All That Chat - World premiere of a new opera version of Dylan Thomas' classic Under Milk Wood will open at the Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea in April 2014

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World premiere of a new opera version of Dylan Thomas' classic Under Milk Wood will open at the Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea in April 2014

Posted by:	Official_Press_Release 07:34 am EST 12/06/13

Taliesin Arts Centre in coproduction with Le Chien qui chante (Montreal) & Companion Star (New York) and in association with Welsh National Opera presents The world premiere of Under Milk Wood: an opera Based on the original play for voices by Dylan Thomas Composed by John Metcalf Text by Dylan Thomas The world premiere of a new opera version of Dylan Thomas’ classic Under Milk Wood will open at the Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea, in April 2014 – the centenary year of Thomas’ birth. The opera is composed by Wales’ leading opera composer John Metcalf using Dylan Thomas’ original text. A company of 8 singers and 5 instrumentalists will create Thomas’ world of Llareggub – the town that went mad. The production will be directed by Keith Turnbull, music directed by Wyn Davies and designed by Simon Banham. In 1954, Dylan Thomas caused a literary storm with his play for voices, Under Milk Wood. Sixty years on, Under Milk Wood: an opera weaves together extraordinary poetic and comic language, contemporary and ancient instrumental music, recorded and live sound. Join blind, old Captain Cat and his fellow villagers cradling their hopes and dreams in Llareggub. Anything can and will happen in this mythical village during the twenty four hours that have captured the imagination of millions worldwide. Under Milk Wood was originally written as a radio play, and Under Milk Wood: an opera will recognise this in performance, combining shared and private listening experiences for the audience. Metcalf has also said that he intends to make the act of creating the music as important and integral to the performance as the music itself. Combining beautiful and haunting music with the humour of Thomas’ words, Metcalf will create a feast for the ears; using instruments, voice, and live and recorded sound effects to create his soundscape. John Metcalf is Wales’ leading operatic composer. His most recent opera, A Chair in love, opened at the Taliesin Arts Centre in October 2005. He was born in Swansea and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. His other works include A Chair in love, Kafka’s Chimp, Paths of Song, Never Odd or Even and Mapping Wales. Keith Turnbull is one of Canada’s most experienced and acclaimed directors of contemporary opera. He was artistic director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre and Second Stage, Neptune Theatre, and founding artistic director of NDWT Co. He has previously directed for Music Theatre Wales, Vale of Glamorgan Festival, UK in NY Festival, Cultural Industries (Toronto) and Vancouver Opera. He directed the world premieres of Boiler Room Suite (Doolittle), Ubu (Toovey), Kafka’s Chimp (Metcalf) and Zurich:1916 (Butterfield). Simon Banham was formerly Head of Design at Contact Theatre, Manchester and a frequent collaborator with Music Theatre Wales and founder member of Quarantine. Previous credits include The Persians, Coriolan/US (both National Theatre Wales), Entitled (Quarantine) and La Traviata (Den Nye Opera). John Metcalf, composer, said: “Born, like Dylan Thomas, in Swansea and living in West Wales where UNDER MILK WOOD is set, I feel a very familiar instinctive connection with this iconic work. I believe that art, like people, belongs to the particular first, the universal second. People I speak to say that UNDER MILK WOOD does reverberate very strongly outside of Wales. Its appeal is to every member of every oddball community. This is a piece about those communities – the unheralded corners of the world.” Supported by the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Government. Part of the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival. Premieres at Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea (3-5 April 2014) then on tour around Wales (8-15 April). Biographies John Metcalf: Composer John Metcalf was born in Swansea, Wales in 1946. A joint UK/Canadian citizen, he is one of the foremost composers working in Wales in today. His composing career has already embraced a large variety of work including six operas, two to commission from Welsh National Opera. His fifth opera Kafka's Chimp was premiered to great acclaim in 1996 in Canada, received its European premiere in Sweden in 1999 and US premiere in Pittsburgh in 2004. His latest opera A Chair in Love was premiered at the Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea in October 2005. Since the early 1990's a definitive series of orchestral and chamber works have helped to enhance his reputation nationally and internationally. These include Paradise Haunts, Dances from Forgotten Places and Mapping Wales. In December 1999 a collaboration with artist Catrin Webster on Transports was previewed at the Galeria Communale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome. This production, which subsequently included performances of Transports/Mobiles and Not the Stillness, received five performances in New York in October 2001 as part of the UK with NY Festival. A commission from the English Symphony Orchestra led to the writing of Cello Symphony for Raphael Wallfisch - recorded by Nimbus records and released in May 2005. In January 2005 he was featured composer at the Waterford New Music Days in Ireland. Performances around the world marked John's 60th birthday year in 2006. Highlights included a special concert in Sofia in May, the North American premiere of A Chair in Love in Montreal in June, a performance of Three Mobiles at the World Saxophone congress in Slovenia in July and a special concert by Lontano in London. The BBC marked his anniversary year with a special commission In Time of Daffodils which was given its world premiere in St. David’s Hall, Cardiff by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with Jeremy Huw Williams (baritone). Radio 3's Hear and Now programme also relayed a special concert as part of a John Metcalf at 60 celebration. He has recently completed a String Quartet Llwybrau Cân (Paths of Song) for the Sacconi Quartet. John Metcalf was bothan Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director at the Banff Centre, Canada for a period of nearly ten years and was Artistic Director of the Swansea Festival from 1996 - 2007. He is presently Artistic Director of the award-winning Vale of Glamorgan Festival. He has led creative music projects in more than one hundred schools throughout Wales, reflecting his belief in an active, participatory role for the composer in society. He is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, an Honorary Fellow of the University of Wales, Lampeter, of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and of University College Cardiff. In September 1995 he received the John Edwards Memorial Award awarded by the Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music for his services to music in Wales. In 1999 his music was played during the signing, by Her Majesty the Queen, of the Act bringing into being Wales' first elected Assembly for 500 years. His music is recorded on the Lorelt, Sain, Cyfoes and Nimbus labels. Signum Classics recently recorded a disc of orchestral works performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for release in the autumn of 2007. Keith Turnbull: Stage Director/Producer Keith Turnbull is a director, dramaturg and producer committed to contemporary and new work in both theatre and opera. He was artistic director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre; of Second Stage, Neptune Theatre; and founding artistic director of the NDWT Co. with which he started a First Nations theatre company from which emerged many of Canada's most noted native performers and writers. He is the former Artistic Director/Executive Producer of Banff Theatre Arts. He has taught extensively throughout Canada. He has directed over eighty plays in theatres across Canada and has directed opera/music theatre for Cultural Industries (Toronto), Music Theatre Wales, Peteå Chamber Opera (Sweden), Vale of Glamorgan Festival (Wales), UK in NY Festiv al (New York) and Vancouver Opera. For Banff Theatre Arts, he directed works by Aperghis, Maxwell Davies, Finnessy, Kagel, Menotti, Stravinsky, Weill, and Zimmermann; produced works by Antheil, Berg, Birtwistle, Daugherty, Henze, Nyman and Vivier; and directed the world premieres of Boiler Room Suite (Doolittle), Ubu (Toovey), Kafka's Chimp (Metcalf) and Zürich:1916 (Butterfield). In Montreal he recently directed José Evangelista’s Exercices d’Opera and Isabelle Panneton’s L’Arche. Keith Turnbull is Canada’s most experienced producer and director of contemporary opera. Wyn Davies: Musical Director Wyn Davies was born in 1952 in Gowerton, Swansea. After graduating from Christ Church, Oxford, Davies joined the Welsh National Opera as a Staff Conductor in 1974. From 1987, Davies spent two years as assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, New York and undertook two winter seasons for the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts in Canada which included the 1989 award-winning production of Weill's Threepenny Opera in Toronto. In 2005 Davies was appointed director of music to New Zealand Opera. In Britain he regularly conducts at the Buxton Festival, with the Hallé Orchestra and for Opera North. Taliesin Arts Centre in coproduction with Le Chien qui chante (Montreal) & Companion Star (New York) and in association with Welsh National Opera presents the world premiere of Under Milk Wood: an opera Based on the original play for voices by Dylan Thomas Composed by John Metcalf Text by Dylan Thomas Thurs 3 - Sat 5th April 2014 Taliesin Arts Centre Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PZ 01792 602060 www.taliesinartscentre.co.uk Tue 8th April 2014 Aberystwyth Arts Centre Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3DE 01970 623232 www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk Fri 11th & Sat 12th April 2014 Sherman Cymru, Cardiff Senghennydd Rd, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF24 4YE 029 2064 6900 www.shermancymru.co.uk Tue 15th April 2014 Galeri, Caernarfon Victoria Dock, Caernarfon LL55 1SQ 01286 685250 www.galericaernarfon.com MUSIC DIRECTOR Wyn Davies DIRECTOR Keith Turnbull DESIGNER *Simon Banham SINGERS MD Jones (Bass/Baritone) Richard Morris (Baritone) Paul Carey Jones (Baritone) Eamonn Mulhall (Tenor) Gweneth-Ann Jeffers (Soprano) Helen-Jane Howells (Coloratura) Liz Donovan (Lyric) Karina Lucas (Mezzo) INSTRUMENTALISTS Wyn Davies(Organ/Piano) Jose Zalba Smith (Flutes) Paul Stoneman (Percussion) Parmela Attariwala (Viola/Violin/Crwth) Deian Rowlands (Concert harp/Clarsach)

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