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Latest news:
David Ward may be about to embark on writing another opera, this time based on the Cupid and Psyche myth, with a libretto written for him in 1985 by Kevin Ireland. New Zealand poet Kevin Ireland also wrote the libretto for David Ward's The Snow Queen, which was commissioned by the BBC in 1982. Go to the Sound Clips page of this web-site to hear a sequence from The Snow Queen. A PDF of the draft full score of the first 10 minutes of the new opera, Cupid and Psyche, may be downloaded from this link 10 minutes of score And a PDF of the synopsis plus some general information can be downloaded from this one Synopsis & Info * * * The provisional full score of David Ward's opera Sybil: a Nation Divided can now be downloaded as a PDF (30.8 MB) from this link Sybil PDF From time to time this is up-dated to include edits and corrections. A page of notes to accompany the score PDF can be downloaded from this link Notes for Sybil PDF A PDF (881 KB) of only the cover and information pages, including a SYNOPSIS, can be downloaded from this link Cover & Info PDF Sybil is an opera in two acts ostensibly set in early Victorian England, but it can - indeed generally should - be updated in production. It is a story of love set against the ever-relevant misunderstanding and conflict between rich and poor, haves and have-nots. Quite how alarmingly relevant this opera seems was not anticipated at the time of composition: in Act II there is a scene in which a shop is burnt down by rioters. Plus ça change! Act I is a darkly ironic social comedy. Act II soon becomes violent, with catastrophic consequences. A vocal score will be available in due course.
In 2010 David
Ward was commissioned to write a piece which has the title e-mails from Palestine (1) and had its first performance at Woodend
Barn, Banchory, Scotland on Friday 12 November 2010 as part of sound, North East Scotland's festival of new music. The
performers were the wonderfully versatile Emily White on trombone,
alto sackbut and violin, as well as singing and rhythmic recitation, together with
Steve Bingham on violin, five string electric violin and electric bass violin. Both also played some
percussion. The words for Emily to sing and recite during this 25
minute quasi-theatrical piece were phrases from the often harrowing, but occasionally humorous e-mails
which the Scottish artist Jane Frere has
sent to David from Palestine, from the occupied territories and from
Palestinian refugee camps across the region, especially while she was
putting together her Return of the Soul
exhibition in 2007 and 2008. The last part of the piece has a pre-recording of Jane herself
reading her recent thoughts on the separation wall. The
music followed the opening of her
exhibition In the Shadow of the Wall. There were two performances, with
different endings, separated by a long interval in which the audience had a discussion with Jane Frere, Emily White, Steve
Bingham and David Ward. A studio recording of the piece is planned for next year, to be followed by further performances. This is a brilliant piece. I found it effective, engaging and it's all accessible - writes
Anthony Sayer, cellist and longest serving member of the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra, on listening to a recording of the first
performance of e-mails from Palestine. * * *
In 2007 DW received a commission from the Institute of Evolutionary Studies to write a piece for 23 solo strings (the same line-up as Strauss's Metamorphosen) in celebration of Darwinian evolution. Some other Recent Premieres:
LINKSIf you would like to suggest a relevant link please email the details. Vanderbeek & Imrie Ltd British Music Information Centre (BMIC) Steve Bingham |
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 David Ward |
