Welsh National Opera (WNO) () is an opera company based in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, Wales. WNO gave its first performances in 1946. The company began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its early days, the company gave a single week's annual season in Cardiff, gradually extending its schedule to become an all-year-round operation, with its own salaried chorus and orchestra. It has been described by ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' as "one of the finest operatic ensembles in Europe".
[
For most of its existence the company lacked a permanent base in Cardiff, but in 2004 it moved into the new Wales Millennium Centre, ]Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...
. The company tours nationally and internationally, giving more than 120 performances annually, with a repertoire of eight operas each year, to a combined audience of more than 150,000 people. Its most frequent venues other than Cardiff are Llandudno
Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 UK census, the community � ...
in Wales and Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, Birmingham, Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
, Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
, and Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
in England.
Singers who have been associated with the company include Geraint Evans, Thomas Allen, Anne Evans, and Bryn Terfel. Guest artists from other countries have included Joan Hammond, Tito Gobbi and Elisabeth Söderström. Among the conductors have been Sir Charles Mackerras, Reginald Goodall, James Levine
James Lawrence Levine ( ; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March ...
and Pierre Boulez
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music.
Born in Montb ...
. The company has been led by Aidan Lang as its General Director since 2019.
Background
Choral singing became increasingly popular in 19th-century Wales, principally owing to the rise of the eisteddfod as a symbol of its culture. The first Welsh National Opera Company was formed in 1890. A local newspaper commented that it was remarkable that "a race of people to whom vocal music is a ruling passion should not generations ago have established a permanent national opera".["Welsh National Opera", ''Merthyr Times'', 21 May 1897, p. 3] The company gave performances of operas by the Welsh composer Joseph Parry in Cardiff and on tour in Wales. The company, predominantly amateur with some professional guest singers from the London stage, gave numerous performances of Parry's '' Blodwen'' and ''Arienwen'', composed in 1878 and 1890 respectively.[ An American tour was planned, but the company folded, and Parry's final opera, ''The Maid of Cefn Ydfa'', was given at Cardiff by the Moody-Manners Opera Company in 1902.
A Cardiff Grand Opera Society ran from 1924 to 1934.][Griffel, p. xvii] It presented week-long annual seasons of popular operas including '' Faust'', ''Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
'' and '' Il trovatore'', and like its predecessor was mainly an amateur body, with professional guest principals. Apart from the productions of these two enterprises, opera in Wales in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was generally presented by visiting companies from England.[
In the 1930s Idloes Owen, a singing teacher and conductor, ran an amateur choir, the Lyrian Singers, based in Cardiff. In November 1941, together with John Morgan – a former Carl Rosa baritone – and Morgan's fiancée Helena Hughes Brown, Owen agreed to found the Lyrian Grand Opera Company, with Brown as secretary and Owen as conductor and general manager. They publicised their plan and held a general meeting of potential supporters in December 1943; at that meeting the name of the proposed organisation was changed to "Welsh National Opera Company". By January 1944 plans were far enough advanced for the company's first rehearsals to be held. Owen recruited a local businessman, W. H. (Bill) Smith (1894–1968), who agreed to serve as business manager. At first doubtful of the company's prospects, Smith became its dominant influence, leading fund-raiser, and chairman for twenty years from 1948.
]
Early years
The new company made its debut at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff on 15 April 1946 with a double bill of '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci
''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...
''. The orchestra was professional, mostly drawn from members of the BBC Welsh Orchestra; all the singers were amateurs, except for Tudor Davies, a tenor
A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
well known at Covent Garden and Sadler's Wells, who sang Canio in ''Pagliacci''.[Fawkes, p. 8] During the week-long season the new company also staged ''Faust'', with Davies in the title role. Although nearing the end of his career he was a considerable box-office draw, and the company played to full houses.[ Nevertheless, the expense of a professional orchestra and the hire of costumes and scenery outweighed the box-office receipts, and the season made a small loss. Finance remained a recurring problem over the succeeding decades.
Although Owen was the conductor for the performances of ''Cavalliera rusticana'', and remained as musical director of the company until 1952, his health was fragile and he conducted none of the company's other productions. His colleague, the chorus master, Ivor John, was in charge of the first season's ''Pagliacci'' and ''Faust''.
In 1948 the organisation was registered as a ]limited company
In a limited company, the Legal liability, liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a c ...
, and the Cardiff season was extended from one week to two.[ The following year the company gave its first performances in ]Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
. The chorus featured 120 performers by this time.[
The company's first few seasons attracted little attention from the British musical establishment, but by the early 1950s London papers began to take notice. '' Picture Post'' hailed the WNO's chorus as the finest in Britain. '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' also praised the chorus: "It has body, lightness, rhythmic precision, and, most welcome of all, unflagging and spontaneous freshness."["Opera in Wales: National Company's Fine Achievement", ''The Times'', 22 May 1950, p. 6] By this time the company had expanded its repertoire to take in ''Carmen'', '' La traviata'', '' Madame Butterfly'', '' The Tales of Hoffmann'', '' The Bartered Bride'' and '' Die Fledermaus''.[ ''The Times'' commented that Smith, Owen and their colleagues were "making history for Wales. The shackles of puritanism, which had kept this country from an art-form perfectly suited to its national talents and predilections (for histrionics and dressing-up are as natural to the Welsh as singing) had been broken for ever".][
]
Consolidating: 1950s and 60s
In 1952 the company moved its Cardiff venue to the Sophia Gardens Pavilion (built for the Festival of Britain), with the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra as the company's orchestra, replacing the previous ad hoc ensemble.[Forbes ''et al'', p. 8] The Pavilion was acoustically mediocre and lacked an orchestra pit;["Welsh National Opera", ''The Times'', 10 October 1952, p. 2] two years later the company moved again, to the New Theatre where it played Cardiff seasons across the next fifty years. The 1952 season attracted particular interest because it included what was then a rarity: Verdi's '' Nabucco''.[ The company built a reputation for staging seldom-seen Verdi works, including '' The Sicilian Vespers'' staged in the same year, '' I Lombardi'' in 1956, and '' The Battle of Legnano'', under the shortened title ''The Battle'', in 1960.][Fawkes, p. 283] The 1952 ''Nabucco'' was the WNO's first production for which costumes and scenery were specially designed (by Patrick Robertson) rather than hired.[Fawkes, p. 280]
In 1953 the company staged its first work by a Welsh composer: ''Menna'' by Arwel Hughes.[ The composer conducted, and the leads were sung by two professional guest stars, Richard Lewis and Elsie Morison. The same year marked WNO's first appearances outside Wales, playing a week at ]Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
in April,[Opera Performances"]
''The Musical Times'', June 1953, p. 275 and a week at Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
in October, when '' The Manchester Guardian'' found the soloists first-rate but the chorus disappointing, in both ''Nabucco'' and ''Il trovatore''. A reviewer in ''The Musical Times
''The Musical Times'' was an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom.
It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainzer's Musical Times and Singing Circular'', but in 1844 he sold it to Alfr ...
'' commented on potential difficulties in assembling the wholly amateur chorus for performances beyond daily travelling range of their day jobs.[ By the time of the company's first London season – a week at Sadler's Wells in 1955 – the chorus was judged to be "lively and exciting" (''The Musical Times''), "vibrant" and "moving" (''The Times'') and "joyous" ('' The Manchester Guardian''). The second season at Sadler's Wells in the summer of 1956, included productions of Nabucco, I Lombardi and Lohengrin, achieving rave reviews. Kenneth Loveland of the South Wales Argus wrote a glowing piece under his byline 'Stroller' "Tonight, amongst working-class streets of the Angel, Islington, I was privileged to witness a body of men and women doing more for Wales than all your sounding harps...or tub thumping politicians".
]
By the mid-1950s professional singers were cast in leading roles in most productions; they included Walter Midgley in '' Tosca'' and ''La bohème
''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...
'' (1955),[Fawkes, p. 281] Raimund Herincx in '' Mefistofele'' (1957),[ Heather Harper in ''La traviata'' (1957),][Fawkes, p. 282] and Joan Hammond in ''Madame Butterfly'' (1958).[ A possibility of strengthening the professional element of the company was mooted in 1958, when a merger was proposed with the Carl Rosa Company, which was in financial difficulties. The proposal was not followed through and WNO continued independently while the Carl Rosa folded.
During the 1960s the company continued to widen its range. Its first Wagner production, '' Lohengrin'', and its first Mozart, '']The Marriage of Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...
'', were both performed in 1962, conducted by Charles Groves. Another Welsh opera, Hughes's ''Serch yw'r Doctor'' ("Love, the Doctor") was staged in 1960.[ The popular Italian repertoire remained the core of the annual seasons, mostly directed by the head of production, John Moody.][ Leading roles were taken by rising stars such as John Shirley-Quirk, Gwyneth Jones, Thomas Allen, Josephine Barstow and Margaret Price, the last of whom made her operatic debut with the company in 1962. Established singers guesting with the company included Geraint Evans who played the title role in '' Don Pasquale'' in 1966, and Ian Wallace in the same part the following year. Evans was also seen as Leporello in '']Don Giovanni
''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
'' in 1966 and as Falstaff in 1969.
The gradual switch from amateur to professional continued in 1968, when for the first time the chorus was supplemented by a smaller, professional group of singers; the mix of amateur and professional choristers continued over the next five years.[Boyd, Malcolm]
"Cardiff"
'' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press, retrieved 26 February 2016 At the end of the 1960s the main WNO company, now a year-round operation, consisted of 8 salaried principal singers, 57 guest soloists and a chorus of 90 amateurs and 32 professionals. As well as the Bournemouth players, the company engaged the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony and Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
orchestras for different venues. In the last season of the decade 32 performances were given in Cardiff and 61 elsewhere in the UK.[Goodman and Harewood, p. 16] In addition to the main company, WNO maintained two smaller groups: one, with orchestra, toured Welsh towns, the other, consisting of 12 singers with piano, toured 79, mostly small, towns in Wales and England. WNO instituted its own training scheme for young singers during the decade.[
]
Fully professional: 1970s
In 1970 WNO stopped using the Bournemouth and other orchestras and established its own, known at first as the Welsh Philharmonia. Three years later the last amateur element of the company was removed when the chorus became fully professional.[ A further broadening of the repertoire took place in the 1970s: in 1971 WNO staged the first performances in Britain of Berg's '']Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...
'', directed by Michael Geliot, who had succeeded Moody in 1969. In the view of Malcolm Boyd in '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Geliot, "unpredictable and often controversial", largely shaped the company's style in the 1970s.[ In collaboration with the company's musical director James Lockhart, Geliot is credited by ''The Times'' with introducing new young singers and "directing a host of groundbreaking productions" before leaving in 1978. The critic Rodney Milnes wrote in 1975 about WNO's productions:
In 1973 Geliot's WNO staging of Britten's '' Billy Budd'' with Allen in the title role was presented on a Swiss tour, and two years later it was given in ]Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.[Forbes ''et al'', p. 14] The company returned to London with its participation in the Amoco Festival of Opera at the Dominion Theatre in 1979, presenting '' The Makropoulos Case'', '' The Magic Flute'', ''Ernani
''Ernani'' is an operatic ''dramma lirico'' in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the 1830 play ''Hernani (drama), Hernani'' by Victor Hugo.
Verdi was commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice in Ve ...
'', ''Madame Butterfly'', and '' Tristan and Isolde'' to capacity audiences.
The company's traditional preference for the Italian repertoire was partly redressed during the decade: productions include WNO's first staging of a Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
opera, '' Elektra'', in 1978. A new Welsh work, Alun Hoddinott's ''The Beach of Falesá'', was presented in 1974.[ In 1975, in co-production with Scottish Opera, WNO began a cycle of Janáček operas, directed by David Pountney. Beginning with '' Jenůfa'', the cycle continued with ''The Makropoulos Case'' (1978), '' The Cunning Little Vixen'' (1980), '' Kátya Kabanová'' (1982) and '' From the House of the Dead'' (1982).
Among the guest artists who appeared with the company in the 1970s were the ]baritone
A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...
Tito Gobbi, as Falstaff (1972), the soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
s Elisabeth Söderström as Emilia in ''The Makropoulos Case'' (1978) and Anne Evans as Senta in '' The Flying Dutchman'' (1972), and the conductors James Levine
James Lawrence Levine ( ; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March ...
('' Aida'', 1970) and Reginald Goodall (''Tristan and Isolde'', 1979).
In the late 1970s WNO combined with the Cardiff-based Welsh Drama Company, becoming the Welsh National Opera and Drama Company. The work of the drama company came under continued criticism, the Welsh Arts Council cut its grant, and the partnership ended in 1979 with the formal closure of the Welsh Drama Company.["National Library of Wales: Welsh National Opera Records"]
Archives Wales, retrieved 28 February 2016
1980s
During the 1980s WNO continued to expand in scope. Handel ('' Rodelinda'', 1981) and Martinů ('' The Greek Passion'', 1981) were added to the company's repertoire, and in 1983 ''Das Rheingold
''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86A, is the first of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nib ...
'' was staged in the WNO's first '' Ring'' cycle, followed by the other three operas of the cycle over the next two years. ''Das Rheingold'', '' Siegfried'' and ''Götterdämmerung
' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...
'' were conducted by the company's musical director, Richard Armstrong; '' Die Walküre'' (1984) was conducted by Goodall; it was seen as a coup for the company to secure his services – he was described by ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' as the greatest living Wagnerian conductor[Sutcliffe, Tom]
"The return of the Ring-master"
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', 20 February 1984, p. 9 – but the casting of the whole cycle was criticised for some serious weaknesses among the principal singers, and reviewers were generally unimpressed by Göran Järvefelt's production.[
The chief executive, Brian McMaster, did not appoint a replacement to Geliot as principal director during the 1980s, preferring to engage guest producers. Boyd mentions Andrei Serban's '']Eugene Onegin
''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...
'' (1980) among the successes and Lucian Pintilie's ''Carmen'' (1983) and Ruth Berghaus's ''Don Giovanni'' (1984) as productions that received more mixed responses.[ Sir Charles Mackerras, the conductor for ''Don Giovanni'', was open in his contempt for Berghaus's production. Harry Kupfer's '']Fidelio
''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...
'' (1981) was condemned by ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' as "a piece of Marxist polemic" making "political sport" of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
's work. McMaster was thought by some too inclined to favour radical eastern European directors: Jonathan Miller
Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...
, a leading English director, commented that he did not intend to take Bulgarian nationality, although it was "a must before Brian pays any attention".
Armstrong stepped down in 1986 after thirteen years as musical director; he was succeeded by Mackerras, whose association with the company dated back more than thirty years. Among the features of his six-year tenure was an increasing use of surtitles for performances not given in English. In the company's early days, all operas had been sung in English, but as more international stars began to appear as guest principals the language policy had to be reconsidered: few of the leading names in world opera were interested in relearning their roles in English. WNO steered a middle course between the practices of the two main London companies; after the 1960s The Royal Opera had generally given operas in the original language, and English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
was committed to opera in English. WNO's practice varied, after its early years. Examples from the 1980s include Wagner's ''Tristan und Isolde'' sung in German, and the ''Ring'' in English; and Verdi's '' The Force of Destiny'' given in English and ''Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...
'' in Italian. Mackerras was a strong advocate of performance in the original language, with surtitles: "I can't imagine a greater advance for opera. … What a gift! It's like Siegfried understanding the woodbird."
1990s
McMaster resigned in 1991, having led the company to international status, with performances at La Scala, Milan; the Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
, New York; and in Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
.[Atkinson, p. 16] One of the last legacies of his tenure was the 1992 production of Debussy
Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...
's '' Pelléas et Mélisande'', directed by Peter Stein and conducted by Pierre Boulez
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music.
Born in Montb ...
. ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called WNO "one of the finest operatic ensembles in Europe" and noted that the first night of the Debussy work, in Cardiff, "attracted 80 critics from all over the United Kingdom and the Continent ... the most prestigious, intensely awaited event of the British operatic season."[ Rockwell, John]
"Boulez and Stein Stage ''Pelleas'' With Modern Nuances in Wales"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', 24 February 1992 The production was given at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, a few weeks afterwards.
McMaster was followed as chief executive by Matthew Epstein, whose three years in charge (1991–94) were described in a 2006 study by Paul Atkinson as "a less happy and less successful period".[ Epstein was replaced by Anthony Freud, under whom, according to Atkinson, productions became "consistently strong, musically well prepared, intelligently staged and well cast."][ Mackerras was succeeded in 1992 by Carlo Rizzi, who was music director at the time of WNO's ]golden jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...
in 1996. When the occasion was marked with a new production of the "''Cav and Pag''" double bill that had launched the company in 1946, the BBC commented that WNO was "one of the most respected opera companies in the world". In ''The Observer'', Michael Ratcliffe called the company "the most popular, populist and consistently successful arts organisation ever to come out of Wales ... with the loyalty and affection of audiences in Cardiff and across England … 'The people's opera' is not a myth. It happened here."[Ratcliffe, Michael]
"Phantom at Welsh opera's birthday feast"
''The Observer '', 17 March 1996. p. C10 The jubilee celebrations were overshadowed by the collapse of a plan for a purpose-built home for the company, the Cardiff Bay Opera House.[
During the 1990s WNO made its Proms debut, with a complete performance of Mozart's '' Idomeneo'', conducted by Mackerras in 1991. The company played three short seasons at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in the mid-1990s, featuring ''Tristan und Isolde'' and '' La favorita'' in 1993, '' The Yeomen of the Guard'' in 1995, and '' The Rake's Progress'' and the jubilee double bill of ''Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' in 1996. In 1996 WNO commissioned Sir Peter Maxwell Davies to write an opera for the occasion of the company's 50th anniversary. The resulting opera was The Doctor of Myddfai, whose libretto written by David Pountney and included Welsh-language songs, based on a 12th-century folk tale. It premiered on 10 July 1996 at the North Wales Theatre in Llandudno with following performances in 1996. It was designed by Sue Huntley and Donna Muir.
]
21st century
The company entered the new millennium in a state of some turmoil. A financial crisis had led to redundancies in the orchestra and the curtailment of the touring schedule; the conservative works chosen for 2001–02 were condemned by the press as "the dullest programme in recent memory"; and Rizzi was about to be replaced by a young and untried successor, Tugan Sokhiev
Tugan Taymurazovich Sokhiev (; ; born 21 October 1977, Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetian ASSR) is a Russian conductor.
Biography
Sokhiev began piano studies at age 7. He first conducted at age 17, inspired by Anatoly Briskin, the conductor of the ...
. Rizzi had gained great respect and affection during his nine-year term as musical director; his successor's reign was brief and unhappy. Having taken up post in 2003, Sohkiev resigned precipitately the following year. Rizzi agreed to reorganise his schedule, and, to public and critical acclaim, returned to the musical directorship in time to prepare the company for its long-awaited move into a permanent base in Cardiff.
After the collapse of the Cardiff Bay Opera House scheme, a new project, the Wales Millennium Centre, met with more success. The necessary consents and funding were obtained, and work began in 2002 on a new multipurpose arts centre on the Cardiff Bay site. The centre included a 1,900-seat theatre, which, among other uses, became WNO's home base from 2004, with its own rehearsal space and offices in the complex.
In the first decade of the 21st century WNO gave more than 120 performances a year, with a repertoire, generally, of eight full-scale operas. Its regular audience figures totalled over 150,000 annually, in ten principal venues, three of them in Wales and seven in England.[Shipton, Martin]
" WNO is accused of simply not being Welsh enough"
'' Western Mail'', 8 July 2009 During this period the company was criticised for being insufficiently Welsh. A local politician, Adam Price, said that WNO ought to have a Welsh musical director; Alun Hoddinott said in 2004, "WNO has put on perhaps four or five Welsh operas over 20 years. ... They just seem to have an anti-Welsh music bias. I am sad that they do not do something for Welsh composers, especially young ones."[ A more positive view of WNO came from Scotland, where the two main newspapers, '']The Scotsman
''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
'' and '' The Herald'', greeted a visit from the company in 2005 with enthusiastic praise, contrasting the flourishing of opera in Wales with its neglect by politicians in Scotland and the consequent decline of Scottish Opera. In 2010 WNO commissioned ''Gair ar Gnawd'' ("Word on Flesh"), by Pwyll ap Siôn and Menna Elfyn, with words in Welsh, described as "a contemporary story about Wales today ... inspired by the translation of the Bible".
From 2006 to 2011, the chief executive (titled "artistic director") was John Fisher. His term overlapped with that of Lothar Koenigs, who was music director from 2009 to 2016. A highlight of this period was the 2010 production of '' Die Meistersinger'', produced by Richard Jones, with Bryn Terfel as Hans Sachs.
In 2011, David Pountney was appointed to succeed Fisher as chief executive. He had worked with the company since the 1970s, most recently on a 2006 ''The Flying Dutchman'' with Terfel which was set in space. In 2013 he programmed a trilogy of operas set in Tudor England: Donizetti's '' Anna Bolena'', '' Maria Stuarda'' and '' Roberto Devereux'', with another trilogy the following year, on the theme of fallen women – Puccini's '' Manon Lescaut'', Henze's '' Boulevard Solitude'' and Verdi's ''La traviata''. For 2016 Pountney scheduled another trilogy, this time on the theme of Figaro, consisting of Mozart's ''The Marriage of Figaro'' and Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...
'' and a new work, '' Figaro Gets a Divorce'' with music by Elena Langer and libretto by Pountney.
In September 2015, WNO announced the appointment of Tomáš Hanus as its next music director, taking office for the 2016–17 season. Simultaneously, Carlo Rizzi was named the company's conductor laureate, with immediate effect. From 2019 to 2023, Aidan Lang was general director of the company. In December 2023, WNO announced the appointment of Christopher Barron as interim general director, effective January 2024. Barron is scheduled to remain in the post through September 2024. In July 2024, WNO announced the appointments of Adele Thomas and Sarah Crabtree as joint holders of the posts of general director and chief executive officer, effective January 2025.
Recordings
Although the chorus and orchestra of Welsh National Opera have appeared on many commercial recordings, often featuring regular WNO soloists, there have been few sets, either audio or video, of the company's own productions. Among those are ''Tristan und Isolde'' conducted by Goodall (1981),[Stuart, Philip]
''Decca Classical, 1929–2009''
retrieved 29 February 2016 ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' conducted by Boulez (1992), ''The Yeomen of the Guard'', conducted by Mackerras (1995), ''The Doctor of Myddfai'' conducted by Armstrong (1998), and '' Ariodante'' conducted by Ivor Bolton, directed by David Alden (1999). The BBC made a studio video recording of a WNO cast in '' Katya Kabanova'', conducted by Armstrong in 1982.
The WNO chorus and orchestra have been engaged for studio opera recordings unconnected with the company's productions, including ''Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' (1983), '' Norma'' (1984), ''Anna Bolena'' (1987), ''Ernani'' (1987) and '' Adriana Lecouvreur'' (1988) conducted by Richard Bonynge,[ ''Faust'' (1993) and ''Katya Kabanova'' (1994) conducted by Rizzi; and '' Gloriana'' (1993), ''Eugene Onegin'' (1994) and ''Jenůfa'' (2004) conducted by Mackerras.][ For the WNO jubilee in 1996, Decca drew on some of its studio recordings for a celebratory CD set with contributions from many soloists who had appeared onstage with the company and some who had not, the latter including ]Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s to the 1980s.
She possessed a voice ...
, Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé
María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), also known as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch), was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos ...
and Thomas Hampson. The orchestra of WNO has made studio recordings of non-operatic music by Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
, Delius, Coleridge-Taylor and George Lloyd, and several sets of traditional Welsh songs and crossover music
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audiences. This can be seen, for example, when a song appears on two or more of the record charts, which track differing musical styles or genres.
I ...
.["Welsh National Opera"]
World Cat, retrieved 29 February 2016
Music directors
* Idloes Owen (1943–1952)
* Leo Quayle (1952–1953)
*Frederick Behrend (1953–1955)
* Vilém Tauský (1955)
* Warwick Braithwaite (1956–1961)
* Charles Groves (1961–1963)
* Bryan Balkwill (1963–1966)
* James Lockhart (1968–1973)
* Richard Armstrong (1973–1986)
* Sir Charles Mackerras (1987–1992)
* Carlo Rizzi (1992–2001)
* Tugan Sokhiev
Tugan Taymurazovich Sokhiev (; ; born 21 October 1977, Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetian ASSR) is a Russian conductor.
Biography
Sokhiev began piano studies at age 7. He first conducted at age 17, inspired by Anatoly Briskin, the conductor of the ...
(2003–2004)
* Carlo Rizzi (2004–2007)
* Lothar Koenigs (2009–2016)
* Tomáš Hanus (2016–present)
::Source: ''Oxford Dictionary of Music'' (1943–2009) and WNO (2009–16).
Awards
Welsh National Opera has been nominated for, or won nearly every UK opera prize, including winning the Olivier Award in 1998 and in 1999. The Royal Philharmonic Society awarded its Music Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera in 1999, 2000 and 2001, giving the company the distinction as the only arts organisation to have won the Award for three consecutive years. WNO's production of '' Pelléas and Mélisande'' (1992) won the International Classical Music Awards. Phyllida Lloyd's production of Poulenc's ''The Carmelites'' for WNO won the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera in 1999, winning jointly with ENO as co-producers. The production of ''The Coronation of Poppea'' in 1997 by David Alden won WNO more awards than any other production: winning, the Evening Standard Award, the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Barclays Theatre Awards.
Patrons
In 1982, WNO gained its first patron in Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...
. As patron she attended many gala concerts in New Theatre, Cardiff; Dominion Theatre, London; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York and in 1984 she opened the new purpose-built headquarters, Princess of Wales Building in John Street, Cardiff. Her attendance at a performance by WNO in New York in 1989 caused much excitement and for road repairs to be immediately carried out. Their visit was seen in an episode of episode 10 'War', series 4 of ''The Crown''.
When in 1996 Princess Diana resigned as patron, WNO welcomed HRH Charles Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
as their new patron.
See also
* '' After Aida''
* List of opera houses
* Lists of opera companies
Notes, references and sources
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
*
Wales Millennium Centre: Home to WNO
Welsh National Opera Theatre Breaks
by Bruce Duffie. Wagner News, February 1982.
{{Authority control
Economy of Cardiff
British opera companies
Music in Cardiff
Theatre companies in Wales
Classical music in Wales
Organisations based in Cardiff
Musical groups established in 1943
Companies based in Cardiff
1943 establishments in Wales