Viriditas
Review: Viriditas Opera in The Soldier’s Tale; Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York
11:45am Friday 27th June 2008
By Martin Dreyer, York Evening Press
STRAVINSKY’S little morality tale, once memorably called “an opera with no singers”, is not as simple to stage as the composer liked to think.
But Mary E Larew, who is beginning to make a name for herself as director of Viriditas, is clearly not one to let that worry her. The work is usually heard as a suite, unstaged.
Even with the help of the witty translation from the French by Michael Flanders (of Flanders & Swann) and Kitty Black, its libretto is not easy to get across – and the Lyons is notoriously hostile to the spoken word.
But William Brooks, the versatile Narrator, managed immense clarity in the face of the composer’s forceful soundtrack, an instrumental septet.
Jon Hughes in the title role found an easygoing manner that was especially impressive in his dance manoeuvres with the Princess.
Chris Macklin’s crafty Devil, in scarlet make-up and adopting falsetto as the old crone, was notably nimble. Rosemary Carlton-Willis, who choreographed the dances, made an engaging Princess.
Graham Walker’s ensemble grew in conviction, spearheaded by Gwen Postle’s cornet.
Nicola LeFanu, who retires as professor of music this year, was serenaded before the interval with her own A Penny For A Song, by soprano Marja Kay and pianist Liz Haddon.
In their hands the settings of haiku-style verse, mostly anonymous, became an evocative travelogue with oriental tints. We wish her well – and plenty of time to compose.
"The Soldier's Tale" Press Release
STRAVINSKY'S "THE SOLDIER'S TALE" PERFORMANCE IN YORK
For immediate release – 17 June, 2008
Press contact: Mary E. Larew: 07946 944 975 or viriditasopera@gmail.com
YORK – Viriditas Opera presents Stravinsky's music-drama The Soldier's Tale on June 25 at 7.30pm. The show will be paired with a performance of a song cycle by composer Professor Nicola LeFanu in honour of her retirement from the University of York's music department. Tickets can be purchased through the University of York Concert Series Box Office on 01904 432439 or by emailing boxoffice@york.ac.uk. They cost £8 for adults, £6 for concessions, and £3 for students.
The Soldier's Tale is a play by the Swiss writer CF Ramuz, based on a Russian folk tale. It tells the story of a soldier who returns home on leave, meets the devil and exchanges his violin for a book which foretells the future. The story is told in speech, mime and dance, and is accompanied by a seven-instrument ensemble which plays music written by Igor Stravinsky. Composed in 1918, the score incorporates popular music of the time.
Producer Raphael Clarkson said: "This Russian fable warns against humanity's lust for material wealth and power. It throws a cold but jestingly satirical light on the political machinations surrounding the First World War. The ability to engage with such a monumental theme, and still delight and entertain, reveals the magic and integrity of Stravinsky's music that has always enthralled me. I hope it will do the same for audiences that see this production."
Viriditas director Mary E. Larew said: "The rustic, playful script is interwoven with Stravinsky's formal renditions of folk melodies in a way that gives the work a real artistic weight. Of course, in addition to the compelling moral of this tale, it is an entertaining and at times hilarious play."
This production featuring students of the University of York's music department will also be performed in the Paxton House Chamber Music Festival, on July 20.
Ends
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Antigone Press Release
NEW OPERA ‘ANTIGONE’ WORLD PREMIERE IN YORK
For immediate release – 15 May, 2008
Press contact: Mary E. Larew: viriditasopera@gmail.com
YORK – Two performances of the new opera Antigone will take place on May 27 and 28 at 7.30 pm at the National Centre for Early Music in Walmgate, York. Tickets can be purchased on the door and are £10 adult, £8 concessions, £3 student.
The opera, a masked drama by York composer Jon Hughes for voice, Javanese gamelan, string ensemble and electronics, is based on excerpts from Seamus Heaney’s 2005 translation of Sophocles’ ancient Greek tragedy.
Antigone is the tale of a strong-willed woman who defies a powerful king in the defence of her family. She is sentenced to death, but in the end the unjust monarch who pays the ultimate price.
This world premiere brings together several ensembles based in York, including Viriditas Opera (directed by Mary E Larew), Gamelan Sekar Petak (directed by John Jacobs), and Newton’s Tree String Ensemble.
Composer Jon Hughes said: “I was inspired to write Antigone after working on the medieval music-drama Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocents with Viriditas last year. I felt the mysterious depth of the gamelan sound would resonate well both with Ancient Greek drama, and Seamus Heaney's earthy and direct poetic style.”
Cara Curran, playing the title role, said: “Antigone is a great character – very stoic and strong but also flawed. Portraying the human characteristics of such an iconic figure is a challenge. The new idiom of combining the play with gamelan is a great environment in which to explore this role.”
Director Mary E Larew said she was excited to have the opportunity to work on such an adventurous new opera. She said: “The story is timeless; the music is compelling and innovative, yet highly accessible; the cast is wonderfully talented and they have been creatively discovering ways to bring the opera to life using masks, Tai Chi, and all sorts of out-of-the-ordinary theatrical devices.”
Audiences interested in Greek myth, contemporary music, or just an entertaining and unusual evening will not be disappointed.
Herod Review, The York Press 22nd June 2007
Review: Herod & the Slaughter of the Innocents; National Centre for Early Music (NCEM)
By Martin Dreyer
Staging a 900-year-old musical play is no picnic. The recipe includes
acres of plainsong - all but extinct in modern liturgies - and Latin, a
language no longer chic in the curriculum.
None of which daunted Mary E Larew and her new ensemble, Viriditas, in two related tales from the 12th-century Fleury Playbook, staged twice this week. The neurotic Herod's murderous activities are historical fact. But the liturgy surrounding Holy Innocents' Day is no longer common currency. Larew's enterprise, triumphantly successful, was to make both accessible simultaneously.
The plays built towards a powerful climax in Rachel's extended lament over the dead children. Here the music forsakes smooth melody and behaves more like an aria. Robin Bier brought a touching commitment, and no little fluency, to her monologue.
Herod's throne and Jesus's manger faced each other at opposite ends of the church. Movement - of shepherds, soldiers, magi and children - was mainly tableau-like, mirroring stained glass windows, or slow and deliberate. Variations on this made an impact. The jittery hocus-pocus of Herod's scribes, with their snaky headdresses, was witty, the perpetual motion of the children's dance distracting.
The trio of Magi broke neatly into harmony, varying the musical diet. But the wisdom of having a quartet new to their instruments was not immediately apparent. Its output was apologetic. Nevertheless, this was a brave and attractive show, intelligibly sung and carrying a powerful ring of medieval truth.
Herod Press Release
HEROD AND THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS TO BE PERFORMED
For immediate release - 15 May 2007
YORK - Three performances of the 13th century music drama Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocents will take place on June 20 and 21 at 7:30 pm at the National Centre for Early Music, and on July 11 at 9:00 pm at St Chad's Church as part of the International Medieval Congress in Leeds. NCEM tickets are £10 adult, £8 concession, £3 students and Leeds tickets are £14. All tickets can be booked from the website of the appropriate venue (http://www.ncem.co.uk or http://www.leeds.ac.uk/ims/imc/imc2007/registration.html).
This dramatic work, taken from the Fleury Playbook, tells the Biblical tale of King Herod's determination to do away with the newborn Christ child by ordering the execution of all male infants in Bethlehem. The clash between Herod's ruthless desire for temporal power and the meekness of the innocents lends a strong moral compass to the work, touching on themes that continue to hold resonance in our own time.
Fully costumed and staged, the production is brought to life by an international cast and features newly composed instrumental interludes on early instruments. This is a rare chance to experience a professional-quality production of an important yet often overlooked work.
Viriditas Opera, a York-based production company specializing in early music dramas and other operatic works from the fringes of the repertoire, is pleased to take on this exciting project. Past productions have included the twelfth-century drama The Image of Saint Nicholas and Weill’s The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken.
Director Mary E. Larew was awarded the Marshall
Scholarship and Barbara Thornton Memorial Scholarship in recognition of
her United States productions of medieval music dramas Ordo Virtutum and Ludus Danielis.
Press coverage of Viriditas and Mary E. Larew