Our privacy policy was last updated on Friday 31 January 2020, Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 12 March 2012. Tina, their daughter Erin Gwyn Rossington (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Cleo Lee McGowan (2 & 7 Mar) Miss Fortune in name and deed. As associate composer with the BBC Singers (2015-19) she completed two oratorios; In the Land of Uz, about the prophet Job; and blue hills beyond blue hills, to Zen-influenced verse by the Scottish poet Alan Spence. Indeed it has. Longfei Wang* Members do not pay booking fees. From 2015 to 2019 she was Associate Composer to the BBC Singers. Fate Kieron-Connor Valentine The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. In places, where the orchestral score was particularly busy, some of the singing felt forced, with students pushing their voices beyond reasonable limits. She was a visiting distinguished research professor in composition at Cardiff University from 2006 to 2009. 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. Weir, Judith. Josephine Lockwood Weve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus. Interview by MISS FORTUNE is a contemporary re-telling of a Sicilian folk story. 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. Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. As Miss Fortune sings of entering the "shadows" and "dark streets" of the real world, she's set upon by six representatives of this rough shadowy place, a gang of bopping black thugs, who go on to destroy the factory she's working for and torch a kebab van she finds herself taking shelter in. Issy Jordan But this time round, it seemed even more relevant than to pay onstage attention to this subject. Where Weirs orchestral writing is full and rich, the vocal parts are for the most part agile and harsh. In 2007, she was the third recipient of the Queen's Medal for Music. Opera; Full score; Chester Music; musicsalesclassical.com; 43308 Asked to fall to the ground in terror at news of an approaching financial disaster, they ask, "Like in Idomeneo?" Tina (Miss Fortune) - Emma Bell. The much-publicised breakdancers of Chen Shi-Zengs efficient but actually rudimentary staging only serve to highlight how irrelevant Weirs musical language is to her conception. ABOVE: GSMD, Miss Fortune (c) Helen Murray, Copyright All rights reserved | Theme by, Mixed performances in Menotti and Weir from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Georgia Lloyd* Weir, who succeeds Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, will be appointed for a. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. She studied with . Did it have to be this way? Biography. Guildhall Schools Opera department presents a double bill of operatic works exploring romantic love, fate and fortune. For more access information, please visit ourAccessibilitysection. Get discounted access to unmissable art, See more art, music, film and theatre for less, Log in to access bookings, re-print pdf tickets, update email preferences and check out faster. The score was published by Novello in 1982, and lasts under ten minutes, making it one of the shortest operas, and is possibly unique in having . Noah Stewart as Hassan and Emma Bell as Tina in the Royal Opera's production of Judith Weir's Miss Fortune directed by Chen Shi-Zheng and conducted. Full marks on all fronts. 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. Josh Law 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 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. Paula Guerra Reonel Rafols Its two central edifices the shape described above, as well as a big red louvred piece posed unsolved lighting problems, splitting instead of uniting the space. Lord Fortune - Alan Ewing. When the curtain rose on the UK premiere of Judith Weir's. It has been a hyperactive week for hubris, schadenfreude and any other not quite correctly used foreign words you care to scatter. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian. Definitions of Judith_Weir, synonyms, antonyms, derivatives of Judith_Weir, analogical dictionary of Judith_Weir (English) . Nina Lim Commissioned by Bregenz Festival and the Royal Opera House and premiered in 2011, Miss Fortune is a contemporary re-telling of a Sicilian folk story. Despite the layoff since summer, the staging soon exuded a dance-like motion we hadn't seen before. 28 pages. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Frustration, frivolity and humour were all brilliantly served with a ready spontaneity that, with the chamber orchestras crisp playing, made this a delightful hors doeuvres for the darker humour of the evenings main event. Each time her luck seems to take a turn for the better, she is beset by another misfortune until eventually, through a magical stroke of luck, she gains the hand of a prince, in town to collect his laundry. The Silk Street Theatre, Music Hall and Lecture Recital Room arelocated in the main Guildhall School building on Silk Streetand for Barbican produced events the venuecan also be accessed from the Barbican if you exit via the doors next to Barbican Kitchen on Level G. Address 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. Presented byGuildhall School of Music & Drama. She has a large catalogue of performed works to her name, which will silence any who doubt her considerable gifts, especially vocal. Although she has achieved international recognition for her orchestral and chamber works, Weir is best known for her operas and theatrical works. Miss Fortune. Yn aml mae . Albery's production allows the opera to speak for itself, although sluggish pacing in the pit detract from the musical merits of this revival. Menottis parade of operatic models coloratura showpiece, rage aria and lament were effortlessly pointed up and the rapport between the singers was communicated with both tenderness and impatience. Written specifically for performance on American television in 1947, Gian Carlo MenottisoperaThe Telephoneis a romantic comedy in one act, written for just two singers and a hand-picked chamber ensemble of instrumentalists. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . 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. At the time, I was writing a chorus number called We Didn't See It Coming. Judith Weir's music has been widely recorded, particularly on the NMC and Delphian labels; and is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. In collaboration with director Margaret Williams, Weir has created several opera films, including Scipios Dream, Hello Dolly, and Armida. Our website uses cookies to give you the best possible experience. Judith Weir CBE (born 1954) [1] is a British composer and the first female Master of the Queen's Music. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . Cludia Costa Gonalves, Ensembles, Programming & Instrument Manager . Judith Weir CBE (born 1954) is a British composer and the first female Master of the Queen's Music. She had taken a hiatus to focus her energies on a host of other endeavours including orchestral composition and leading the BBC's annual composer weekend at the Barbican in 2008. Miss Fortune is Birtish composer Judith Weir's first operatic composisition in the last 17 years. Much of her music has been recorded, and is available on the NMC, Delphian and Signum labels. Judith Weir CBE HonFRSE (born 11 May 1954)[1] is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. I loved the witty set (designer. Queasy chromatic scales rising and falling in the trombones is as close as we get to the dark happenings on the street. Honours for her work include the Critics Circle, South Bank Show, Ivor Novello and Elise L Stoeger awards, a CBE and The Queens Medal for Music. 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. [9], Weir is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. [4] She received the Lincoln Center's Stoeger Prize in 1997, the South Bank Show music award in 2001 and the Incorporated Society of Musicians' Distinguished Musician Award in 2010. For Rap read rhyming couplets. 3 - Larsson, Dsseldorfer Symphoniker/Fischer, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. The UK premire of Miss Fortune is on March 12th at the Royal Opera House. Alan Ewing as Lord Fortune, Emma Bell as Tina and Kathryn Harries as Lady Fortune in the Royal Opera's production of Judith Weir's Miss Fortune. JUDITH WEIR AT 70 OPERAS. It was a co-production with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London, and was written in English. King Harald's Saga, Grand opera in three acts for unaccompanied solo soprano singing eight rles (based on the saga 'Heimskringla' by Snorri Sturlson, 1179-1241) is a monodrama by Judith Weir, commissioned by Jane Manning and premiered on 17 May 1979. A short 90 minutes of music later, Im still not entirely sure what it is Ive just seen. In collaboration with director . This is a libretto which vacillates between the banal and the unintentionally comedic (or is that irony?) She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. I loved the witty set (designer, Anna Reid) a luxury housing development, with a big sign outside promising "No social housing", something I'm all too familiar with as a local resident to the Vauxhall-Nine Elms "transformation". Silver Tassie Operas. Ben Mills, Deputy Stage ManagerAndrea Stier Andersen, Assistant Stage Managers Guildhall School of Music & Drama Thus assured, they hurl themselves down with even greater animation. Find Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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. Judith Weir Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Meanwhile, the cast plunged into the nitty-gritty ("Four steps to the left, take the glass from Kathryn, turn "). Next year, George Benjamin's commission Written on Skin will enter the fray and Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur a tale of loneliness with a furious but poetic score which was unquestionably a success is revived. She struggles, wins the lottery, casts aside money and goes off with the handsome prince, in his mercifully clean shirt. 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. Beat Erro Dez, Horn For Barbican performances, enter through the mainBarbican Centre entrance in Silk Street. . The work was made in co-operation with Margaret Williams. Daniel RobinsonAnja Urban. Now in her 50s, she is too experienced, too knowledgable about the bloodied history of most operatic endeavour to have expected to get off lightly. By combining The Telephone and Miss Fortune, director Martin Lloyd-Evans and designer Anna Reid wished to explore aspects of the isolating effects of modern urban life. Barbican The Sicilian tale on which the opera is based is a fairly standard story of the virtuous young girl who falls on hard times but whose virtue is ultimately rewarded; Weir changes it in two key ways. To book tickets visit:. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . Archie Buchanan So I arrived at Miss Fortune without any real idea of what I was going to get. Antonio Daz Fernndez She had taken a hiatus to focus her energies on a host of other endeavours including orchestral composition and leading the BBC's annual composer weekend at the Barbican in 2008. Views: 5 180. [21] Andrew Clements wrote in The Guardian of "a long two hours in the opera house" with scenes that "follow like cartoonish tableaux, without real characterisation, or confrontation, and without suggesting a dramatic shape", and also criticised the "twee rhyming couplets and inert blank verse" of Weir's libretto. ears ago, I read an Italian folk tale about a princess who, when her parents lose their money, is forced to live in poverty and make a living: weaving cloth, minding a wine store, washing clothes. Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. Find the perfect Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. In fact, I think you should go. Stanley Olden, Scenic Art Co-ordinator Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. [16], The first public performance of Weir's arrangement of "God Save the Queen" was performed at the reburial of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral on 26 March 2015. Welsh National Opera's Youth Opera were due to perform Weir's opera The Black Spider in Spring 2020 but due to unforeseen circumstances, performances were cancelled. Do you remember your first pieces? Meanwhile, the Chorus are a vital presence, losing all their money in the opening scene, only to reappear in increasingly direr straits. Never should the final authority be taken away from the composer, but a question might stimulate a rethink. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at . Sad because Weir's folk inspired fables have won many friends, sad because she is a composerly. 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. On 21 July 2011, her first opera for 17 years, Miss Fortune (Achterbahn), premiered at the Bregenz Festival in Austria. The helicopter view: Opera Europa's Nicholas Payne, At the helm of the aircraft carrier: The Royal Opera's Oliver Mears, Raising the curtain: Jacquelyn Stucker on building momentum and opera's digital challenge, Meeting the Maestro: in conversation with Fabio Luisi, Spring and summer in Prague: your musical guide, Koen entrances the Rudolfinum with Martin miniatures, Lucid in music and narrative: ENO and Richard Jones, David is a co-founder of Bachtrack. Popularly known as the Musician of United Kingdom. In London, the tricky proposition of portraying a chaotic cloud has been undertaken by Soul Mavericks, breakdancers with an amazing ability to perform hundreds of complex patterns, often in mid-air. The work should not have been put on the Royal Opera House stage without rigorous overhaul, especially in a staging so crassly bare and wide open that the voices were left stranded, good singers reduced to reedy insubstantiality, the slim drama robbed of focus. Judith Weir is a composer who, despite a huge body of work that ranges from grand operas to piano concertos to songs for children, has never sought the limelight. Alaric Green "But the good thing," she added, "is that I completely forget to worry about singing the music.". In 2014-15 there were releases of The Vanishing Bridegroom (NMC) and Storm (BBC Singers/Signum). Judith Weir Net Worth & Basic source of earning is being a successful British Musician. Photograph: Tristram Kenton, as it a plane, a boat or a train? Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. But at least all other elements of this colourful staging coalesced into something that intermittently held my attention. 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. full of truisms and clunky metaphors and for all its images of deprivation and violent disorder is about as streetwise as a visitor from Venus. Former Culture Secretary says he would 'rather be thrown into a pit of scorpions' than listen to one of Judith Weir's operas; . Winter Song. Based on a Sicilian folk tale, Miss Fortune has some of the elliptical angularity of Weir's successful A Night at the Chinese Opera (1987). Commissioned by the Bregenz Festival and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She held the post of Composer in Association for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra from 1995 to 1998. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2012. Judith Weir is a Honorary Patron for Sound and Music. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Katie Wong, Production Assistants 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. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Gabriel Francis-Dehqani, Double Bass I cannot find much to redeem Miss Fortune in its current form. By contrast, the premiere production (as often happens) seemed to be aiming at a left-field reimagining of a piece which no-one had yet seen. Serendipity, rather than the fate which clings to the protagonist of Judith Weir's Miss Fortune, led me to catch the last night of a double-cast spectacular at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.What a tonic to find a top-notch young cast and orchestra working their disciplined socks off for conductor Dominic Wheeler and director Martin Lloyd-Evans after the dog's dinner of English . Galleries. But I personally have been feeling thoroughly revived after GSMD's energy-giving version of my 2011 opera "Miss Fortune" which opened at the beginning of March. Still, Glowing. . It was a concept that worked well on paper, but the contrasting styles and libretti of Gian Carlo Menotti and Judith Weir one charming and unpretentious, the other angular and banal felt mismatched musically and made for an uneven night. It didnt help that the singing from Rossington and Valentine lacked clarity and I had to second guess some of their dialogue. Pedro Marques Emily Nellis, Stage Crew Judith Weir. Judith Weir (b1954 in Cambridge, England) first studied composition with a few lessons from John Tavener during her schooldays in London. BBC Philharmonic/David, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No 10, Mahler Symphony No 10 Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/van Zweden, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Age 14-25? The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . We remain indifferent to Miss Fortune (however persuasively sung by a red-wigged Emma Bell), her vulgar nouveau parents who lose their riches, the sharp-suited romantic interest, Simon (the lovely Jacques Imbrailo). The best in live events, streams, reviews and articles recommended by our editors, delivered to your inbox weekly. But Weir creates much variety of timbre and a fair degree of potency throughout. The role in Bregenz was taken up by the Prague Philharmonic Chorus, who gave touching performances while mastering illogical-looking English spellings like "rough" and "tough". Is there another way?" We might use this to show you more relevant content, We might use this to let you know about interesting events to attend near you, We might use this to address you personally in our newsletters. Two outstanding performances by young singers light up a splendidly crafted revival of Caurier and Leiser's colourful production. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? [13], The American premiere of Miss Fortune was originally planned in 2011 by the Santa Fe Opera to be a part of its 2014 season, but it was announced in the summer of 2012 that the opera was to be replaced by the North American premiere of Huang Ruo's Dr. Sun Yat-sen.[22]. This product includes GeoLite2 data created by MaxMind, available from, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Semyon Bychkov leads a musically superior, To add a comment, please sign in or register. Her most recent opera, Miss Fortune, which opened in 2012, was . See the CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Production Arts students. A recording of this production will be available to watch online for free after the performances. 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. What a waste of talent and resources. She has composed Concertos for Piano (William Howard) and Oboe (Celia Craig). Most hurtle down the chute at once, all limbs flailing, and plunge straight into the wheelie bin of oblivion. Kyra Coppini, Production Sound Engineers Judith Weir. Everything about Miss Fortune is benign and comfortable even Tom Pyes eye-catching geometric designs are thoroughly alienating, a garment sweatshop spotless and sanitised like the Royal Opera have re-deployed the spinning chorus from their last production of The Flying Dutchman. Sad to say but Judith Weir's sixth opera is an embarrassment. In July 2014 Judith Weir was appointed to the 395-year old royal post of Master of the Queens Music, in succession to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. [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. Aina Miyagi Magnell A chance lottery win enables her escape from poverty, and like all good fairy tales, she goes off into the sunset with the handsome prince, Jack Holton whose paean to a freshly laundered shirt made one of the few amusing moments. Its not standard opera house instrumentation - even with a grand piano and much percussion, relatively small string and woodwind sections leave a fair amount of space in the usually crammed orchestra pit. Judith Weir's opera is a story about Tina and how her life dramatically changes course overnight; it is a story about fate and fortune. The evening began with a compelling staging of Menottis frothy score, a romantic two-hander with music somewhere between Broadway and Italian verismo and first performed in the UK at the Aldwych Theatre in 1948. 559. 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. Judith Weirs orchestral music is drawn from a similarly vivid palette. WEI. Malena Benavent She has written orchestral music for the BBC Symphony, Boston Symphony and Minnesota Orchestras. 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. [11] In 2023, Weir was announced as one of the composers who would each create a brand new piece for the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. 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). Voices & Orchestra. Ema Cunha [12], Weir's musical language is fairly conservative, with a "knack of making simple musical ideas appear freshly mysterious". Judith Weir CBE is a British composer and Master of the Queen's Music. Judith Weir must be considered one of the most successful Britishoperacomposers since Britten, Get priority booking for outstanding performances & access to exclusive events, 2023 Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, See the CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Production Arts students, Production Arts teaching staff and technicians can be found on our website. Throughout the opera, in an impressive piece of singing, counter-tenor Andrew Watts sings a discordant overlay over the other music, reminding everyone that he is all-powerful and capricious. Even Fate (countertenor Andrew Watts), with his "cloud" of street dancers, is no more than a mildly creepy stalker. Last year's Bregenz staging, the work's world premiere, was an opportunity to take strong action. For Guildhall School performances please use the Guildhall School entrance on Silk Street. 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. Caroline Moores, Head of Recording & Audio Visual SELECTED WORKS BY shows" JUDITH WEIR "Weir is a creature of the theatre and it FINANCIAL TIMES. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London.
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