It is time to book your tickets for Mid Wales Opera’s autumn tour, Ravel’s exhilarating one-act bedroom farce, A Spanish Hour– L’heure espagnole.
Autumn 2018 sees Mid Wales Opera back on the road, bringing live opera to the heart of communities across Wales and the Borders with their second SmallStages tour. It includes returning to some favourite spots from last Autumn’s tour of Walton’s The Bear, as well as a host of new venues from village halls and small theatres to churches – and including the first ever opera to be staged at The Met in Abertillery.
First performed in Paris in 1911, L’heure espagnole is set in a clock shop in Toledo, central Spain. It follows the fortunes of Torquemada, the hardworking clockmaker, as, during the course of one hot afternoon, his young wife Concepción negotiates her way through her collection of ridiculous lovers. Ravel’s music is bursting with hummable melodies, lively habanera dances and other Spanish folk song elements to get audiences buzzing.
This is opera for everyone – featuring an outstanding cast of five young singers as well as four brilliant musicians, performing a new English translation by Artistic Director Richard Studer and a new arrangement of Ravel’s exotic score created by Music Director Jonathan Lyness.
With tickets priced around £10 and performances from Fishguard to Colwyn Bay, A Spanish Hour is perfect for MWO’s SmallStages performances, keeping opera live and local and reaching places where opera is rarely if ever performed. There’s no formal dress code, and the production’s designed to be a great night out in relaxed and informal settings.
In the second half of the evening, musicians and singers come together to produce an eclectic and entertaining taste of Spain – with some old favourites and new delights for audiences to enjoy. Performance dates are below:-
Performance Dates
Friday Nov 9 In partnership with Hafren, Newtown at Theatr Llwyn, Llanfyllin, Powys
Sat Nov 10th The Met, Abertillery, Gwent
Sun Nov 11th Presteigne Assembly Rooms, Powys
Thurs Nov 15th Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff
Friday 16th Theatr Ddraig, Barmouth, Gwynedd
Sat Nov 17th Neuadd Dyfi, Aberdovey, Gwynedd
Wed Nov 21st Pontardawe Arts Centre, Neath Port Talbot
Thurs Nov 22ndSt Mary’s Church, Hay Hay Winter Weekend, Powys
Fri Nov 23rd Theatr Gwaun, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
Sat Nov 24th Hafren – Trefeglwys Village Hall, near Newtown, Powys
Thursday 29th Sparc, Bishops Castle, Shropshire with Shropshire Music Trust
Friday 30th Emlyn Williams Studio at Theatr Clwyd, Mold, Flintshire
Sat Dec 1st Criccieth Memorial Hall, Criccieth, Gwynedd
Wed Dec 5th Theatr Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Gwynedd
Thurs Dec 6th Hafren – Abermule Community Centre, near Newtown, Powys
Fri Dec 7th St Lawrence’s Church, Ludlow – for Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Ludlow, Shropshire
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