A Night at the Opera
01 May 2009 Filed in: Miscellaneous
The only thing in short supply on Thursday, 16th October last year – the opening night of the Wexford Festival Opera – were superlatives to describe the stunning new opera house itself. For once the ball gowns and the dinner jackets and even the visually spectacular production of Snegurochka had to play second fiddle to the venue itself. As first time visitors arrived into the foyer through the most unprepossessing of entrances, discreetly located, hidden even, on High Street, they can have had little inkling of what was to come. But once they entered the auditorium itself the full splendour of the building was revealed. Though comparatively small in size (781 seats) the feeling of grandeur was palpable to all. The theatre soared high above the heads of those in the stalls, while those in the circles could let their gaze rove across the rich colours of the wood panelling contrasting with the blue leather of the seats. There could be no mistaking that they were inside a grand opera house and certainly not a provincial theatre. It was not always thus.
Ireland in the 1950s, with its steady haemorrhage of emigration and persistent economic gloom, bore little resemblance to the prosperous nation of today, credit crunch notwithstanding. The very idea that an opera festival of international repute could be hosted by one of her county capitals was almost laughable, yet that did not stop local doctor Tom Walsh from setting out to do just that. In his efforts he was greatly encouraged by the Scottish novelist Sir Compton Mackenzie, author of well-known works such as Whisky Galore and The Monarch of the Glen and founder, in 1923, of Gramophone Magazine. During a visit to Ireland in 1950 Mackenzie gave a talk to the Wexford Opera Study Circle. Walsh, as circle chairman, got to know Mackenzie well and was quick to act when the latter suggested the staging of an opera in the local theatre – the fondly remembered, if knee-shatteringly cramped, Theatre Royal.
Walsh enlisted the help of similarly enthusiastic friends and a year later they managed to run a ‘Festival of Music and the Arts’ despite a shortfall in funding. The festival ran from 21st October to 4th November and included in the programme was a production of Balfe’s The Rose of Castille. Mackenzie was in attendance and was made Festival President, a position he held until his death in 1972. Right up until 2006 the old Theatre Royal continued to be the principal venue for the festival though by that stage ambitious plans to replace it with something completely new were ready to be made real.
Thus the 2007 festival was held in a vast temporary theatre (far too grand to be called a mere tent) in the grounds of nearby Johnstown Castle. This allowed for the demolition of the ‘Royal’ and the construction of its replacement. The ’07 event was held in June (rather than the traditional October slot) and on those evenings when the weather gods smiled patrons were able to enjoy a Glyndebourne-like atmosphere. The castle itself provided a suitably dramatic backdrop as they enjoyed their picnics on the lawn. It is an exercise that is unlikely to be repeated but for those who were there it will remain as a very special Wexford memory.
More special and less ephemeral is the new opera house that will stand for decades to come as a lasting testament to the vision and energy that have made Wexford one of the most highly regarded opera festivals in the world. “It’s bigger inside than out”, was an oft-repeated observation on opening night and it is not hard to see why. The entrance itself is remarkably low key and if you did not know what you were looking for you could easily walk straight past it. Once inside, however, it is clear that the architects have done an excellent job of shoe-horning a remarkable structure into a site that was cramped and restricted. Lest it be forgotten it should be noted that our own, frequently maligned, Office of Public Works designed and project-managed the building, in association with Keith Williams Architects. The total cost came to €33 million of which €26 million was provided by government grant, the balance being raised by the Wexford Festival Foundation from private donations. By any standards €33 million is a large sum yet it is not eye-wateringly so and it is quite obvious that value for money has been achieved.
The main auditorium, the John and Aileen O’Reilly Theatre, is the jewel in the crown. It is timber-lined with dark walnut sourced from Canada and the effect is cosy without being oppressive. With the curved balconies sweeping around the perimeter the audience experience has been likened to sitting inside a stringed musical instrument. But what of the sound? It is all very fine building a visually impressive opera house but the audience comes to hear as well as see, and the performers want to sing and play in a venue that does justice to their efforts. To ensure success in this critical and difficult-to-get-right area the services of Arup, global design and engineering firm, were engaged. Arup’s experience in this area is manifold and includes the acoustics at the new opera houses in Copenhagen and Oslo as well as Glyndebourne. But until the curtain rises, the orchestra strikes up and the singers give voice to the libretto, nothing is certain. What a relief, then, that the acoustic was given universal approval right from the first performance.
Over the years Wexford has established a solid reputation for staging productions of lesser-known or indeed long-forgotten operas. In some cases it has not been hard to see why a particular opera has fallen out of favour but the adventurous artistic policy has long been supported by the loyal patrons who flock back year after year. They greatly appreciate the fact that a conventional, middle of the road approach finds little favour in Wexford. Setting out to establish a policy like this today would be to court commercial ruin. But now that it is established it paradoxically guarantees the continued success and enduring popularity of the festival. Patrons know that they will be challenged by something far removed from the mainstream, rather than comforted by over-familiar arias and choruses. And that is just the way they like it.
THE VITAL STATISTICS
*The new opera house boasts an area of 7,235 square metres, making it four-and-a-half times bigger than the Theatre Royal.
*It was officially opened by An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD on Friday, 5th September 2008.
*In addition to the main auditorium a smaller space, the Jerome Hynes Theatre, has a seating capacity of 175.
*Of particular interest to long-time supporters is the fact that the area per seat has been increased by 37 per cent compared to the old theatre.
*The stage performance area has increased by 130 per cent yet no seat is any further from the stage than it was in the old theatre.
*Anorak fact: Over 450 kilometres of cabling for power, data, sound and communications are to be found throughout the building.
FESTIVAL 2009 – 58th SEASON
In light of the current economic climate this year’s festival will run over 12 rather than 18 nights as previously. Opening night is Wednesday, 21st October, with the curtain coming down on the final performance on Sunday, 1st November. The opening opera, The Ghosts of Versailles, by John Corigliano is a co-production with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The next production is a comedy double bill made up of Une Education Manquée by Chabrier and La Cambiale di Matrimonio by Rossini. Donizetti’s Maria Padilla completes the programme.
Priority booking for Friends and Patrons opens on Tuesday, 5th May with general booking starting on Tuesday, 2nd June. See: wexfordopera.com
Article originally published in Ireland of the Welcomes, April 2009
Ireland in the 1950s, with its steady haemorrhage of emigration and persistent economic gloom, bore little resemblance to the prosperous nation of today, credit crunch notwithstanding. The very idea that an opera festival of international repute could be hosted by one of her county capitals was almost laughable, yet that did not stop local doctor Tom Walsh from setting out to do just that. In his efforts he was greatly encouraged by the Scottish novelist Sir Compton Mackenzie, author of well-known works such as Whisky Galore and The Monarch of the Glen and founder, in 1923, of Gramophone Magazine. During a visit to Ireland in 1950 Mackenzie gave a talk to the Wexford Opera Study Circle. Walsh, as circle chairman, got to know Mackenzie well and was quick to act when the latter suggested the staging of an opera in the local theatre – the fondly remembered, if knee-shatteringly cramped, Theatre Royal.
Walsh enlisted the help of similarly enthusiastic friends and a year later they managed to run a ‘Festival of Music and the Arts’ despite a shortfall in funding. The festival ran from 21st October to 4th November and included in the programme was a production of Balfe’s The Rose of Castille. Mackenzie was in attendance and was made Festival President, a position he held until his death in 1972. Right up until 2006 the old Theatre Royal continued to be the principal venue for the festival though by that stage ambitious plans to replace it with something completely new were ready to be made real.
Thus the 2007 festival was held in a vast temporary theatre (far too grand to be called a mere tent) in the grounds of nearby Johnstown Castle. This allowed for the demolition of the ‘Royal’ and the construction of its replacement. The ’07 event was held in June (rather than the traditional October slot) and on those evenings when the weather gods smiled patrons were able to enjoy a Glyndebourne-like atmosphere. The castle itself provided a suitably dramatic backdrop as they enjoyed their picnics on the lawn. It is an exercise that is unlikely to be repeated but for those who were there it will remain as a very special Wexford memory.
More special and less ephemeral is the new opera house that will stand for decades to come as a lasting testament to the vision and energy that have made Wexford one of the most highly regarded opera festivals in the world. “It’s bigger inside than out”, was an oft-repeated observation on opening night and it is not hard to see why. The entrance itself is remarkably low key and if you did not know what you were looking for you could easily walk straight past it. Once inside, however, it is clear that the architects have done an excellent job of shoe-horning a remarkable structure into a site that was cramped and restricted. Lest it be forgotten it should be noted that our own, frequently maligned, Office of Public Works designed and project-managed the building, in association with Keith Williams Architects. The total cost came to €33 million of which €26 million was provided by government grant, the balance being raised by the Wexford Festival Foundation from private donations. By any standards €33 million is a large sum yet it is not eye-wateringly so and it is quite obvious that value for money has been achieved.
The main auditorium, the John and Aileen O’Reilly Theatre, is the jewel in the crown. It is timber-lined with dark walnut sourced from Canada and the effect is cosy without being oppressive. With the curved balconies sweeping around the perimeter the audience experience has been likened to sitting inside a stringed musical instrument. But what of the sound? It is all very fine building a visually impressive opera house but the audience comes to hear as well as see, and the performers want to sing and play in a venue that does justice to their efforts. To ensure success in this critical and difficult-to-get-right area the services of Arup, global design and engineering firm, were engaged. Arup’s experience in this area is manifold and includes the acoustics at the new opera houses in Copenhagen and Oslo as well as Glyndebourne. But until the curtain rises, the orchestra strikes up and the singers give voice to the libretto, nothing is certain. What a relief, then, that the acoustic was given universal approval right from the first performance.
Over the years Wexford has established a solid reputation for staging productions of lesser-known or indeed long-forgotten operas. In some cases it has not been hard to see why a particular opera has fallen out of favour but the adventurous artistic policy has long been supported by the loyal patrons who flock back year after year. They greatly appreciate the fact that a conventional, middle of the road approach finds little favour in Wexford. Setting out to establish a policy like this today would be to court commercial ruin. But now that it is established it paradoxically guarantees the continued success and enduring popularity of the festival. Patrons know that they will be challenged by something far removed from the mainstream, rather than comforted by over-familiar arias and choruses. And that is just the way they like it.
THE VITAL STATISTICS
*The new opera house boasts an area of 7,235 square metres, making it four-and-a-half times bigger than the Theatre Royal.
*It was officially opened by An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD on Friday, 5th September 2008.
*In addition to the main auditorium a smaller space, the Jerome Hynes Theatre, has a seating capacity of 175.
*Of particular interest to long-time supporters is the fact that the area per seat has been increased by 37 per cent compared to the old theatre.
*The stage performance area has increased by 130 per cent yet no seat is any further from the stage than it was in the old theatre.
*Anorak fact: Over 450 kilometres of cabling for power, data, sound and communications are to be found throughout the building.
FESTIVAL 2009 – 58th SEASON
In light of the current economic climate this year’s festival will run over 12 rather than 18 nights as previously. Opening night is Wednesday, 21st October, with the curtain coming down on the final performance on Sunday, 1st November. The opening opera, The Ghosts of Versailles, by John Corigliano is a co-production with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The next production is a comedy double bill made up of Une Education Manquée by Chabrier and La Cambiale di Matrimonio by Rossini. Donizetti’s Maria Padilla completes the programme.
Priority booking for Friends and Patrons opens on Tuesday, 5th May with general booking starting on Tuesday, 2nd June. See: wexfordopera.com
Article originally published in Ireland of the Welcomes, April 2009
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