Our website uses cookies to give you the best possible experience. Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Judith Weir CBE HonFRSE (born 11 May 1954)[1] is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. The work should not have been put on the Royal Opera House stage without rigorous overhaul, especially in a staging so crassly bare and wide open that the voices were left stranded, good singers reduced to reedy insubstantiality, the slim drama robbed of focus. Sad because Weir's folk inspired fables have won many friends, sad because she is a composerly. Julian Hepple. She has been commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Music Untangled and Natural History) the Minnesota Orchestra (The Welcome Arrival of Rain) and the London Sinfonietta (Tiger under the Table); and has written concert works for some notable singers, including Jane Manning, Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, Alice Coote, Ailish Tynan and Ruby Hughes. Judith Weir - Wise Music Classical Judith Weir's Miss Fortune at Covent Garden By David Karlin, 13 March 2012 There's usually plenty of hype surrounding a newly written opera performed at Covent Garden, but the carefully placed stories about Judith Weir's Miss Fortune are on the improbable end of the scale, featuring a flying kebab shop and a team of breakdancers. Miss Fortune | The Theatre Reviewer Menottis parade of operatic models coloratura showpiece, rage aria and lament were effortlessly pointed up and the rapport between the singers was communicated with both tenderness and impatience. 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. 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. 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. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. The banality of the text follows the banality of the narrative, and the music doesn't rise above it. Yn aml mae . What a waste of talent and resources. Everything about Miss Fortune is benign and comfortable even Tom Pyes eye-catching geometric designs are thoroughly alienating, a garment sweatshop spotless and sanitised like the Royal Opera have re-deployed the spinning chorus from their last production of The Flying Dutchman. Edit Now. Its probably not a good idea to come to Miss Fortune looking either for deep meaning or for authentic folktale. Dominic Stokes* Justin Anderson Despite the layoff since summer, the staging soon exuded a dance-like motion we hadn't seen before. Weir, Judith. Judith Weir | The Classical Composers Database | Musicalics Ben Upthegrove Jonathan Eyers (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Jack Holton (2 & 7 Mar), Lord Fortune Jacob Harrison She had taken a hiatus to focus her energies on a host of other endeavours including orchestral composition and leading the BBC's annual composer weekend at the Barbican in 2008. 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. Commissioned byBregenzFestival and the RoyalOperaHouse and premiered in 2011,Miss Fortuneis a contemporary re-telling of a Sicilian folk story. She studied with . Was it a plane, a boat or a train? Hui Pang Lee Winter Song. From 1995 to 2000, she was Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival in London. Had Kieron-Connor Valentines Fate been more malevolent his encounters with Erin Gwyn Rossingtons Tina would have had more emotional impact. 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. woman.life.song. Galleries. was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. OPERA NEWS, COMMENTARY, AND REVIEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. Thus assured, they hurl themselves down with even greater animation. Next year, George Benjamin's commission Written on Skin will enter the fray and Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur a tale of loneliness with a furious but poetic score which was unquestionably a success is revived. Manon Ogwen Parry Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Miss Fortune in name and deed. 'Blond Eckbert' and 'Miss Fortune'. Judith Weir's Miss Fortune is an entertaining night out. At least that was Weirs intention - to be relevant and in touch. . Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal . Weir, who succeeds Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, will be appointed for a. My first pieces were at secondary school. If any does survive, before its next airing it is certain to have been cut, tweaked, titivated or subjected to bold surgery preferably by the composer, for whom performance is the only great lesson in revealing a work's weaknesses. Judith Weir Interview - The Music of Christian Morris 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". 5, Rimsky-Korsakov Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh LSO/Noseda. Discover Judith Weir sheet music on nkoda.Find 133 Judith Weir pieces from leading publishers on the greatest digital sheet music library. In 2005 her opera Armida, an opera for television, was premiered on Channel Four in the United Kingdom). Called Miss Fortune, the story is about money, fate and fortune. Miss Fortune Opera on Vimeo 7 Bayerisches Staatsorchester/Petrenko, NOTES FROM LOCKDOWN: Nigel Lilley in Conversation, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Judith Weir (Composer) Wiki, Biography, Age, Husband, Family, Net Worth This was followed by a further three full-length operas The Vanishing Bridegroom (1990), Blond Eckbert (1994), the latter commissioned by the English National Opera[14] and Miss Fortune (Achterbahn) (2011). Judith Weir Hugo Haag, Cello As far as one could tell, Paul Daniel conducted a good performance. Weir is far from incapable of working on a large canvas, but Miss Fortune is surely a chamber opera. 1 / 3. Look out for the paean to the perfectly laundered shirt sung by Simon (the excellent Jacques Imbrailo), which is a moment of pure comic genius. Did it have to be this way? Privacy Policy Eva Gaidoni At the time, I was writing a chorus number called We Didn't See It Coming. Amongst her priorities in this role are the support of school music teachers, of amateur orchestras and choirs, and of rural festivals. 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. Judith Weir has a net worth of $5.00 million (Estimated) which she earned from her occupation as Musician. For more information visit their website, Hear music by Judith Weir online at Spotify. Bogdan Skrypka Tina, their daughter Erin Gwyn Rossington (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Cleo Lee McGowan (2 & 7 Mar) Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian. 7. 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. Last month, as we reconvened in London to rehearse for this week's UK debut, conductor Paul Daniel considered the problems. I decided to use the tale as a basis for a new opera. Judith Weir - Infinite Women Judith Weir - Miss Fortune [Achterbahn] (2011) - YouTube 4 - Julia Kleitner, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Gatti, A Conversation With LIISA RANDALU: Schumann Quartet release 2nd CD, ENCOUNTERS: Edward Seckerson talks to Broadway composer LUCY SIMON, Edward Seckerson talks to RENE FLEMING about The Light in the Piazza, A Conversation With VASILY PETRENKO: RLPO Shostakovich Symphonies, A Conversation With SIR PAUL McCARTNEY: BBC Radio 4 Kaleidoscope, A Conversation With VICTORIA WOOD: New TV drama, Loving Miss Hatto, A Conversation With DAVID McVICAR & SARAH CONNOLLY: Charpentiers Medea, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No. [21] Andrew Clements wrote in The Guardian of "a long two hours in the opera house" with scenes that "follow like cartoonish tableaux, without real characterisation, or confrontation, and without suggesting a dramatic shape", and also criticised the "twee rhyming couplets and inert blank verse" of Weir's libretto. Queasy chromatic scales rising and falling in the trombones is as close as we get to the dark happenings on the street. Judith Weir - Wikipedia Lady Fortune Amy Holyland (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Laura Fleur (2 & 7 Mar) Bass clarinet Meanwhile, the Chorus are a vital presence, losing all their money in the opening scene, only to reappear in increasingly direr straits. . He is a musical omnivore interested in almost all types of music, but with a particular love of Italian opera. Definitions of Judith_Weir, synonyms, antonyms, derivatives of Judith_Weir, analogical dictionary of Judith_Weir (English) . By contrast, the premiere production (as often happens) seemed to be aiming at a left-field reimagining of a piece which no-one had yet seen. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 28 pages. . Ami-Louise Johnsson The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . The work was made in co-operation with Margaret Williams. 3 - Larsson, Dsseldorfer Symphoniker/Fischer, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Commissioned by Bregenz Festival and the Royal Opera House and premiered in 2011, Miss Fortune is a contemporary re-telling of a Sicilian folk story. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at . Jos Hita Garca* Susan Jane Matthews, organ1929 Skinner OrganSt. Aina Miyagi Magnell King Harald's Saga - Wikipedia Judith Weir - Wicipedia Judith Weir is a Honorary Patron for Sound and Music. The Royal Opera promise a feast for the eyes and dont disappoint. Gabriel Francis-Dehqani, Double Bass Her music often draws on sources from medieval history, as well as the traditional stories and music of her parents' homeland, Scotland. Antonio Daz Fernndez Judith Weir is a Honorary Patron for Sound and Music. 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. World premiere at the Bregenz Festival on 21st July 2011 at the Festspielhaus, Bregenz, directed by Chen Shi-Zheng, with the Prague Philharmonic Chorus (director Lukas Vasilek) and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paul Daniel. 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. Former Culture Secretary says he would 'rather be thrown into a pit of scorpions' than listen to one of Judith Weir's operas; . Andr Soares Steven van der Linden 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). Menotti's The Telephone & Judith Weir's Miss Fortune - Guildhall School Miss Fortune, Royal Opera | The Arts Desk She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Written specifically for performance on American television in 1947, Gian Carlo MenottisoperaThe Telephoneis a romantic comedy in one act, written for just two singers and a hand-picked chamber ensemble of instrumentalists. Alaric Green Both the score and the individual performances 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. But I personally have been feeling thoroughly revived after GSMD's energy-giving version of my 2011 opera "Miss Fortune" which opened at the beginning of March. Judith Weir MusicFirst Young Composers Competition This is a libretto which vacillates between the banal and the unintentionally comedic (or is that irony?) Guildhall School of Music & Drama Find Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The upper floor of The Telephones split staging neatly morphed into Miss Fortunes roof top balcony where Harrison and Holyland made their mark as the nouveau riche parents of Tina. Firstly, when disaster strikes the family, our heroine leaves home for the mean streets of her own accord (in the original, she is cast out by her superstitious mother). Opera on 3 Judith Weir's Miss Fortune. And the greatest irony of all Miss Fortune wins the lottery. But with few exceptions Weir has created cardboard characters that neither claim our attention nor engage our sympathy. So I arrived at Miss Fortune without any real idea of what I was going to get. 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. But now that the Royal Opera House's chorus has taken over, the opera seems to have moved into 3D. . [2] See something missing? Planet Hugill - Intimate reinvention: Guildhall School of | Facebook Jamie Hulme She has subsequently written one more "micro-opera", three full-length operas, and an opera for television. See the CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Production Arts students. Kosuke Shirai But this encyclopedic experience helps. And yet the characters are archetypes who grovel in the dirt of clich. Much of her music has been recorded, and is available on the NMC, Delphian and Signum labels. Judith Weir's Miss Fortune at Covent Garden | Bachtrack Judith Weir Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Subscribe to our newsletters to hear about upcoming events. Simon, a wealthy young man Jack Holton (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Jonathan Eyers (2 & 7 Mar), Chorus of sweatshop workers and party guests: Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. "But the good thing," she added, "is that I completely forget to worry about singing the music.". 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. Age 14-25? The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2012. Malena Benavent 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. 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. Judith Weir. Judith Weirs orchestral music is drawn from a similarly vivid palette. What you think of Miss Fortunes music will depend very much on personal tastes: I found it music to admire rather than to love. What drew me was finding something that would bring my performing friends together. Cludia Costa Gonalves, Ensembles, Programming & Instrument Manager Judith Weir - Sound Scotland The spare orchestration, full of scurrying chromatics, often glistening string writing and crisply atmospheric percussion, including piano, was potentially attractive and melodic, though its variety was mostly lost in the ROH auditorium. And Im not sure I want to think too hard about the statements it does make: for example, the breakdancing team Soul Mavericks are superb, but theyre cast as stereotypical hoodlums wrecking things with baseball bats. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Judith Weir CBE HonFRSE (born 11 May 1954) is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. Hassan - Noah Stewart . A new production of an earlier opera is always welcome news, to its composer at least, and it doesn't feel right to term these "revivals" - implying that resuscitation or even raising from the dead has been necessary. But I personally have been feeling thoroughly revived after GSMD's energy-giving version of my 2011 opera "Miss Fortune" which opened at the beginning of March. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. [13] Her first stage work, The Black Spider, was a one-act opera which was premiered in Canterbury in 1985 loosely based on the short novel of the same name by Jeremias Gotthelf. Where these singers find the energy isn't clear: this week, they are also being wood nymphs, Spanish aristocrats and Italian peasants, in several other operas. Her struggles are closely shadowed by Fate sung by counter-tenor Kieron-Connor Valentine. 2010-2023 Bachtrack Ltd. All rights reserved. Having now heard the piece, and looked through the score, I would have asked: "Did you intend so many of the vocal lines to have a predominantly descending pattern, giving an impression of aural droop? Weir was appointed a CBE in 1995 Composer Judith Weir CBE is to become the first female Master of the Queen's Music. And the greatest irony of all - Miss Fortune wins the lottery. Stanley Olden, Scenic Art Co-ordinator Never should the final authority be taken away from the composer, but a question might stimulate a rethink. Queasy chromatic scales rising and falling in the trombones is as close as we get to the dark happenings on the street. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Judith Weir at 70 by ScoresOnDemand - Issuu EC2Y 8DT. 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. Mae Weir wedi ysgrifennu sawl opera llwyddiannus, gan gynnwys The Black Spider (1985), A Night at the Chinese Opera (1987), Blond Eckbert (1994) a Miss Fortune (2011). Jack Garner-Greene The language needs sharpening to show us that this is satire. The score was published by Novello in 1982, and lasts under ten minutes, making it one of the shortest operas, and is possibly unique in having . On 21 July 2011, her first opera for 17 years, Miss Fortune (Achterbahn), premiered at the Bregenz Festival in Austria. Judith Weir, Miss Fortune, Royal Opera, 12 March 2012 (British premiere) A member of Soul Mavericks Images: Royal Opera/Bill Cooper: Royal Opera House. Everything about Miss Fortune is benign and comfortable - even Tom Pyes eye-catching geometric designs are thoroughly alienating, a garment sweatshop spotless and sanitised like the Royal Opera have re-deployed the spinning chorus from their last production of The Flying Dutchman. [15] Weir's commissioned works most notably include woman.life.song (2000) for Jessye Norman and We are Shadows (1999) for Simon Rattle. Asked to fall to the ground in terror at news of an approaching financial disaster, they ask, "Like in Idomeneo?" 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. Holly Woods Sad to say but Judith Weirs sixth opera is an embarrassment. I've had the misfortune of reading a few reviews already, and so far I seem to be flying solo on actually recommending it - but I do think the basic ingredients are there. 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. Judith Weir CBE (born 1954) is a British composer and the first female Master of the Queen's Music. Find the perfect Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. 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. Composer Judith Weir tells the story to her latest opera Miss Fortune at a recent Insights event at the Royal Opera House. Judith Weir | British Music Collection It will help us make your newsletter content more useful. Allegra Totaro-Wainwright, Assistant Scenic Artists Judith Weir Biography Recordings Related Composers Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. This new co-production receives its UK premiere in March 2012. Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. 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. Judith_Weir : definition of Judith_Weir and synonyms of Judith_Weir ), full of truisms and clunky metaphors" and "about as streetwise as a visitor from Venus". Above all, I felt justified in having written the opera in the first place. Richard Jones' production is visually all over the place, but in a good way. Miss Fortune: Why I wrote a real-life soap opera - the Guardian [9], Weir is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. Judith Weir - Delphian Records Beri Valentine, Stage Management Props Supervisor Public transport Judith Weir's music has been widely recorded, particularly on the NMC and Delphian labels; and is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. Molly Hands, Assistant Carpenters Happy Birthday: Judith Weir, 58 | The Times Judith Weir, Miss Fortune, Royal Opera, 12 March 2012 - Blogger The once-rich little heroine, dogged by cruel Fate, becomes a low-wage earner cue sweatshops, ironing boards, an imploding fast-food van. Miss Fortune moved to London in March 2012, garnering at least two negative reviews. No fee when tickets are booked in person. For Rap read rhyming couplets. 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. Miss Fortune premiered last summer at the Bregenz festival in Austria, where local audiences received it warmly despite it being performed in English. Judith Weir CBE is a British composer and Master of the Queen's Music.
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