Commissioned by the Bregenz Festival and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Susan Jane Matthews, organ1929 Skinner OrganSt. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . 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. Sad to say but Judith Weir's sixth opera is an embarrassment. Despite the lively productions and well-defined characterisations, I was disappointed by the poor diction and overbearing orchestral support in Miss Fortune. Edit Now. For Barbican performances, enter through the mainBarbican Centre entrance in Silk Street. Judith Weir's most recent major work is her opera Miss Fortune, which received its first performances on July 21, 2011 at the Bregenz Festival, directed by Chen Shi-Zheng and designed by Tom Pye. Miss Fortune Operas. It was a co-commission between two big opera houses (Bregenz and the Royal Opera House) - and it will also have a new production in Santa Fe in a couple of years time. Indeed it has. Jos Hita Garca* Nonetheless, having written her own libretto as well as the music, she was easy prey. Silly and naive. Pedro Marques Ben Mills, Deputy Stage ManagerAndrea Stier Andersen, Assistant Stage Managers Despite the layoff since summer, the staging soon exuded a dance-like motion we hadn't seen before. In 2014-15 there were releases of The Vanishing Bridegroom (NMC) and Storm (BBC Singers/Signum). Benedict Swindells* Intimate reinvention: Guildhall School of Music & Drama reassesses Judith Weir's Miss Fortune in a double bill with Giancarlo Menotti's The Telephone, directed by Martin Lloyd-Evans, conducted by. A strong ROH2 schedule includes premieres by Scott Walker, Huw Watkins and Stuart MacRae in a season that will offer "fresh and interesting angles on the art form". 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. Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. Never should the final authority be taken away from the composer, but a question might stimulate a rethink. Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parents. Although she has achieved international recognition for her orchestral and chamber works, Weir is best known for her operas and theatrical works. Judith Weir is a Honorary Patron for Sound and Music. Register now, On sale to Guildhall Circle members Mon 29 Nov 10am. Silly and naive. 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. In 2014-15 there were releases of The Vanishing Bridegroom (NMC) and Storm (BBC Singers/Signum). During this time she began to write a series of operas (including King Haralds Saga, The Black Spider, A Night at the Chinese Opera, The Vanishing Bridegroom and Blond Eckbert) which have subsequently received many performances in the UK, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Called Miss Fortune, the story is about money, fate and fortune. Miss Fortune in name and deed. Published by Chester Music (HL.14035701). How come that trumpet B-flat sounded so great in the Austrian Alps, but in London was clearly a wrong note? She is the composer of several operas (written for Kent Opera, Scottish Opera, ENO and Bregenz) which have been widely performed. BBC Philharmonic/David, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No 10, Mahler Symphony No 10 Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/van Zweden, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Two outstanding performances by young singers light up a splendidly crafted revival of Caurier and Leiser's colourful production. 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. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Is there another way?" 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 contemporary events. Chester Music #MUSCH61126. Kosta Popovic Reonel Rafols Beri Valentine, Stage Management Props Supervisor Most hurtle down the chute at once, all limbs flailing, and plunge straight into the wheelie bin of oblivion. The language needs sharpening to show us that this is satire. 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. Expressive of face and voice this champagne-quaffing pair fulfilled their roles with suitable vulgarity. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Silk Street Weve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus. Archie Buchanan But when the once wealthy Tina (a self-consciously red-headed but vocally resolute Emma Bell) turns on Fate (a wasted Andrew Watts) and halfway through this short and pointless evening enquires: Was it you who turned my life upside down? we know weve come precisely nowhere very fast. Julia Bermingham, Staff Costume Supervisors . The four days of programmes ended with a first performance of her new commission, CONCRETE, a choral motet. Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. I hope that does not mean more trapeziums, please. In collaboration with director Margaret Williams, Weir has created several opera films, including Scipios Dream, Hello Dolly, and Armida. Justin Anderson 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. Charlotte Antingham She was a visiting distinguished research professor in composition at Cardiff University from 2006 to 2009. 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. Molly Hands, Assistant Carpenters Composer Judith Weir tells the story to her latest opera Miss Fortune at a recent Insights event at the Royal Opera House. Queasy chromatic scales rising and falling in the trombones is as close as we get to the dark happenings on the street. Albery's production allows the opera to speak for itself, although sluggish pacing in the pit detract from the musical merits of this revival. . Judith Weir's music is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. Still, Glowing. 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]. Theres usually plenty of hype surrounding a newly written opera performed at Covent Garden, but the carefully placed stories about Judith Weirs Miss Fortune are on the improbable end of the scale, featuring a flying kebab shop and a team of breakdancers. Where Weirs orchestral writing is full and rich, the vocal parts are for the most part agile and harsh. 1 / Symphonic Dances Philadelphia Orchestra/Nzet-Sguin, GRAMOPHONE Review: Nielsen Symphonies 1 & 3, 4 & 5 Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Luisi, GRAMOPHONE Review: Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements, Symphony in C etc. The best in live events, streams, reviews and articles recommended by our editors, delivered to your inbox weekly. As far as one could tell, Paul Daniel conducted a good performance. 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. Miku Yasukawa 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's Miss Fortune is an entertaining night out. Steven van der Linden Sad to say but Judith Weirs sixth opera is an embarrassment. In 2014 she was appointed . Hugo Haag, Cello [9], Weir is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. You can contact him from. 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. Judith Weir Biography Recordings Related Composers Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Presented byGuildhall School of Music & Drama. Opera; Full score; Chester Music; musicsalesclassical.com; 43308 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. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Miss Fortune . Gian Carlo Menotti The TelephoneLucy Segomotso Shupinyaneng, Ben Jonathan Eyers. Called Miss Fortune, the story is about money, fate and fortune. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Christian Morris talks to Judith Weir, whose new opera Miss Fortune will receive its UK premire on 12th March at the Royal Opera House. Two days after this premiere, the Royal Opera House announced the 2012/2013 new season and defended contemporary work as adventure, not measured by normal standards of success. We must question the ROH artistic management, perhaps caught in a transitional zone between the departure of Elaine Padmore and the arrival of Kasper Holten as director of opera. 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. 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". SELECTED WORKS BY shows" JUDITH WEIR "Weir is a creature of the theatre and it FINANCIAL TIMES. Yes, Tom Pye's design was beautiful, but stylised beyond the world of the circumstantial it could have accommodated any opera from Parsifal to Madama Butterfly. What you think of Miss Fortunes music will depend very much on personal tastes: I found it music to admire rather than to love. Music Sales America. 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. Judith Weir is brilliant at writing atmospheric, descriptive music, but such music needs something to hang on to, like flesh needs a skeleton (another image of Fate).This libretto is so weak, it's embarrassing. Tell us a little about the opera. Opera: Voices & Orchestra. In 2007, she was the third recipient of the Queen's Medal for Music. Even Fate (countertenor Andrew Watts), with his "cloud" of street dancers, is no more than a mildly creepy stalker. The UK premire of Miss Fortune is on March 12th at the Royal Opera House. Cludia Costa Gonalves, Ensembles, Programming & Instrument Manager Since a central theme of Miss Fortune is the big part accident and chance play in life, I wanted to write a role for Fate, who emerges from the shadows whenever events take a downward or upward turn, accompanied by his own personal cloud of chaos. 7 Bayerisches Staatsorchester/Petrenko, NOTES FROM LOCKDOWN: Nigel Lilley in Conversation, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal . Miss Fortune is Birtish composer Judith Weir's first operatic composisition in the last 17 years. Meanwhile, the Chorus are a vital presence, losing all their money in the opening scene, only to reappear in increasingly direr straits. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. 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. Interview by 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). Oliver Mears' new production of Britten's chamber opera is a visceral reflection on tyranny and sexual violence. It didnt help that the singing from Rossington and Valentine lacked clarity and I had to second guess some of their dialogue. 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. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian. Barbican Judith Weirs music has been widely recorded, particularly on the NMC and Delphian labels; and is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. For a full list of forthcoming and past performances visit the online calendar, You can view scores by Judith Weir online at her publisher's website or on Nkoda, To purchase sheet music on sale by Judith Weir ask your local retailer. Did it have to be this way? [7] She was appointed for a decade. . 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. [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. She has subsequently written one more "micro-opera", three full-length operas, and an opera for television. 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. Location 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). In this role she has written music for national and royal occasions, including the Queens 90th birthday celebrations and the UKs official commemoration of the 1918 Armistice. . 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. . R. 70. 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. Biography Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parents. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . Judith Weir - Miss Fortune [Achterbahn] (2011) - YouTube 0:00 / 1:23:43 Judith Weir - Miss Fortune [Achterbahn] (2011) 2,550 views Oct 17, 2015 Digital broadcast from BBC Radio 3 .more. Members do not pay booking fees. Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Its probably not a good idea to come to Miss Fortune looking either for deep meaning or for authentic folktale. I decided to use the tale as a basis for a new opera. Both portrayals were wonderfully convincing musically and dramatically, each singer having an easy stage presence and voices that hold the ear with roundness of tone and crystal-clear diction. To book tickets visit:. 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. It was a co-production with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London, and was written in English. Katie Wong, Production Assistants But I personally have been feeling thoroughly revived after. Noah Stewart on Miss Fortune - Interview 9,070 views Feb 22, 2012 American tenor Noah Stewart on his Royal Opera House debut role in Judith Weir's Miss Fortune. Alice Warburton Fate Kieron-Connor Valentine He is a musical omnivore interested in almost all types of music, but with a particular love of Italian opera. Secondly and crucially, Weir turns Fate into a very real and live person. ), full of truisms and clunky metaphors" and "about as streetwise as a visitor from Venus". Lord Fortune - Alan Ewing. Josh Law Our heroine is clad in a bright red dress - the Chinese colour for luck - which makes her a constant point of focus through the action. Did the huge generic trapezium in the middle of the stage represent the dizzying moral precipice over which we mortals all too often hurl ourselves, especially in the name of making opera? Julia Sanchez Merino When the curtain rose on the UK premiere of Judith Weir's. Continue using the site as normal or read our 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. Manon Ogwen Parry Tina, their daughter Erin Gwyn Rossington (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Cleo Lee McGowan (2 & 7 Mar) Views: 5 180. The once-rich little heroine, dogged by cruel Fate, becomes a low-wage earner cue sweatshops, ironing boards, an imploding fast-food van. Plan your journey and find more route information in Your Visit or book your car parking space in advance. Judith Weir Net Worth & Basic source of earning is being a successful British Musician. Subscribe to our newsletters to hear about upcoming events. A short 90 minutes of music later, Im still not entirely sure what it is Ive just seen. Judith Weir is a Honorary Patron for Sound and Music. Phil Sizer, Staff Production Manager Miss Fortune is a reinvention of a Sicilian folk tale in which the comfortable life of Tina (Erin Gwyn Rossington), the wealthy daughter of Lord and Lady Fortune (Jacob Harrison and Amy Holyland), nosedives after a financial catastrophe. 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. Bogdan Skrypka The result is closer to a classical myth in which the central message is that theres no point arguing with the gods. 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. A first performance of a new opera is the start of a precipitous journey. Popularly known as the Musician of United Kingdom. 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. A full list of Production Arts teaching staff and technicians can be found on our website. 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. Her struggles are closely shadowed by Fate sung by counter-tenor Kieron-Connor Valentine. 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. [2] See something missing? 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. The composer Judith Weir wrote the opening work for last year's Proms. 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). Tiago Costa She has a large catalogue of performed works to her name, which will silence any who doubt her considerable gifts, especially vocal. Violin I Tina's wealthy family lose all their possessions overnight and she is thrown into a life of poverty. Above all, I felt justified in having written the opera in the first place. 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 Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Weir is far from incapable of working on a large canvas, but Miss Fortune is surely a chamber opera. Judith Weir CBE (born 1954) is a British composer and the first female Master of the Queen's Music. Winter Song. And yet the characters are archetypes who grovel in the dirt of clich. Aina Miyagi Magnell Miss Fortune moved to London in March 2012, garnering at least two negative reviews. Luna De Mol, Violin II Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Leif Tse, Repetiteurs What a waste of talent and resources. The once-rich little heroine, dogged by cruel Fate,. Judith Weir CBE (born 1954) [1] is a British composer and the first female Master of the Queen's Music. I was aiming to write an urban folk tale that reminded me of everyday life, colliding with the grandeur of opera. Joana Praa* Hoodies and drug dealing delineate subsequent reversal of fortune for Tina whose seamstress colleagues (vocally in fine fettle) provided an opportunity for some highly effective choreography. In a face-off between Gabriele Viviani's Scarpia and Malin Bystrms Tosca in this solid revival of Jonathan Kent's 2006 production, there could only be one winner. Hassan - Noah Stewart In January 2008, over fifty of her works were performed during 'Telling The Tale', a three-day retrospective of her music, hosted by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, London. OPERA NEWS, COMMENTARY, AND REVIEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. Everyone is meaner, more downcast, more jubilant. [10] In 2018 she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 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. And the greatest irony of all - Miss Fortune wins the lottery. Judith Weir CBE is a British composer and Master of the Queen's Music. 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. 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. From 1995 to 2000, she was Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival in London. Joshua Saunders a reference to Mozart's great scene where people on a beach are menaced by a sea monster. Whilst there is nothing especially laudable . Miss Fortune (band), an American band Miss Fortune (album), a 2002 album by Allison Moorer Miss Fortune, an opera composed by Judith Weir "Miss Fortune", an episode of Ghost Whisperer "Miss Fortune", a song from the album Distance Inbetween by The Coral Miss Fortune, a character from the video game League of Legends See also [ edit]