SELECTED WORKS BY shows" JUDITH WEIR "Weir is a creature of the theatre and it FINANCIAL TIMES. Sad because Weirs folk inspired fables have won many friends, sad because she is a composerly composer whose luminous orchestral backdrops and singable vocal lines display an honest talent that never hides behind overworked technique. Given the intimacy and physical support of the Linbury Studio (instead of the open wastes of the main auditorium) the work would at least have had a fair hearing, instead of becoming an object of near ridicule. Opera; Full score; Chester Music; musicsalesclassical.com; 43308 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. She is the composer of several operas (written for Kent Opera, Scottish Opera, ENO and Bregenz) which have been widely performed. And the greatest irony of all Miss Fortune wins the lottery. Miku Yasukawa As resident composer with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in the 1990s, she wrote several works for orchestra and chorus (including Forest, Storm and We are Shadows) which were premiered by the orchestras then Music Director, Simon Rattle. Although she has achieved international recognition for her orchestral and chamber works, Weir is best known for her operas and theatrical works. David Karlin reviews the premire of Judith Weir's new opera Miss Fortune at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Nuestra poltica de privacidad se actualiz por ltima vez el viernes 31 enero 2020 Consultar aqu Eliminar Privacy Policy Aoife Moran Much of her music has been recorded, and is available on the NMC, Delphian and Signum labels. She was a visiting distinguished research professor in composition at Cardiff University from 2006 to 2009. Yn ogystal, mae'n gyfansoddwr o ddarnau cerddorfaol a lleisiol, gan gynnwys Concerto i'r Piano (1997), The Welcome Arrival of Rain (2001), ac In the Land of Uz (2017). What drew you to composition? Richard Jones' production is visually all over the place, but in a good way. And the greatest irony of all - Miss Fortune wins the lottery. Weir, Judith. Find Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Born: 11 May 1954, United Kingdom Died: NA Country most active: United Kingdom Also known as: NA Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Judith Weir's 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. Weve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus. Lady Fortune - Kathryn Harries. Simon, a wealthy young man Jack Holton (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Jonathan Eyers (2 & 7 Mar), Chorus of sweatshop workers and party guests: Caroline Moores, Head of Recording & Audio Visual Whilst there is nothing especially laudable . Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Indeed it has. . Judith Weir CBE HonFRSE (born 11 May 1954)[1] is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. 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. Biography Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parents. She has written orchestral music for the BBC Symphony, Boston Symphony and Minnesota Orchestras. JUDITH WEIR AT 70 OPERAS. Last year's Bregenz staging, the work's world premiere, was an opportunity to take strong action. Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parents. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Miss Fortune in name and deed. By combining The Telephone and Miss Fortune, director Martin Lloyd-Evans and designer Anna Reid wished to explore aspects of the isolating effects of modern urban life. In some ways I feel I've seen the piece for the first time, in a staging (by Martin Lloyd-Evans) which very closely expressed my intentions when I first imagined it. Claire Nicolas (freelance) Judith Weir's music has been widely recorded, particularly on the NMC and Delphian labels; and is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. At least that was Weirs intention - to be relevant and in touch. She has subsequently written one more "micro-opera", three full-length operas, and an opera for television. Chester Music #MUSCH61126. 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. . It was a co-production with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London, and was written in English. Miss Fortune moved to London in March 2012, garnering at least two negative reviews. Never should the final authority be taken away from the composer, but a question might stimulate a rethink. ABOVE: GSMD, Miss Fortune (c) Helen Murray, Copyright All rights reserved | Theme by, Mixed performances in Menotti and Weir from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. London [7] She was appointed for a decade. Kyra Coppini, Production Sound Engineers 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. Joshua Saunders [15] Weir's commissioned works most notably include woman.life.song (2000) for Jessye Norman and We are Shadows (1999) for Simon Rattle. The Vanishing Bridegroom and Miss Fortune. Andr Soares If you dont harbour too many expectations of a thought-provoking story, its worth going to see for the staging alone. 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. Plan your journey and find more route information in Your Visit or book your car parking space in advance. Silk Street Iza Fordham Miss Fortune. slogan. The composer Judith Weir wrote the opening work for last year's Proms. Hassan, a kebab seller Florian Panzieri (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Innocent Masuku (2 & 7 Mar) But now that the Royal Opera House's chorus has taken over, the opera seems to have moved into 3D. My first pieces were at secondary school. . Amongst her priorities in this role are the support of school music teachers, of amateur orchestras and choirs, and of rural festivals. Jack Garner-Greene The clarity of the costume design made the characters instantly knowable, too: a stroppy teenager, a lady from a launderette, a positive-thinking businessman these types look the same anywhere. When her life's course turns from bad to worse, she makes a date with Fate. Judith Weir. Her opera Miss Fortune opened at the Royal Opera House in March. For Barbican performances, enter through the mainBarbican Centre entrance in Silk Street. Its probably not a good idea to come to Miss Fortune looking either for deep meaning or for authentic folktale. Judith Weir, Miss Fortune, Royal Opera, 12 March 2012 (British premiere) A member of Soul Mavericks Images: Royal Opera/Bill Cooper: Royal Opera House. 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). Silly and naive. Reonel Rafols Sad to say but Judith Weirs sixth opera is an embarrassment. On 30 June 2014, The Guardian stated that her appointment as Master of the Queen's Music,[5] succeeding Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (whose term of office expired in March 2014), would be announced;[6] this was officially confirmed on 21 July. On 21 July 2011, her first opera for 17 years, Miss Fortune (Achterbahn), premiered at the Bregenz Festival in Austria. . But at least all other elements of this colourful staging coalesced into something that intermittently held my attention. In 1987, her first half-length opera, A Night at the Chinese Opera, was premiered at Kent Opera. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. 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. Paul's Episcopal Church, Burlingame, CaliforniaThe Tree of Peace is by the contemporary English composer Judi. Appointed in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II, Weir is the first woman to hold this office. Photograph: Tristram Kenton, as it a plane, a boat or a train? Strahinja Mitrovic, Clarinet Ivelina Ivanova As far as one could tell, Paul Daniel conducted a good performance. Miss Fortune Operas. 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. 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. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. S,Mz,Ct,T,Bar,bbar + 2(II:pic).1.3(III:bcl).1+cbn/, A series of performances taking place in London over the coming weeks shines a spotlight on the rich and varied output of composer Judith Weir, Spotlight on Judith Weir including orchestral works, opera and a world premiere. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2012. Archie Buchanan But Weir creates much variety of timbre and a fair degree of potency throughout. I loved the witty set (designer. Judith Weir's music is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. Both the score and the individual performances 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. Called Miss Fortune, the story is about money, fate and fortune. In a stunning setting and scenery to rival these beautiful surroundings, Miss Fortune, the work of British composer Judith Weir, retraces the twisted steps of its bewildered female protagonist. 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. Secondly and crucially, Weir turns Fate into a very real and live person. Albery's production allows the opera to speak for itself, although sluggish pacing in the pit detract from the musical merits of this revival. woman.life.song. Miss Fortune is Birtish composer Judith Weir's first operatic composisition in the last 17 years. Despite the layoff since summer, the staging soon exuded a dance-like motion we hadn't seen before. . Guildhall Schools Opera department presents a double bill of operatic works exploring romantic love, fate and fortune. 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. SATB Choir and Organ Book Only Classical Composed by Judith Weir (1954-). 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. was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. A short 90 minutes of music later, Im still not entirely sure what it is Ive just seen. Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parents. The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. The language needs sharpening to show us that this is satire. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. 1 / 3. 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. 2010-2023 Bachtrack Ltd. All rights reserved. Interview by Was it a plane, a boat or a train? 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. Ema Cunha Commissioned by the Bregenz Festival and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. [16], The first public performance of Weir's arrangement of "God Save the Queen" was performed at the reburial of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral on 26 March 2015. The role in Bregenz was taken up by the Prague Philharmonic Chorus, who gave touching performances while mastering illogical-looking English spellings like "rough" and "tough". In collaboration with director . Do you remember your first pieces? Issy Jordan 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. Voices & Orchestra. Josh Law Photo:Judith Weir. 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. More information, Don't have an online account? Cludia Costa Gonalves, Ensembles, Programming & Instrument Manager Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. 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". Either way, it makes a good spectacle. 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. Judith Weir Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Malena Benavent 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. So I arrived at Miss Fortune without any real idea of what I was going to get. Leif Tse, Repetiteurs A. Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents a performance of Judith Weir's opera Miss Fortune. [12], Weir's musical language is fairly conservative, with a "knack of making simple musical ideas appear freshly mysterious". 9 Bavarian Radio Sinfonieorchester/Rattle, GRAMOPHONE Review: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. She went on to Cambridge University, where her composition teacher was Robin Holloway; and in 1975 attended summer school at Tanglewood, where she worked with Gunther Schuller. Judith Weir's Miss Fortune is an entertaining night out. Did it have to be this way? Steven van der Linden To those who ask what material like this is doing in an opera house, I can only reply that this story allowed me to write both opera and folk music at the same time, to invent work songs for modern jobs like dry cleaning, and to find present-day uses for beautiful operatic forms, such as the aubade, or dawn song which Hassan sings while tending his kebab van. In 2007, she was the third recipient of the Queen's Medal for Music. This is a libretto which vacillates between the banal and the unintentionally comedic (or is that irony?) 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. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Hui Pang Lee And did the previous orchestra really play that F-natural all last summer and we never noticed? Digory Price Above all, I felt justified in having written the opera in the first place. 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. Register now, On sale to Guildhall Circle members Mon 29 Nov 10am. 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. Applying that usage, it has had many "adventures" over the years and the discard pile is high. R. 70. Whether were in the initial scene of the casting of our heroines horoscope, the various pieces of mayhem that envelop her or the poetic aubade sung by kebab-shop owner Hassan: the music is overlaid by urgent stridency. But this encyclopedic experience helps. 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. Guildhall School of Music & Drama Julia Sanchez Merino 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. 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. Gian Carlo Menotti The TelephoneLucy Segomotso Shupinyaneng, Ben Jonathan Eyers. 'Blond Eckbert' and 'Miss Fortune'. Never louder than lovely would have been welcome for Weirs contorted vocals lines. 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. For more access information, please visit ourAccessibilitysection. Sad because Weir's folk inspired fables have won many friends, sad because she is a composerly composer whose luminous orchestral backdrops and singable vocal lines display an honest talent that never hides behind overworked technique. See the CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Production Arts students. As associate composer with the BBC Singers (2015-19) she completed two oratorios; In the Land of Uz, about the prophet Job; and blue hills beyond blue hills, to Zen-influenced verse by the Scottish poet Alan Spence. Sad to say but Judith Weir's sixth opera is an embarrassment. Jos Hita Garca* 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. Right next to it was the ubiquitous fingers-crossed Lottery sign with its jaunty "Play here!" 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). He is a musical omnivore interested in almost all types of music, but with a particular love of Italian opera. Please note you may need to update your password. The result is closer to a classical myth in which the central message is that theres no point arguing with the gods. Miss Fortune is Birtish composer Judith Weir's first operatic composisition in the last 17 years. What you think of Miss Fortunes music will depend very much on personal tastes: I found it music to admire rather than to love. Donna, proprietor of a laundry Laura Fleur (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Amy Holyland (2 & 7 Mar) Holly Woods 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. "But the good thing," she added, "is that I completely forget to worry about singing the music.". Weir was appointed a CBE in 1995 Composer Judith Weir CBE is to become the first female Master of the Queen's Music. Judith Weir has a net worth of $5.00 million (Estimated) which she earned from her occupation as Musician. Nicole Ma, Percussion 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. 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). Lord Fortune - Alan Ewing. A few quotes from suddenly redundant bankers made it into the libretto ("I'm going to clear my desk"; "I'll never find another job") but soon I and my opera were pondering the wider mystery of how random the universe is, and how it often seems there's nothing we can do about it. Barbican The second act has greater pace and vitality: the wise, witty Weir of old is back on form, but too briefly. 7 Bayerisches Staatsorchester/Petrenko, NOTES FROM LOCKDOWN: Nigel Lilley in Conversation, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Unlike in the first act, the music lets up on the never-ending tension (the strident voiceover of Fate is absent for Simon's aria), and several of the subsequent scenes are more enjoyable for it. Justin Anderson Night AT the Chinese Opera (A) (1987) Operas. Gounod's Faust from the Opra Bastille, Paris. 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. Indeed it has. Antonio Daz Fernndez The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Queasy chromatic scales rising and falling in the trombones is as close as we get to the dark happenings on the street. Last month, as we reconvened in London to rehearse for this week's UK debut, conductor Paul Daniel considered the problems. But this time round, it seemed even more relevant than to pay onstage attention to this subject. The Royal Opera promise a feast for the eyes and dont disappoint. In fact, I think you should go. Silver Tassie Operas. Expressive of face and voice this champagne-quaffing pair fulfilled their roles with suitable vulgarity. The opera touches on many things relevant to modern life - the banking crisis, unemployment, sweatshop working conditions, the choice between money and love - but it doesnt have anything significant to say about any of them. A chance lottery win enables her escape from poverty, and like all good fairy tales, she goes off into the sunset with the handsome prince, Jack Holton whose paean to a freshly laundered shirt made one of the few amusing moments. BBC Philharmonic/David, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No 10, Mahler Symphony No 10 Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/van Zweden, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Our privacy policy was last updated on Friday 31 January 2020, Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 12 March 2012. For more information visit their website, Hear music by Judith Weir online at Spotify. At the time, I was writing a chorus number called We Didn't See It Coming. A first performance of a new opera is the start of a precipitous journey. Last edited on 20 February 2023, at 10:43, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, "Queen's new composer Judith Weir hails 'boss', "The wonderful Judith Weir With a Barbican weekend devoted to her music, the composer Judith Weir is being feted as never before", "Queen had 'immensely detailed knowledge' of music, says royal composer", "Judith Weir to be appointed first female master of Queen's music", "News Judith Weir appointed Master of the Queen's Music Music Sales Classical", "Judith Weir: the female music master with royal seal of approval", "The Ivors 2015 Winners, Ivor Novello Awards, Judith Weir", "Ms Judith Weir HonFRSE The Royal Society of Edinburgh", "Andrew Lloyd Webber piece among new coronation music", "Judith Weir Armida (2005) Music Sales Classical", "Musical Work rises from the concrete Barbican", "The State Funeral and Committal Service for Her Majesty The Queen", "The Black Spider review Weir's opera is ghastly gothic treat", https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=judith+weir+scipio%27s+dream#top, "A ringing coda: the music at the Queen's funeral was both solemn and sublime", Judith Weir on the British Music Collection, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Judith_Weir&oldid=1140504219, The Prelude (20182019, flute, violin, viola, cello), This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 10:43. 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. 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. 10 Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse/Sokhiev, GRAMOPHONE Review: Sounds of America Jon Manasse, Park Avenue Chamber Orchestra/Bernard, GRAMOPHONE Review: Rachmaninov Symphony No. Aina Miyagi Magnell Judith Weir explains why her latest work a parable about the financial crisis had to have them, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Straitened times Emma Bell and Anne-Marie Owens in Miss Fortune. 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. In: Press release from The Santa Fe Opera, 22 August 2012. What a waste of talent and resources. . RGT Birthdays today Composed 2000. For Rap read rhyming couplets. Ami-Louise Johnsson Set within Bayview Developments, an exclusive estate agents (where clients are assured of no social housing) we meet the sales girl and chatterbox Lucy, Segomotso Shupinyaneng, and the ever-patient and earnest Ben, Jonathan Eyers. Her music often draws on sources from medieval history, as well as the traditional stories and music of her parents' homeland, Scotland. Miss Fortune is based on a Sicilian folk tale, and Weir's own libretto abstracts the story and creates a sort of moral fable that rather reminded me of Georg Kaiser's From Morning to Midnight and David Sawer's brave attempt to turn it into an opera in 2001 at English National Opera. Get discounted access to unmissable art, See more art, music, film and theatre for less, Log in to access bookings, re-print pdf tickets, update email preferences and check out faster. In food terms this was a programme comprising starter and main course, a well-designed menu beginning with a romantic comedy and followed by a picaresque meditation on fate with much to nourish the ears, eyes and mind. [9], Weir is a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. 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.