Fate - Andrew Watts. In: Press release from The Santa Fe Opera, 22 August 2012. Florian Panzieri as the kebab seller Hassan impressed with his clear tenor and mezzo-soprano Laura Fleur as Donna brought verisimilitude to her scenes at the laundrette. A new production of an earlier opera is always welcome news, to its composer at least, and it doesn't feel right to term these "revivals" - implying that resuscitation or even raising from the dead has been necessary. But I personally have been feeling thoroughly revived after. Either way, it makes a good spectacle. Emma Bell, singing the title role perched five metres up on a rocky plinth, only now revealed that she was scared of heights. If you dont harbour too many expectations of a thought-provoking story, its worth going to see for the staging alone. Despite the layoff since summer, the staging soon exuded a dance-like motion we hadn't seen before. The second act has greater pace and vitality: the wise, witty Weir of old is back on form, but too briefly. She has also created new music for many community groups and schools, including Burntwood School Wandsworth, Aberdeen Art Gallery, St Marys Church Dover and Greenacre School, Barnsley. Edit Now. Judith Weir Miss FortuneLord Fortune Jacob Harrison, Lady Fortune Amy Holyland, Tina Erin Gwyn Rossington, Fate Kieron-Connor Valentine, Hassan Florian Panzieri, Donna Laura Fleur, Simon Jack Holton; Director Martin Lloyd-Evans, Conductor Dominic Wheeler, Designer Anna Reid, Lighting Anthony Doran, GSMD Orchestra. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian. Dominic Stokes* She studied with John Tavener while at the North London Collegiate School[3] and subsequently with Robin Holloway at King's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1976. Vanessa Lingham, Stage Management Supervisor Malena Benavent Shana Moron-Caravel In fact, I think you should go. Select from premium Judith Weir of the highest quality. One of these days someone might actually commission one of the many young composers at the sharp end of musical theatre creative song writers with their finger on the pulse of contemporary living. In 1987, her first half-length opera, A Night at the Chinese Opera, was premiered at Kent Opera. Never louder than lovely would have been welcome for Weirs contorted vocals lines. A few quotes from suddenly redundant bankers made it into the libretto ("I'm going to clear my desk"; "I'll never find another job") but soon I and my opera were pondering the wider mystery of how random the universe is, and how it often seems there's nothing we can do about it. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal . She struggles, wins the lottery, casts aside money and goes off with the handsome prince, in his mercifully clean shirt. 2.1.1 Miss Fortune (Achterbahn) 2.2 Other key works; 3 Selected recordings; 4 External links; 5 References Biography. . I registered a faint sense that my opera plot was already out on the street, but I didn't think all the detail it contained the violent destruction of property, the collapse of the middle class would soon become true as well. BBC Philharmonic/David, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No 10, Mahler Symphony No 10 Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/van Zweden, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Yn aml mae . My reworking begins with a financial crash and ends with an unlikely lottery win - yet I didn't set out to write a piece about. And Im not sure I want to think too hard about the statements it does make: for example, the breakdancing team Soul Mavericks are superb, but theyre cast as stereotypical hoodlums wrecking things with baseball bats. Originally intended as a curtain-raiser for Menottis The Medium, the worksalternative title,LAmour trois, refers to the rival claims of a telephone that incessantly interrupts Bens attempts to propose marriage to Lucy before he catches his train. When the curtain rose on the UK premiere of Judith Weir's Miss Fortune at the Royal Opera House, one thing at least was clear: this bright, coarse staging by Shi-Zheng Chen would flog the living daylights out of the opera's frail, pale construct, inflate it grotesquely beyond its natural size and, by this eye-catching but totally irrelevant visual aeration, render it all but nonsensical. I've had the misfortune of reading a few reviews already, and so far I seem to be flying solo on actually recommending it - but I do think the basic ingredients are there. Opera; Full score; Chester Music; musicsalesclassical.com; 43308 For Barbican performances, enter through the mainBarbican Centre entrance in Silk Street. But Miss Fortune is warm and fuzzy where it should be hard and edgy, its a social fable with contemporary resonances in everything but its words and music, and worst of all its an adult opera which sounds like its spoon feeding amateur philosophy to a child. Weve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. I decided to use the tale as a basis for a new opera. This was followed by a further three full-length operas The Vanishing Bridegroom (1990), Blond Eckbert (1994), the latter commissioned by the English National Opera[14] and Miss Fortune (Achterbahn) (2011). A. Charlie Broad She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. 4 - Julia Kleitner, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Gatti, A Conversation With LIISA RANDALU: Schumann Quartet release 2nd CD, ENCOUNTERS: Edward Seckerson talks to Broadway composer LUCY SIMON, Edward Seckerson talks to RENE FLEMING about The Light in the Piazza, A Conversation With VASILY PETRENKO: RLPO Shostakovich Symphonies, A Conversation With SIR PAUL McCARTNEY: BBC Radio 4 Kaleidoscope, A Conversation With VICTORIA WOOD: New TV drama, Loving Miss Hatto, A Conversation With DAVID McVICAR & SARAH CONNOLLY: Charpentiers Medea, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No. Eva Gaidoni Guildhall Schools Opera department presents a double bill of operatic works exploring romantic love, fate and fortune. [7] She was appointed for a decade. Our privacy policy was last updated on Friday 31 January 2020, Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 12 March 2012. Judith Weir explains why her latest work a parable about the financial crisis had to have them, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Straitened times Emma Bell and Anne-Marie Owens in Miss Fortune. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . Miss Fortune Operas. BBC Radio 3. Jack Garner-Greene Much of her music has been recorded, and is available on the NMC, Delphian and Signum labels. Above all, I felt justified in having written the opera in the first place. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. First things first: Chen Shi-Zhengs production, created for the works premire at Bregenz Festival last year, is one of the most visually stunning opera productions I have ever seen. In recent years, Judith Weir has considerably expanded her choral catalogue, with regular performance by choirs worldwide of music such as her Christmas carolIlluminare, Jerusalemwritten for Stephen Cleobury and the choir of Kings College Cambridge. Bass clarinet Sad because Weirs folk inspired fables have won many friends, sad because she is a composerly composer whose luminous orchestral backdrops and singable vocal lines display an honest talent that never hides behind overworked technique. Kosuke Shirai The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. . Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Unsolved problems: (l-r) Kathryn Harries, Alan Ewing and Emma Bell struggle to make an impression at Covent Garden. What a waste of talent and resources. The once-rich little heroine, dogged by cruel Fate,. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. By the end of the act, I was finding it all rather wearing, and theres little in the way of flowing vocal lines to lift the heart. Still, Glowing. The kebab shop and the breakdancers are great, but Tom Pyes sets have much more: giant, mirror-smooth geometric structures are brightly lit in primary colours and turned by video effects into a shifting industrial landscape, all set against a plain screen background lit with vividly coloured gradients. Now based in London, she has had a long association with Spitalfields Music Festival; and has taught as a visiting professor at Princeton, Harvard and Cardiff universities. Given the intimacy and physical support of the Linbury Studio (instead of the open wastes of the main auditorium) the work would at least have had a fair hearing, instead of becoming an object of near ridicule. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. She was commissioned to compose an a cappella work for the state funeral of Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022, and wrote a setting of Psalm 42, "Like as the hart".[17]. Commissioned byBregenzFestival and the RoyalOperaHouse and premiered in 2011,Miss Fortuneis a contemporary re-telling of a Sicilian folk story. Commissioned by the Bregenz Festival and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Silver Tassie Operas. Julian Hepple. Albery's production allows the opera to speak for itself, although sluggish pacing in the pit detract from the musical merits of this revival. For Rap read rhyming couplets. Secondly and crucially, Weir turns Fate into a very real and live person. After this she spent several years working in schools and adult education in rural southern England; followed by a period based in Scotland, teaching at Glasgow University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Its probably not a good idea to come to Miss Fortune looking either for deep meaning or for authentic folktale. Weir is far from incapable of working on a large canvas, but Miss Fortune is surely a chamber opera. a reference to Mozart's great scene where people on a beach are menaced by a sea monster. Katie Wong, Production Assistants The upper floor of The Telephones split staging neatly morphed into Miss Fortunes roof top balcony where Harrison and Holyland made their mark as the nouveau riche parents of Tina. [2] See something missing? Beat Erro Dez, Horn Judith Weir CBE HonFRSE (born 11 May 1954) is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. Judith Weir Net Worth & Basic source of earning is being a successful British Musician. A new production of an earlier opera is always welcome news, to its composer at least, and it doesn't feel right to term these "revivals" - implying that resuscitation or even raising from the dead has been necessary. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal . And did the previous orchestra really play that F-natural all last summer and we never noticed? JUDITH WEIR AT 70 OPERAS. Never should the final authority be taken away from the composer, but a question might stimulate a rethink. [10] In 2018 she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The best in live events, streams, reviews and articles recommended by our editors, delivered to your inbox weekly. A full list of Production Arts teaching staff and technicians can be found on our website. Ben Mills, Deputy Stage ManagerAndrea Stier Andersen, Assistant Stage Managers Tina's wealthy family lose all their possessions overnight and she is thrown into a life of poverty. Richard Jones' production is visually all over the place, but in a good way. Alaric Green . Oliver Mears' new production of Britten's chamber opera is a visceral reflection on tyranny and sexual violence. Susan Jane Matthews, organ1929 Skinner OrganSt. Queasy chromatic scales rising and falling in the trombones is as close as we get to the dark happenings on the street. Despite the more than merely polite cheers which greeted the final curtain, and which might have persuaded her that, just possibly, she had a success on her hands, within hours Weir was beaten black and blue by a scrum of negative opinion. In the title role, Emma Bell does an admirable job of wrapping her voice around it all, without the audience ever getting a melody or a mood to remember. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Judith Weirs Miss Fortune did not have a favourable reception when it premiered at Covent Garden in 2012, considered by some ill-suited to the Royal Opera House and lacking the musical engagement of her previously melodically rich operas and a decent libretto. In spite of all this, the libretto has some decent moments, particularly in the short second act in which Weir lets her hair down a little. Hui Pang Lee Antonio Daz Fernndez The UK premire of Miss Fortune is on March 12th at the Royal Opera House. [13] Gerhard R. Koch, writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper on 25 July, had these observations: Miss Fortune moved to London in March 2012, garnering at least two negative reviews. 4 booking fee per online/phone transaction. Dominic Wheeler conductorMartin Lloyd-Evans directorAnna Reid designerAnthony Doran lighting designerJoseph Beesley assistant conductorRachel Wise assistant director/movement, Lucy England Segomotso Shupinyaneng (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Ellie Neate (2 & 7 Mar) Nonetheless, having written her own libretto as well as the music, she was easy prey. See the CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Production Arts students. Sad because Weir's folk inspired fables have won many friends, sad because she is a composerly composer whose luminous orchestral backdrops and singable vocal lines display an honest talent that never hides behind overworked technique. Sad to say but Judith Weirs sixth opera is an embarrassment. Former Culture Secretary says he would 'rather be thrown into a pit of scorpions' than listen to one of Judith Weir's operas; . Look out for the paean to the perfectly laundered shirt sung by Simon (the excellent Jacques Imbrailo), which is a moment of pure comic genius. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Find the perfect Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The clarity of the costume design made the characters instantly knowable, too: a stroppy teenager, a lady from a launderette, a positive-thinking businessman these types look the same anywhere. She has written orchestral music for the BBC Symphony, Boston Symphony and Minnesota Orchestras. She went on to Cambridge University, where her composition teacher was Robin Holloway; and in 1975 attended summer school at Tanglewood, where she worked with Gunther Schuller. Its story talks about the difference betweeen being rich and poor, and I was criticised at the time for imagining that this would be a permissable subject for an opera. [15] Weir's commissioned works most notably include woman.life.song (2000) for Jessye Norman and We are Shadows (1999) for Simon Rattle. World premiere at the Bregenz Festival on 21st July 2011 at the Festspielhaus, Bregenz, directed by Chen Shi-Zheng, with the Prague Philharmonic Chorus (director Lukas Vasilek) and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paul Daniel. Judith Weir Biography Recordings Related Composers Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. After this she spent several years working in schools and adult education in rural southern England; followed by a period based in Scotland, teaching at Glasgow University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. More information, Don't have an online account? Miss Fortune in name and deed. Called Miss Fortune, the story is about money, fate and fortune. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . S,Mz,Ct,T,Bar,bbar + 2(II:pic).1.3(III:bcl).1+cbn/, A series of performances taking place in London over the coming weeks shines a spotlight on the rich and varied output of composer Judith Weir, Spotlight on Judith Weir including orchestral works, opera and a world premiere. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Judith Weir's music has been widely recorded, particularly on the NMC and Delphian labels; and is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. RGT Birthdays today Aoife Moran Claire Nicolas (freelance) As far as one could tell, Paul Daniel conducted a good performance. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Judith Weir was appointed Master of The Queen's Music, in succession to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, in July 2014; and in January 2015 became Associate Composer . Tina, their daughter Erin Gwyn Rossington (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Cleo Lee McGowan (2 & 7 Mar) So, turning convention on its head, weve a fatalistic riches-to-rags tale transposed from a Sicilian original and relocated in time and place to take account of the financial ills and social unrest of the here and now. My first pieces were at secondary school. Miss Fortune is based on a Sicilian folk tale, and Weir's own libretto abstracts the story and creates a sort of moral fable that rather reminded me of Georg Kaiser's From Morning to Midnight and David Sawer's brave attempt to turn it into an opera in 2001 at English National Opera. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2012. Allegra Totaro-Wainwright, Assistant Scenic Artists Music Sales America. . Continue using the site as normal or read our This is a libretto which vacillates between the banal and the unintentionally comedic (or is that irony?)
