As we introduce the operas of our 2022-23 Season, WNO General Director Aidan Lang takes a moment to reflect on where we stand now as a Company and where we see ourselves going over the coming years.
‘Our overall programming reflects our mission as a Company to find connections between our work and the lives that we all live today. But at the same time, we are deeply aware that no two audience members are the same, and that there is a myriad of different reasons why people choose to come to the opera. For every devoted operagoer who attends all our production we present, there is someone else who is completely new to the art form and have come because opera is an item on their personal bucket-list. The former may have a thirst for the new, forever seeking out titles that they have never previously seen; the latter may simply be looking for a good night out.
A variety of repertoire is an essential ingredient in the mix for every Season, and it is our hope that our audiences will not only find at least one title of immediate appeal, but that there might also be others that sufficiently pique their interest to give them a try. Our 2022-23 Season contains five new productions, and alongside such well-known works as La bohème and The Magic Flute we have also included two newly commissioned works - Migrations and Blaze of Glory!. As its title suggests, Migrations explores a theme that is so relevant to us today, told through multiple narratives. Blaze of Glory!, on the other hand is a feelgood opera that shows the unique power of singing as a means to bring people together.
But there is a lot more to WNO than just the work we present on our main stages. Less visible, perhaps, but equally important to us is the work we undertake with our numerous communities, with participants of all ages. We have vibrant schools’ programmes and work with young singers, as a means to create meaningful routes into opera and classical music, engaging new and younger audiences along the way. A focal point will be the WNO Youth Opera production of Shostakovitch’s Cherry Town, Moscow, which offers our young singers a wonderful opportunity to perform on the stage of the Donald Gordon Theatre within the Wales Millennium Centre, accompanied by WNO Orchestra. We also carry out a wide range of adult programmes with a strong focus on health and well-being, which is designed to engage and positively impact the lives of people in our communities.
And that is not all. WNO Orchestra can be heard on the concert stage throughout the year, and a particular highlight will be the Company’s participation in the Janáček Festival in Brno, the composer’s hometown, where we will present our new production of The Makropoulos Affair, alongside a concert featuring his Sinfonietta. If you happen to be in the Czech Republic on 17 and 18 November, we’d be delighted to see you there. But equally, we will be delighted to welcome you to all our events during what looks to be a very exciting and artistically fulfilling year.’