canonet (my first camera, which my mother had
given me for my 21st birthday) much loved, but no more than
a tourist camera really”.
It was the beginning of a series of regular assignments with the
magazine, and of rapid camera upgrades. The Susan Drake
photos reached the marketing desk of Argo and, hey presto,
the classical music recording company commissioned a series
of album covers.
The real turning point, however, came in 1970 with an
altogether starrier chance meeting with Daniel Barenboim
backstage at the Festival Hall. With a characteristic
combination of chutzpah and ambition, Clive persuaded
Barenboim to spare the time for a photo shoot – and the die
(Continued from page 1)
was cast. It led to regular work with EMI and gave him access
to “all the most amazing names in the world of classical music
of the time” including, notably, Yehudi Menuhin and Jacqueline
du Pré.
But no opera yet?
“That came in 1974. I was taking photos of an orchestral
rehearsal in the Crush Bar of the Royal Opera House and
there was an opera dress rehearsal taking place in the main
auditorium. I was invited to attend.”
Interestingly, he doesn‟t remember what that first opera was,
but he certainly remembers the next one – John Copley‟s
classic production of La bohème with marvelously detailed set
designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman and a young José Carreras as
Rodolfo. His record of the production cemented his
relationship with the Royal Opera House and soon he was to
become the photographer of choice for many other British
companies.
I wondered what it is that engages him, that makes the
difference between a very good photo and one that leaps off
the page? I‟m thinking here of his electrifying portrait of
Simon Rattle - fist clenched and all of a roar as he urges his
players on - which graces the cover of Clive‟s book
Performance!. I‟m thinking, too, of his iconic photograph of a
Dame Joan Sutherland as Lucia di Lammermoor, in bloodstained
nightdress and full lamentation, or of the way he has so
perfectly captured Natalie Dessay‟s urchin antics in La Fille du
Regiment. The list is endless.
“I want to be creatively stimulated by what I see on stage, and
Jane E
yre
Dan
iel B
arenboim
and Jac
quelin
e d
u P
ré
3
of course it‟s important to have a rapport with the artists and
productions I‟m photographing”.
But it‟s not just the personal chemistry that makes a
difference. He needs to know each opera he photographs like
the back of his hand so that he can anticipate and capture
crucial moments and key characters.
When it comes to productions of contemporary opera –
Music Theatre Wales‟s stock-in-trade – they are often an
unknown quantity until the vital days in the theatre leading up
to the first night. That‟s why you will see Clive Barda in the
run-up to a new MTW production sitting, listening, observing
intently and documenting two, three and even four rehearsals
leading up to the first night.
Asked what are his most memorable Music Theatre Wales
productions, he immediately singles out Michael Berkley‟s Jane
Eyre for its hall-of-mirrors setting, Ace McCarron‟s
atmospheric lighting and for Natasha Marsh‟s grave,
concentrated performance as Jane.
He remembers, too, the madcap eccentricity of Lynne
Plowman‟s second opera, House of the Gods and, more
recently, the travails and triumphs of that other Michael
Berkley opera, For You, which he documented faithfully and
vividly during its protracted journey to the stage.
And despite the scores of other productions he must have
covered in the meantime, there‟s something he remembers
about each and every one of MTW productions over the last
ten years, because he‟s become like so many of us who work
regularly with the company – a member of the family.
House
of th
e G
ods
For
You
4
Glass Connections Continue
GREEK TOUR
DATES
Summer / Autumn 2011
BRECON
Theatr Brycheiniog
Saturday 2 July
7.30pm
CHELTENHAM FESTIVALS
Parabola Arts Centre
Thursday 7 July
8pm
BUXTON FESTIVAL
Opera House
Thursday 14 & Monday 25 July
7.15pm
EDINBURGH
Traverse Theatre
In collaboration with
Scottish Opera
Thursday 1 & Friday 2 September
7.30pm
OXFORD
Playhouse
Tuesday 6 September
7.30pm
BASINGSTOKE
The Anvil
Wednesday 21 September
7.45pm
MOLD
Clwyd Theatr Cymru
Sunday 25 September
7.30pm
ABERYSTWYTH
Arts Centre
Tuesday 11 October
7.30pm
HUDDERSFIELD
Lawrence Batley Theatre
Wednesday 26 October
7.30pm
NEWPORT
The Riverfront
Thursday 10 November
7.30pm
Another recipient of a Creative Wales
Award last November was our friend
Gerald Tyler a member of the In the
Penal Colony cast.
In his inimitable way, Gerald outlines his
plans to use the award to “behave
more like the artist I strive to be and
less like the producer that I have, out of
necessity, become. By working alone,
without deadlines and then with other
artists I respect and admire for their
bravery, I hope to re-acquire some of
my more youthful idealism and tally it
with what craft and experience I have
accrued in more „mature‟ years”.
We wish both Michael and Gerald a
productive year and look forward to
sharing with them the fruits of their
labours.
New Philip Glass
Commission ...
As our tour of Philip Glass‟s In the Penal
Colony came to an end last autumn, we
were thrilled to hear that the
composer has agreed to write a new
chamber opera expressly for the
company, based on the Kafka novel, The
Trial. The opera will go into production
in 2013 - the year we celebrate our 25th
anniversary.
MTW‟s relationship with Glass dates
back to 1989 when we gave the
European premiere of The Fall of the
House of Usher - a production the
composer greatly admired. In a BBC
Radio 3 interview prior to the opening
of Penal Colony Glass reiterated his
affection and respect for the company.
“I‟ve enjoyed working with Music
Theatre Wales,” he commented,
“they are wonderful to work with
and they seem to like these „odd‟
pieces of mine and do them very
well”. He has described his pocket
operas as “neutron bombs - small
but packing a powerful punch”. We
look forward to receiving the score
of The Trial in a package clearly
labelled „handle with care‟!
… plus a recording Watch out, too, for the first publicly
released recording of In the Penal
Colony made by Glass‟s own music
label, Orange Mountain Music. The
Music Theatre Wales Ensemble is
conducted by Michael Rafferty with
Omar Ebrahim as The Officer and
Michael Bennett as The Visitor.
Mic
hae
l R
affe
rty
(Pho
to: C
live B
arda
- w
ho
els
e?)
Finding Space
to Create ...
Over the last few months there have
been fewer sightings than usual in the
office of one of our Artistic
Directors, conductor Michael
Rafferty.
This is not to say that he has been
shirking his duties though - far from
it. Indeed he has been out and about
more than ever (just not necessarily
in Cardiff Bay) and this can be
attributed to the decision by Arts
Council of Wales last November to
offer him a Creative Wales Award.
As the title of the award suggests, the
purpose of these awards is to make it
possible for individual artists to take
time out and find space in their life to
„create‟. It‟s the equivalent of what in
many other industries is known as
R&D - research and development.
As a result of the award Michael has
been travelling across the UK and
Europe meeting with internationally
e s t a b l i s h e d e n s e m b l e s a n d
conductors as he researches and
observes ways of presenting new
m u s i c t h r o u gh i m a g i n a t i v e
programming and presentation. At
the same time he has been refining
and expanding his conducting
technique beyond his current
expertise in contemporary chamber
opera.
5
A Soothing Balm - and
More
It‟s a small phrase and it‟s frequently relegated to relatively
small print, but never underestimate the importance of the
words “A co-production with ...” so often to be seen on
websites and print in today‟s world of the arts. Securing such
a relationship often marks the transition from the dream to
stage a new work or production to the reality.
But what is the role of a co-producer? We caught up with
Andy Eagle, Director of Theatr Brycheiniog to find out what
the venue brings to the table as co-producer of Julie, For You
and our forthcoming tour of Greek.
“I have been at Brycheiniog since 2000 and always wanted the
venue to enter into co-production work” says Andy. “At first I was only able to offer companies such as Music Theatre Wales a
complimentary production week and rehearsal time from which they could launch shows. This was the case with Lynne
Plowman‟s opera Gwyneth and the Green Knight. However, when Arts Council of Wales (ACW) awarded us funding specifically to
be used for production investment we were also in a position to offer a cash investment”.
So why support Music Theatre Wales? “New work is the lifeblood of the genre it works in” responds Andy. “Music Theatre
Wales truly strive to be original, creative and push the boundaries of the artform. That, their tenacity, and the sheer bloody
mindedness of the artistic team to be true to their artistic principles is something I admire greatly. I also applaud the management
team. The energy they have is remarkable and a model example”.
From Music Theatre Wales‟s point of view, Theatr Brycheiniog is a fabulous setting in which to launch a new production. There
are few in the company who don‟t enjoy escaping to the country for the last week of rehearsals. The theatre fulfils all our
technical requirements with a major added bonus - a picturesque canal-side setting against a beautiful rural backdrop. It‟s a very
effective balm to the jittery tension that inevitably builds among cast and crew as the opening night approaches.
Let Theatr Brycheiniog‟s special aura cast its spell on you. Join us for the opening night of Greek on Saturday 2 July. An afternoon
in the hills of mid Wales followed by a pre performance meal at the theatre and then the opening night of our tour. Can‟t be bad -
can it?
Many congratulations to Andy on his recent appointment as Chief Executive of Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff. We wish him every success as
he takes up his new role and hope to continue our working relationship with him there.
Carried along on a Cloud of Appreciation .... Your feedback to In the Penal Colony translated into a word cloud. Enjoy!
6
Mutual Appreciation Society News from some companies and organisations whose work we enjoy - and which we hope
you‟ll enjoy too.
Keeping
in Touch Follow us on Facebook and
Twitter www.facebook.com/musictheatrewales
www.twitter.com/mtw_tweets
Alternatively we‟re more than happy
keep in touch by email or good old
fashioned post. To sign up to our
mailing list either contact us directly at
the office or visit our website.
Music Theatre Wales
Pascoe Buildings
54 Bute Street
Cardiff CF10 5AF
029 2049 8471
enquiries@musictheatrewales.org.uk
www.musictheatrewales.org.uk
Royal Welsh College of Music
and Drama opens its doors to all The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in our home
city of Cardiff will be opening its doors to a state of the art
suite of facilities this June comprising an intimate 160-seat
courtyard theatre, a 420 seater recital hall and a stunning
glass-walled public café bar overlooking the beautiful
grounds of Bute Park.
The opening season includes a residency by Welsh National
Opera, a recital by the winner of the 2005 Cardiff Singer of
the World Rosenblatt Recital Prize, Andrew Kennedy
accompanied by Malcolm Martineau, The Opera Group/
BCMG‟s production of Luke Bedford‟s Seven Angels and an
eagerly awaited visit by the eccentric but unforgettable
Penguin Café.
Further information from www.rwcmd.ac.uk Tel: 029 2039 1391
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and
The Opera Group join forces Luke Bedford‟s long awaited first opera Seven Angels premieres next month at Birmingham‟s
CBSO Centre (17 June) after which the The Opera Group/Birmingham Contemporary Music
Group production tours to Cardiff, Glasgow, Brighton, Oxford and London culminating in a
performance at the Latitude Festival.
Inspired by Paradise Lost, the opera interprets the themes of John Milton‟s masterpiece bringing
to it pertinent resonances for a modern audience facing up to the urgent challenges of a
changing climate and ever-depleting resources.
Featuring seven singers and chamber orchestra, Luke Bedford‟s music is dark but seductive,
tense but lyrical, integrating both solo voices and choral textures.
Further information from www.theoperagroup.co.uk www.bcmg.org.uk
Penguin Cafe
Andre
w K
ennedy
(Photo
: B
enja
min
Eal
ove
ga)
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