7. Donna, proprietor of a laundry Laura Fleur (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Amy Holyland (2 & 7 Mar) Sara Mohr-Pietsch presents a performance of Judith Weir's opera Miss Fortune. Miku Yasukawa Composer Judith Weir tells the story to her latest opera Miss Fortune at a recent Insights event at the Royal Opera House. I loved the witty set (designer. Alice Warburton ears ago, I read an Italian folk tale about a princess who, when her parents lose their money, is forced to live in poverty and make a living: weaving cloth, minding a wine store, washing clothes. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in 2011, and then staged at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in 2012. The Sicilian tale on which the opera is based is a fairly standard story of the virtuous young girl who falls on hard times but whose virtue is ultimately rewarded; Weir changes it in two key ways. Plan your journey and find more route information in Your Visit or book your car parking space in advance. Photo:Judith Weir. Select from premium Judith Weir of the highest quality. Yn aml mae . The absence of an intermediary sparring partner in the shape of a librettist may have made it difficult for the right person to say to Weir "more here, less there". Most hurtle down the chute at once, all limbs flailing, and plunge straight into the wheelie bin of oblivion. Lydia Haynes She has subsequently written one more "micro-opera", three full-length operas, and an opera for television. Hassan, a kebab seller Florian Panzieri (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Innocent Masuku (2 & 7 Mar) Queasy chromatic scales rising and falling in the trombones is as close as we get to the dark happenings on the street. Silver Tassie Operas. Oliver Mears' new production of Britten's chamber opera is a visceral reflection on tyranny and sexual violence. Published by Chester Music (HL.14035701). As far as one could tell, Paul Daniel conducted a good performance. And did the previous orchestra really play that F-natural all last summer and we never noticed? "But the good thing," she added, "is that I completely forget to worry about singing the music.". woman.life.song. Her opera Miss Fortune opened at the Royal Opera House in March. Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parents. 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. YouTube Encyclopedic. Amongst her priorities in this role are the support of school music teachers, of amateur orchestras and choirs, and of rural festivals. Judith Weir Biography Recordings Related Composers Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Kosta Popovic Years ago, I read an Italian folk tale about a princess who, when her parents lose their money, is forced to live in poverty and make a living: weaving cloth, minding a wine store, washing clothes. 1 / Symphonic Dances Philadelphia Orchestra/Nzet-Sguin, GRAMOPHONE Review: Nielsen Symphonies 1 & 3, 4 & 5 Danish National Symphony Orchestra/Luisi, GRAMOPHONE Review: Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements, Symphony in C etc. 7 Bayerisches Staatsorchester/Petrenko, NOTES FROM LOCKDOWN: Nigel Lilley in Conversation, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. At the time, I was writing a chorus number called We Didn't See It Coming. Kyra Coppini, Production Sound Engineers Guildhall Schools Opera department presents a double bill of operatic works exploring romantic love, fate and fortune. Judith Weirs music has been widely recorded, particularly on the NMC and Delphian labels; and is published by Chester Music and Novello & Co. For a full list of forthcoming and past performances visit the online calendar, You can view scores by Judith Weir online at her publisher's website or on Nkoda, To purchase sheet music on sale by Judith Weir ask your local retailer. The kebab shop and the breakdancers are great, but Tom Pyes sets have much more: giant, mirror-smooth geometric structures are brightly lit in primary colours and turned by video effects into a shifting industrial landscape, all set against a plain screen background lit with vividly coloured gradients. And the greatest irony of all Miss Fortune wins the lottery. Menottis parade of operatic models coloratura showpiece, rage aria and lament were effortlessly pointed up and the rapport between the singers was communicated with both tenderness and impatience. Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Ivelina Ivanova Silk Street Theatre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London; Monday 28th February 2022. Music Sales America. Weir is far from incapable of working on a large canvas, but Miss Fortune is surely a chamber opera. The composer Judith Weir wrote the opening work for last year's Proms. The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Sad to say but Judith Weir's sixth opera is an embarrassment. Did it have to be this way? Issy Jordan Do you remember your first pieces? 4 - Julia Kleitner, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Gatti, A Conversation With LIISA RANDALU: Schumann Quartet release 2nd CD, ENCOUNTERS: Edward Seckerson talks to Broadway composer LUCY SIMON, Edward Seckerson talks to RENE FLEMING about The Light in the Piazza, A Conversation With VASILY PETRENKO: RLPO Shostakovich Symphonies, A Conversation With SIR PAUL McCARTNEY: BBC Radio 4 Kaleidoscope, A Conversation With VICTORIA WOOD: New TV drama, Loving Miss Hatto, A Conversation With DAVID McVICAR & SARAH CONNOLLY: Charpentiers Medea, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No. It was a co-production with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London, and was written in English. Everything about Miss Fortune is benign and comfortable even Tom Pyes eye-catching geometric designs are thoroughly alienating, a garment sweatshop spotless and sanitised like the Royal Opera have re-deployed the spinning chorus from their last production of The Flying Dutchman. She has composed Concertos for Piano (William Howard) and Oboe (Celia Craig). More information, Don't have an online account? If you dont harbour too many expectations of a thought-provoking story, its worth going to see for the staging alone. The best in live events, streams, reviews and articles recommended by our editors, delivered to your inbox weekly. Former Culture Secretary says he would 'rather be thrown into a pit of scorpions' than listen to one of Judith Weir's operas; . Find Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The Silk Street Theatre, Music Hall and Lecture Recital Room arelocated in the main Guildhall School building on Silk Streetand for Barbican produced events the venuecan also be accessed from the Barbican if you exit via the doors next to Barbican Kitchen on Level G. Address From 2015 to 2019 she was Associate Composer to the BBC Singers. A full list of Production Arts teaching staff and technicians can be found on our website. 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. In fact, I think you should go. Not entirely, and not so extravagantly and hopelessly. What you think of Miss Fortunes music will depend very much on personal tastes: I found it music to admire rather than to love. 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. But this time round, it seemed even more relevant than to pay onstage attention to this subject. In collaboration with director . Silk Street How come that trumpet B-flat sounded so great in the Austrian Alps, but in London was clearly a wrong note? Antonio Daz Fernndez Definitions of Judith_Weir, synonyms, antonyms, derivatives of Judith_Weir, analogical dictionary of Judith_Weir (English) . Memoirs of an Accidental Film Artist. What doesnt change, at least in the 53 minute first act, is her accenting: the music is continually using devices to ratchet up the tension - chromatics, diminished and augmented chords. Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Judith Weir (b1954 in Cambridge, England) first studied composition with a few lessons from John Tavener during her schooldays in London. It has been a hyperactive week for hubris, schadenfreude and any other not quite correctly used foreign words you care to scatter. or you can purchase and download online, The music of Judith Weir is published by Chester Music Ltd and Novello & Co Ltd, part of Wise Music Group. Julian Hepple. 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. Justin Anderson . What drew me was finding something that would bring my performing friends together. a reference to Mozart's great scene where people on a beach are menaced by a sea monster. Judith Weir, Miss Fortune, Royal Opera, 12 March 2012 (British premiere) A member of Soul Mavericks Images: Royal Opera/Bill Cooper: Royal Opera House. . Much of her music has been recorded, and is available on the NMC, Delphian and Signum labels. The darker side of the "alienating effects of modern urban life" (as designer Anna Reid's programme note summarises both operas) are explored in Judith Weir's Miss Fortune (2011) based on a Sicilian folk story and dramatising a serious reversal of fortune and circumstances as its punning title implies, through the personified figure of fate. [11] In 2023, Weir was announced as one of the composers who would each create a brand new piece for the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. Miss Fortune premiered last summer at the Bregenz festival in Austria, where local audiences received it warmly despite it being performed in English. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at . Tina (Miss Fortune) - Emma Bell. 3 - Larsson, Dsseldorfer Symphoniker/Fischer, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. So, turning convention on its head, weve a fatalistic riches-to-rags tale transposed from a Sicilian original and relocated in time and place to take account of the financial ills and social unrest of the here and now. BBC Radio 3. Weir, who succeeds Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, will be appointed for a. Luna De Mol, Violin II 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. 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. Our privacy policy was last updated on Friday 31 January 2020, Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 12 March 2012. 024 IN 2. But now that the Royal Opera House's chorus has taken over, the opera seems to have moved into 3D. A recording of this production will be available to watch online for free after the performances. For more information visit their website, Hear music by Judith Weir online at Spotify. 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. Dominic Wheeler conductorMartin Lloyd-Evans directorAnna Reid designerAnthony Doran lighting designerJoseph Beesley assistant conductorRachel Wise assistant director/movement, Lucy England Segomotso Shupinyaneng (28 Feb & 4 Mar), Ellie Neate (2 & 7 Mar) Florian Panzieri as the kebab seller Hassan impressed with his clear tenor and mezzo-soprano Laura Fleur as Donna brought verisimilitude to her scenes at the laundrette. Judith Weir must be considered one of the most successful Britishoperacomposers since Britten, Get priority booking for outstanding performances & access to exclusive events, 2023 Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, See the CVs for Guildhall School Final Year Production Arts students, Production Arts teaching staff and technicians can be found on our website. 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. Last year's Bregenz staging, the work's world premiere, was an opportunity to take strong action. The once-rich little heroine, dogged by cruel Fate,. 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. Was it a plane, a boat or a train? In 2008, as I began writing, I walked past a sandwich board bearing the headline: "Blind panic as shares crash." BBC Philharmonic/David, GRAMOPHONE Review: Shostakovich Symphony No 10, Mahler Symphony No 10 Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra/van Zweden, GRAMOPHONE Review: Mahler Symphony No. Did the huge generic trapezium in the middle of the stage represent the dizzying moral precipice over which we mortals all too often hurl ourselves, especially in the name of making opera? She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Cludia Costa Gonalves, Ensembles, Programming & Instrument Manager Firstly, when disaster strikes the family, our heroine leaves home for the mean streets of her own accord (in the original, she is cast out by her superstitious mother). Two outstanding performances by young singers light up a splendidly crafted revival of Caurier and Leiser's colourful production. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . You can contact him from. 2010-2023 Bachtrack Ltd. All rights reserved. Find the perfect Judith Weir stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Judith Weirsoperais a story aboutTinaand how her life dramaticallychanges course overnight; it is a story aboutfateand fortune. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Unsolved problems: (l-r) Kathryn Harries, Alan Ewing and Emma Bell struggle to make an impression at Covent Garden. Everything about Miss Fortune is benign and comfortable - even Tom Pyes eye-catching geometric designs are thoroughly alienating, a garment sweatshop spotless and sanitised like the Royal Opera have re-deployed the spinning chorus from their last production of The Flying Dutchman. The upper floor of The Telephones split staging neatly morphed into Miss Fortunes roof top balcony where Harrison and Holyland made their mark as the nouveau riche parents of Tina. Our heroine is clad in a bright red dress - the Chinese colour for luck - which makes her a constant point of focus through the action. 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 contemporary events. Watch online from 25 March. Much of her music has been recorded, and is available on the NMC, Delphian and Signum labels. Sad to say but Judith Weir's sixth opera is an embarrassment. Judith Weir is a composer who, despite a huge body of work that ranges from grand operas to piano concertos to songs for children, has never sought the limelight. Opera; Full score; Chester Music; musicsalesclassical.com; 43308 The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . Judith Weir CBE (born 1954) is a British composer and the first female Master of the Queen's Music. Judith Weir was appointed Master of The Queen's Music, in succession to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, in July 2014; and in January 2015 became Associate Composer . Violin I 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. EC2Y 8DT. 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. Ami-Louise Johnsson Sad to say but Judith Weirs sixth opera is an embarrassment. Stamatia Tsaroucha Called Miss Fortune, the story is about money, fate and fortune. Beat Erro Dez, Horn Julia Bermingham, Staff Costume Supervisors Aina Miyagi Magnell JUDITH WEIR AT 70 OPERAS. 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. Throughout the opera, in an impressive piece of singing, counter-tenor Andrew Watts sings a discordant overlay over the other music, reminding everyone that he is all-powerful and capricious. For Guildhall School performances please use the Guildhall School entrance on Silk Street. I loved the witty set (designer, Anna Reid) a luxury housing development, with a big sign outside promising "No social housing", something I'm all too familiar with as a local resident to the Vauxhall-Nine Elms "transformation". I hope that does not mean more trapeziums, please. Miss Fortune is Birtish composer Judith Weir's first operatic composisition in the last 17 years. Violetta Suvini* 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. 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. [13] Gerhard R. Koch, writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper on 25 July, had these observations: Miss Fortune moved to London in March 2012, garnering at least two negative reviews. Daniel RobinsonAnja Urban. Next year, George Benjamin's commission Written on Skin will enter the fray and Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur a tale of loneliness with a furious but poetic score which was unquestionably a success is revived. Had Kieron-Connor Valentines Fate been more malevolent his encounters with Erin Gwyn Rossingtons Tina would have had more emotional impact. 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. Applying that usage, it has had many "adventures" over the years and the discard pile is high. Meanwhile, the cast plunged into the nitty-gritty ("Four steps to the left, take the glass from Kathryn, turn "). She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. What drew you to composition? Judith Weir was born into a Scottish family in 1954, but grew up near London. Judith Weir Net Worth & Basic source of earning is being a successful British Musician. Miss Fortune is Birtish composer Judith Weir's first operatic composisition in the last 17 years. Miss Fortune. 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. CONTENTS OPERA Blond Eckbert. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Despite the layoff since summer, the staging soon exuded a dance-like motion we hadn't seen before. Emma Bell, singing the title role perched five metres up on a rocky plinth, only now revealed that she was scared of heights. 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). Gounod's Faust from the Opra Bastille, Paris. 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. The most recent opera is Miss Fortune, premiered at Bregenz in . Malena Benavent Views: 5 180. 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. This is a past event. Giulia Lussoso Albery's production allows the opera to speak for itself, although sluggish pacing in the pit detract from the musical merits of this revival. Weir is a warmly admired composer, modest in manner but gritty in ambition, as anyone in her field has to be first to achieve, second to survive. Even Fate (countertenor Andrew Watts), with his "cloud" of street dancers, is no more than a mildly creepy stalker. Privacy Policy She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. Miss Fortune in name and deed. Where Weirs orchestral writing is full and rich, the vocal parts are for the most part agile and harsh. She was an oboe player, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and studied composition with John Tavener during her schooldays. In July 2014 Judith Weir was appointed to the 395-year old royal post of Master of the Queens Music, in succession to Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. In 2014 she was appointed . 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. . . And Im not sure I want to think too hard about the statements it does make: for example, the breakdancing team Soul Mavericks are superb, but theyre cast as stereotypical hoodlums wrecking things with baseball bats. Judith Weir's Miss Fortune is an entertaining night out. Nicole Ma, Percussion Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. Both the score and the individual performances Indeed it has. Alan Ewing as Lord Fortune, Emma Bell as Tina and Kathryn Harries as Lady Fortune in the Royal Opera's production of Judith Weir's Miss Fortune. Opera on 3 Judith Weir's Miss Fortune. 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". Paula Guerra Biography. Joana Praa* The Royal Opera promise a feast for the eyes and dont disappoint. So, turning convention on its head, weve a fatalistic riches-to-rags tale transposed from a Sicilian original and relocated in time and place to take account of the financial ills and social unrest of the here and now. For Barbican performances, enter through the mainBarbican Centre entrance in Silk Street. Guildhall School of Music & Drama Charlotte Antingham 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. In 2014-15 there were releases of The Vanishing Bridegroom (NMC) and Storm (BBC Singers/Signum). Right next to it was the ubiquitous fingers-crossed Lottery sign with its jaunty "Play here!" She is seen as one of the most successful Musician of all times. 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. 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. Her music often draws on sources from medieval history, as well as the traditional stories and music of her parents' homeland, Scotland. Beri Valentine, Stage Management Props Supervisor 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. Judith Weir CBE HonFRSE (born 11 May 1954)[1] is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. Jamie Hulme A. 9 Bavarian Radio Sinfonieorchester/Rattle, GRAMOPHONE Review: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. In recent years, Judith Weir has considerably expanded her choral catalogue, with regular performance by choirs worldwide of music such as her Christmas carolIlluminare, Jerusalemwritten for Stephen Cleobury and the choir of Kings College Cambridge. Hui Pang Lee Still, Glowing. Joshua Saunders Tiago Costa 145 Miss Weir Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE Collections Project #ShowUs Creative Insights EDITORIAL VIDEO BBC Motion Gallery NBC News Archives MUSIC BLOG BROWSE PRICING ENTERPRISE VisualGPS INSIGHTS BOARDS BASKET SIGN IN Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO Hugo Haag, Cello Thus assured, they hurl themselves down with even greater animation. She is the composer of several operas (written for Kent Opera, Scottish Opera, ENO and Bregenz) which have been widely performed. 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. 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. Only Anne-Marie Owens's Donna, who runs a launderette, and Hassan the kebab-van owner, beautifully sung by Noah Stewart (the closest we get to beefcake), show signs of humanity. 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. Presented byGuildhall School of Music & Drama. 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.