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Music Theatre Wales - Breaking New Ground in its 25th Anniversary Year |
In its 25th anniversary year, Music Theatre Wales has enjoyed a South Bank Sky Arts Award and an Olivier Award nomination, accolades that highlight its position as a ground breaking pioneering company in the world of contemporary opera. The celebratory year continues with UK tours of its award winning production of Greek and new production of The Killing Flower, an opera by Salvatore Sciarrino being performed in the UK for the first time. Greek Music Theatre Wales will continue its 25th anniversary season by bringing its award winning production of Greek to Cardiff on October 1st when it is performed at The Weston Studio at Wales Millennium Centre. The opera by Mark- Anthony Turnage is sung in English and is based on Steven Berkoff’s provocative play. Inspired by Berkoff’s incendiary combination of poetry, physical theatre and knockabout humour, Turnage aimed to tear up the rule book to produce a ground-breaking contemporary opera full of raw emotion. Greek is a co production with Theatr Brycheiniog. The Cardiff performance of Greek is presented by Welsh National Opera. Winner of the TMA’s Outstanding Achievement in Opera award, Music Theatre Wales’ 2011 tour of the production received an excellent response from audiences and critics. Marcus Farnsworth will again take up the leading role of Eddy for the 2013 tour which includes Weston Studio at Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff (1 October), Town Hall Birmingham (4 October), The Linbury Studio at Royal Opera House, London (21,22, 25 & 26 October) and at RNCM Manchester (12 November). Singers Gwion Thomas, Sally Silver and Louise Winter complete the cast. Audiences will enter into the seedy, boozy East End London world of Eddy and his family in this fast moving opera based on the Oedipus myth. The Killing Flower Later in October (18th) Music Theatre Wales will bring Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera The Killing Flower (Luci Mie Traditrici) to Cardiff, Llandudno, London and Swansea in a tour of the UK for the first time. MTW’s production was first performed at the Buxton Festival in July this year and will begin the tour with a performance in a specially designed auditorium on the stage at The Donald Gordon Theatre at Wales Millennium Centre. The production will continue its tour to The Linbury Studio at Royal Opera House London (24 October), Venue Cymru Llandudno (2 November) and Grand Theatre Swansea (26 November) following its performance in Cardiff. Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera was inspired by the true story of Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, renowned in his lifetime as a master of the Madrigal but equally notorious for the cool, brutal murder of his wife and lover. 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. His absorbing musical world and understatement aims to heighten the emotional and dramatic impact. Director Michael McCarthy has taken his cue from Sciarrino himself and places the audience on stage alongside the singers and musicians – immersing them in the tension of the work. The performance will take place in the centre of the stage with the audience sitting and standing around the singers and chamber orchestra, making for an intense and intimate setting. The cast for The Killing Flower includes Amanda Forbes (Duchess), George Humphreys (Duke) ,William Towers (The Guest) , Michael Bennett (Servant) and Music Theatre Wales Ensemble. The Killing Flower is a co production with Wales Millennium Centre, sung in English with translation by Kit Hesketh- Harvey and Paola Loreto. Pre show talks - Greek and The Killing Flower Director Michael McCarthy will give a pre-show talk at all venues an hour before each of the performances of both operas. His talks on Greek and The Killing Flower will give an insight in to the inspiration and thinking behind the operas and offer a chance for audiences to immerse themselves into the whole backdrop to the pieces before watching the performance. Production Teams Greek and The Killing Flower are directed by Michael McCarthy and will be conducted by Michael Rafferty with design by Simon Banham, and lighting design by Ace McCarron. Ticket information Tickets for the Cardiff performance of Greek are £20 and for The Killing Flower £20 (sitting) and £10 (standing). Tickets are available from Wales Millennium Centre Ticket Office on 02920 636 464 and at www.wmc.org.uk Trailers and further information about the operas and all tour venues are available at musictheatrewales.org.uk |
| Music Theatre Wales web site: musictheatrewales.org.uk |
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Friday, September 6, 2013 |
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