(4 / 5)

What happens when time runs out?  Panic, terror, fatalism?  Or resignation and even hope that a new beginning will bring better things?

After two years when many of us have felt the sorrow of lost time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and ironically why this production has been delayed until now, Violet is both a timely and poignant reflection on the meaning of time and the feelings that it engenders. 

The work centres around three main characters – Violet (Anna Dennis), a depressed wife who hates the predictability of life in their town.  People rise, make bread and open their doors at exactly the same time each day. Nothing even changes, and Violet feels stultified by it.  Her husband, Felix (Richard Burkhard) exerts control over Violet, and is disturbed by the changes that he observes in his wife.  Their anxious housekeeper Laura (Frances Gregory) carries out her daily routine with an increasing sense of dread and terror. 

The action takes place around a table set with incongruous items of food and drink, a still life depicting an unspecified time and place. The characters’ dress does little to ground us either – Felix in modern dress, Laura in period clothing and Violet in an Alice in Wonderland-type outfit, complete with pigtails and bows. Violet is the first to notice that time is – literally – running out. The town loses one hour a day, and this process does not stop until there is no time left.  There are no hours left in the day. Felix and Laura collapse into panic and terror, witnessing the destruction of life around them, but depressed Violet is enlivened by events, sensing that a new beginning might just be possible. And at least something different is happening.

Co-produced by Music Theatre Wales and Britten Pears and directed by Jude Christian, it’s a short piece, running to just 85 minutes,.  As such, every word and note must earn its place, there is no room for any superfluous material.  Alice Birch uses language to great effect here and, coupled with Tom Coult’s haunting and poignant score, the overall effect is of a precarious balancing act between fear and a tiny amount of hope.  The soprano of Anna Dennis perfectly captures single words (“Yes”, “No”, “Time”) with alarming disquiet. Richard Burkhard provides a few moments of levity through his well-placed dialogue and voice. Frances Gregory and Andrew MacKenzie Wicks give assured performances as the housekeeper and the clock keeper.

Mention must be made of the London Sinfonietta, conducted by Andrew Gourlay. The 14 players execute the terse score beautifully, and the dexterity of the percussionist in particular, who handles an array of instruments with great aplomb, moving his score around with him, is to be admired.  Together with additional electronic sound effects, the sense of time running out is always palpable and very real.

What to make of the ending?  Is this a new world, with no humans left?  Whatever is happening in this place, time remains central.  But it is now marked by a digital clock, and the opera ends with the display ticking round to just after midnight.  So is there hope …. after all?

(4 / 5)

Traditionally, the genre of opera has been viewed as an art from for a high class of people. They are usually expressed as one of the classical languages with superfluous drama and extremely ornate vocal trills. The venues they are hosted in were at one time the most extravagant stages with ticket prices being a reflection of the expensive atmosphere and often would out price people from visiting more.

I have to admit that my own personal journey with this genre did get off to a fairly rocky start. When I was a lot younger, I attended a showcase in a local music and drama college where the students showed off their talents entirely in the language of Latin. Not being able to understand the lyrics and the extravagance wasn’t something, at the time, that young me personally enjoyed. It was only in later life when I was older that the true spectrum of this art form was realised for me and I could see that opera can in fact be accessible to the everyday person! In its most general definition opera is simply a production that contains no dialogue and so every moment of communication is expressed through music/song. While it’s important that we respect the heritage of this prestigious art form, we also need to make sure that the next generation are interested in opera otherwise it will quickly die out.

Violet is a brand new opera staged by Music Theatre Wales at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff it aims to destigmatise opera by making it truly relatable and accessible to the majority of people. The majority of this show is set within the confines of a standard village and specifically within a family’s kitchen. Within this home, we meet a four key characters who entertain, serve and communicate with one another as any normal network of people would do. Having the show set mostly in one single location not only makes the show easier to stage from a production standpoint but also means that people do not have to suspend their disbelief during the transitions to and from scenes which from experience can really take an audience out of the universe the team have worked so hard to create. I personally found myself being dragged into the narrative of the play with every passing moment creating tension, as if I too was coming closer and closer to the end of time.

The focus of an audience-friendly show, I believe, has to come directly from the creative team working on this project and on the night I was lucky enough to attend an interview with some of them prior to the show. Before the show, itself started audience members were treated to an intimate event with the composer of the show Tom Coult who talked about the concept of the show and the process involved in getting this production to the Sherman stage. Tom and Michael McCarthy , Director of Music Theatre Wales stood at the front of the seating area of the auditorium where the former was asked a series of questions to help the audience become more familiar with the show, which was not only very interesting to learn about but also helped reduce the period of confusion that occurs at the beginning of any new show.

The premise of Violet is the idea that at the end of every day, an hour is accumulatively removed from the day. On day one there are only twenty-three hours in a day, day five only has nineteen, day twelve only has twelve hours and so on. This idea is clearly displayed throughout the production with the inclusion of an almost doomsday style clock situated to the side of the scenes within the play. The first character we meet is aptly called Violet who is played in this production by the wonderfully talented Anna Dennis. Violet starts the show in a severe state of depression and is the only person to notice the disappearing hours in the day. It is only towards the latter part of the story when Violet discovers a passion for making every moment count and decides to live life to its fullest. The character is portrayed by Anna is a rather unique way in the sense that she is almost child-like, very eccentric and sporadic throughout despite the impending end of time. The moment when the other villages discover the doomsday countdown, Violet is distracted by the bread she made and yearns for jam followed by a walk outside. Going into the show this was not how I expected the titular character to react but the clear influence of mental health and the trauma she has experienced helps to justify this at times unusual behaviour. The vocal aspect of this character was absolutely incredible with Anna delivering numerous delightful tunes throughout and showcasing her musical range with some ridiculous impressive notes being vocalised flawlessly. Due to the vocal requirements of opera, this character was forced to contort her mouth in such ways to be in order to deliver to more complex sections of the music which actually made sense with the character herself which I personally thought was fantastic! What was also very clever about the actual writing of the sung parts was that it too was also very accessible to audience with language that was simultaneously simple to understand yet said everything you possibly needed to know. This is clearly a strength of the writer Alice Birch as she is able to say very little in her scripts but at the same time say everything which is not an easy idea to comprehend never mind create!

With the domestic setting, Violet is joined by her housemaid called Laura, played by the amazing Frances Gregory, who acts as an almost mother figure to young Violet. The early stages of the production she, Laura is visibly distraught by the impending end of the world as she tremors, stumbles and struggles to carry out common maid-based tasks which was performed excellently by France without these moments appearing forced or unauthentic. The inclusion of a maid-like character is a clever way for the production team to introduce an almost stage hand who is able to clear the scenes as they progress without the need for new faces to grace the stage which can again shatter the illusion the team are aiming to create. Violet is joined in her home by her husband Felix who is played by the incredible Richard Burkhard who also showcases his wonderful opera abilities. A personal highlight of this character was during a section between Felix and the clock keeper (played by Andrew MacKenzie-Wicks) where the former is begging the later to reset the time which is impossible. The character invites his friend over for tea but as the evening progress, the character becomes more and more desperate with his pleading will still maintaining his hosting persona. The two voices worked beautifully together while the careful choreography helped to balance the complexity of character reactions to the end of time.  The clockmaker also delivered a wonderfully intense performance towards the end of the production where he literally stood on top of the contraption he had been in control of (for what I assume is many, many years) as the final hour of time trickled away. This performance was wonderfully throughout with the earlier section being particular captivating as the character simply sang the words “time” repetitively but every time the audience could easily understand the emotions behind each different utterance. I do think this however at the end of this number needed a dramatic moment to help round of the show and stay inside this wickedly dark moment.

The ending of the show was intentionally very open, as Tom discussed his fondness of the audience interpreting the show in their own unique ways which explains why the narrative almost suddenly ended with no complete, definitive end from a creative standpoint. The actual end of the show was marked with a rather unusual cartoon that showed the audience a game show like tv show as another clock ticked away closer to twelve which was eventually skipped to one in the morning.

Overall, this production was a modern opera that aims to destigmatise the genre of opera and create a much more accessible medium that can only benefit the longevity of this genre. It must be the musical theatre child in my psyche that is infatuated any time I am in close proximity to a fully-fledged orchestra and the team from London Sinfonietta did not disappoint! The music was powerfully moving and atmospheric throughout to help add to the drama created by the actors on stage which is the main purpose of any orchestra! The story itself was extremely open leading to a multitude of multiple endings created by each audience member. I would rate this show 4 out of 5 stars!

(4 / 5)

It looks like livestreams have not entirely left us. Though when one is as good as this, I shouldn’t moan. Theo Bleckmann is familiar to me with his extensive collaboration with Meredith Monk, though a Grammy winner, his jazz career should also be recognised.

In this midweek livestream, Theo along with Dan Tepfer on piano gave a warm, welcoming recital of Weimar songs, later German work and his own creations. The names of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht need little introduction, their cabaret numbers some of the best in the canon. Theo, with his perfect German, offered up rowdy numbers, tinged with a sharp irony and camp sensuality. As a singer, he is light and bright, though has a rounded lower range, perfect for these songs. The Alabama Song from The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany may be best known for The Doors’ cover, yet here it is brought back in a stripped down shot. You can feel the clamour of this drinking song, one that really gets in your head.

As accompanist, Dan Tepfer is everything a singer could want for. An deeply rooted understanding of the music, he displays an easy going, quiet persona, broody and subtle on screen. Unafraid to grapple with the score, his animation makes the experience all the more enjoyable. Dan was more than happy to answer questions from the livestream, pressing some of these onto Theo in an informal way to please this attentive audience at home. The highlight for me came in the middle with Hanns Eisler’s Friedenslied (also written by Brecht), an unashamedly melodic and sincere please for peace written in the composer’s time in East Germany. Well needed in this difficult year. A lovely moment came when they were both making sure they were in the right key before a song (turns out it was E flat), due to the jazz modulation changing that aspect of the song.

Theo’s own songs are a new discovery for me. You could easily compare his to Meredith’s work, though there is a telling sense of the lyric and the musical per se. Singing both Easy and Reason, they both demonstrated his talent in both approachable and experimental bands, one minute crooning, the next grunting and guttural. The amazing, free wheeling quality of Reason ended things with aplomb. Theo promised to do the classic Useless Landscape next time and his own Alphabet of Paints. Tantalising stuff!

Theo Bleckmann & Dan Tepfer perform at the Neue Galerie, New York on Thur 26 May 2022.

(3 / 5)

The future of music Welsh lies in events like this. BBC NOW have taken under their wings Wales’ budding composers for years and this reaches its zenith in the Composition: Wales workshops and concerts each year at Hoddinott Hall.

Several pieces were performed on the night and I will try and touch upon each one. Starting off with Haldon Evans and his Y Mynydd Du, we get a vivid depiction of famous Arthurian landscapes. You could feel the breeze, with Vaughn Williams and Britten as friends. The grand, old Welsh composer might just have more music to come. Sam Butler’s Stones Have Memory Here had a focus on time, with Cardiff Castle in mind and the centuries of masonry that lie within. This felt quite nondescript, something I would need to hear again to really drink in. Auburn Dusk from Jonathan Guy was an airy, folk like few minutes which held favour in this concert.

Leading things was the flamboyant Ryan Bancroft, who’s animation is always watchable and exciting. He lives the music in every bar. Tomos Owen Jones and his Daybreak from High House was a charming sign off from the Brecon Beacons, the composer here thinking of his new home and it’s place in the landscape. Nexus by Natalie Roe was an unassuming composition though filled with spice, seemingly venturing into suggestions of other music genres without ever crossing their thresholds. The jazz inspired Ascension by Jake Thorpe had none of the trappings of the genre and crossed over into a harsh encounter. Upper Structures by Jonathan Worsley held up as quite dense and dreamy, the last but one work on the programme. The feel of the theatre lies in BBC NOW’S clarinetist Lenny Sayers’ The Imaginary Carnival, proven by future promises of a staging. This felt like Petrushka hungover, yet the festive imagery was very clear and rowdy.

It is always a joy to hear the musicians play new music. BBC NOW should be proud.

(4 / 5)

We lost Peter Maxwell Davies a few years ago and his legacy is being greatly considered. Whilst most might shy away from the blunt nature of his music, there is an always theatrical skill to it and he truly remained one of a kind.

Prior to Max’s masterpiece, the Mad Song Ensemble presented contemporary music of an impressive degree. Anna Semple and her Pinter inspired After Torcello starts as a counting game for the players, leading to wispy playing. Strings of the violin and cello are massaged not stressed, the keys of the flute dampened with no breath. The end also remained curious, the conductor leaves the stage, as the musicians pull poses as if to play on. To start, this was an evocative opening and had a real moody feel to it.

Within Richard Causton and Phoenix, the main point of reference is very clearly Messiaen and his Quartet for the End of Time. Inspired by the mythical bird, there is an energy and valour within, though the piece might slightly over stay its welcome. Blue-Green Hill from stalwart Judith Weir seems to have been forgotten about after an overture was hastily needed in a tour of India. Scottish folk melodies are the major factor and the work is the middle ground between dance work and dense, some uncanny doubts lingering in it’s undercurrent. There is an ending of plummy British feel, a vibrant cleansing of the palate.

For the big gun’s Maxwell Davies Eight Songs for a Mad King finally was heard after cancellations. There are no prisoners for this 30 minutes assault, detailing the madness of King George III. We hear quotes from his real life, though we can’t always make out the excellent libretto of Randolph Stow. How the king shrieks, grunts, babbles and blathers. This is purely because of the shattering of the words into pure letters and syllables. The king tries to teach birds to sing and other curiosities. Also, note worthy is the sheet music, with one page a birdcage creation, a symbol of the mental health struggles on stage and the birds in the sound world.

Truly a great work about going into the psyche, you need a committed performer to take it on. Benedict Nelson shines in this ludicrous role, arriving on stage with a shirt barely buttoned and socks tucked into his sweat pants. At one point he appears to inhale a tin of fish like a jackal puppy and a paper crown is adorned upon his head for a brief few bars at the starting line. Being in the front row might have been a mistake as you feel being too near a tiger in its cage. A violin is furiously smashed at one point, a metaphor for one of the king’s birds he is teaching to sing.

The players also shines in an incredibly demanding piece, the fitting harpsichord and flurry of random percussion are just some highlights. We of course expected there to be bird whistles and the like, though it is the brief blast of a didgeridoo that proves the work’s hippy period execution. Maestro Joshua Ballance is a young, bright keeper of proceedings and all through the evening he proved a love of experimental music.

(4 / 5)

When seeing the Royal Philharmonic there is always a mood in the air. Most certainly one of the finest orchestra’s on earth, any visitation to Cardiff is always welcome.

There was no collar-pulling with the presence of Vasily Petrenko, who has right denounced titles in Russian roles he has held. What is their loss, is the rest of the peaceful world’s gain, with a hawk eyed conductor with some showy gesturing and buzzing physicality. Walton’s Johannesburg Festival Overture is a new discovery for me, this brief starter for the 70th anniversary of the namesake city’s formation. It’s a romp, with strident dance motifs and a seething celebratory nature. Note worthy is the percussion including maracas and claves, adding to the sun kissed vibe. I would say I’d be down to hear that live again.

Another Russian exile would be Boris Giltburg, who on piano passed us by with Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto. Known as the Emperor, this has many recognisable themes, the soloist having more subtle phases than the clamour the composer is usually known for. Boris grinds the piano, dizzying in his warm, rampant strides. Where the piece goes wrong is with a lot of time spent with the orchestra and not the piano, perhaps the biggest flaw of the piece. You do get those earthy, manic moments from Ludvig and they are forever embedded into classical music. Boris blessed us with a Rachmaninov prelude as an encore. It is easy to fall for Boris in moments such as these.

Vaughn Williams’ Second Symphony would end proceedings. Given the nickname “London” it’s easy to think of your own time spent in The Big Fog. The sweeping, large work is a love letter to the city, even with the fatigue one can feel from the place. The love-hate relationship feel is here, moments of jovial carnivals can be jarring and overblown. Vaughn Williams’ mastery over the English idyll still features here, some green spaces traversed sparingly. The fabric of the music might conjure up a soundtrack feel, images not always defined by a location. A harp clearly mimics the bells of a clock (perhaps Big Ben), though it does not complete the melody associated with the time and ends at what would state quarter to the hour. Contemporaries such as Holst and Walton offer shared harmonies and chords, the piece not always sounding as English as the composer if often accredited with. Quite charming.

(3 / 5)

It was the Ellen Kent production of Madam Butterfly in 2020, that Cardiff would not be seeing. In a usual return, Tosca and Carmen would be back in the Welsh capital. I’ve seen Kent’s collaborative productions before, working extensively in eastern Europe, this recent venture a timely journey through the UK and Ireland with the Ukrainian National Opera of Kyiv.

Kent has truly done amazing work to introduce new audiences to opera since the early 90s. I’ll confess some of the marketing promises animals and water features, only to be present at a select venues. Though billed in the poster, we would not see any Royal Greyhounds in Cardiff, though there presence fleeting and a bit showy any. Maybe the appeal comes from seeing more traditional opera productions, most directors today awash in fanciful experimentation and warping of setting and costume.

This staging in St David’s Hall does not really impress. Some doors appear unpainted and undecorated, not ready for showing. Other gates should stay closed only to open again, breaking the mood of the final act prison scene. Tosca in one moment touched a pillar only for it to buckle again the wall. I’m thinking about the durability of these sets and probs knocking about the entire British Isles, though I feel a bit more work is needed. Stage hands arrive in tracksuits to hurl the furniture about, this ramshackle feel is never far away.

Having said this, the singing was just fine. Our Tosca is Elena Dee well armoured in the demanding prima donna role. Her famous aria is delivered with emotion and a well versed knowledge of Puccini’s vision. She shines well with the decent looking costumes, she parades through in the three acts. Her lover, Cavaradossi is here from Vitalii Liskovetskyi, another great venture. He is perfect for the role, a sweeping vocal line and tenderness are never far away. The villain Scarpia is Vladimir Dragos, who embodies the role with terror, a sexual predator who always gets what he wants. His downfall is always satisfying, mock booing is fair game at the curtain as Dragos comes out laughing. I remained unsure about the voice of Eugeniu Ganea as the escaped prisoner Angelotti, though this is a small role.

The subtitles above the stage could not always keep up with the drama. Conductor Nicolae Dohotaru held the tension throughout, though the orchestra may have had a little slip up here and there. For such a small orchestra they made a lot of noise and worked hard in the pit. Though I’m sure the tubular bells did not sound quite right. The chorus blasted out in the Te Deum, with Oliver Papadakis getting the pretty little solo as the Shepherd Boy.

Expectedly, the night ended with a rousing rendition of the Ukrainian anthem. Dee looked stoic here holding up the flag with Liskovetskyi, with some of the chorus wiping away tears. A touching moment, made all the more real for this opera company who’s thoughts are with home.

Tosca continues on tour with Carmen and Madam Butterfly.

(4 / 5)

My time in London is wrapping up. A day spent with English National Opera would herald a fine last day in the capital and I couldn’t have been happier. Though my health has comprised my enjoyment somewhat, I ventured on the New Harewood Artists recital at St Martin’s-in-the-Field.

I found joy in hearing more of Clara Schumann and her friend Brahms, in a mostly Germanic programme from bass William Thomas. With smouldering good looks and a surprising, volcanic voice, William has much promise, this set from him proving how perfect he would be for Don Giovanni and possibly some Wagner baddies, the Russian repertoire a must. There was a sensuality with these German lieder, a romance often awash in the joy of nature, true love and broken hearts. This was an opening I found very impressive.

A coughing fit would prevent me from hearing all of soprano Alexandra Oomens. I did get to savour Night by composer of colour Florence B. Price and sadly with eyes streaming and throat raging, I had to leave to acquire water. I stood at the back for the rest of the concert. What I did hear of Alexandra was an exquisite voice that I was upset I missed most of. Her recent outing in ENO’s HMS Pinafore proves her quick wit and broad repertoire outings. I can only apologise for my temperamental throat.

Last but not least, New Zealand born Sāmoan baritone Benson Wilson grappled with war and it’s aftermath. You can’t think of George Butterworth without thinking of A Shropshire Lad, a staple of WW1 memorials. These tender and often considerate songs were as English as cricket, builder’s tea and bulldogs. A touching orb seemed to hover over each song, the lingering sense of loss and regret is never far away. Butterworth was one of over the million men who lost their life at The Somme. Benson has meaty vocals, his looming stature and rugged nature also evident. The end with Robert Wiremu’s Ake Ake Kia Kaha E (Victory and Glory), the feel of an Italian art song, leading to a soaring haka, which rang out into the church. Marvellous.

The conclude all three singers offered a trio from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Witty and delightful, this fragments again, proved the power of these three singers, talent and more talent. It’s only up from here!

ENO in the Fields counties with concerts till 30 April 2022.