2117/Hedd Wyn CD released — Stephen McNeff

The CD of my opera 2117/Hedd Wyn was released on 5th August at the National Eisteddfod of Wales

Here is the press release from Welsh National Opera:

PRESS RELEASE

Stephen McNeff & Gruff Rhys’s post-apocalyptic opera
based on the life of Hedd Wyn is released on Tŷ Cerdd Records

On 5 August, 2117 / Hedd Wyn will be released on Tŷ Cerdd Records in partnership with Welsh National Opera. The piece was commissioned by WNO and features WNO Orchestra as well as a cast of young soloists, members of WNO Youth Opera and Only Boys Aloud. The three-act, Welsh-language work is
the artistic brainchild of an unlikely but well-matched duo: ‘classical’ composer Stephen McNeff and
Super Furry Animal Gruff Rhys. Together the two have forged a music-theatre piece set 200 years after the death of iconic Welsh bard ‘Hedd Wyn’ (the nom de plume of Ellis Evans: killed in the World War I trenches and posthumously awarded the Chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod).

In the intervening years, a nuclear disaster at the Trawsfynydd power station has displaced communities. An intense dose of radiation has blurred the distinction between past, present and future, and the Welsh language faces extinction. The enthralling drama instils a dystopian future with Welsh mythology and Hedd Wyn’s own verse.

2117 / Hedd Wyn was originally commissioned for cinematic distribution followed by TV broadcast, and the audio was recorded in 2017 with McNeff conducting. Plans for the film were put on hold and the recordings have slept on hard-drives until this release.

The release will be launched with an event on the #Encore stage at the National Eisteddfod on Friday 5 August at 3pm, where Gruff will be interviewed by Sioned Webb, and soprano Ellen Williams, baritone Dafydd Allen and répétiteur Rhiannon Pritchard will perform excerpts from the work.

Composer Stephen McNeff said: “The release of 2117 / Hedd Wyn is a milestone in the development of this opera, a project I have wanted to fulfil for over ten years. Working with Welsh National Opera – a company I grew up with and watched since my earliest interest in opera began – has been an ideal outcome, as has collaborating with such a range of unique and diverse creative talents and the cream of young Welsh singers.”

Gruff Rhys said: “It was an adventure and an education getting to work with Stephen McNeff on creating the libretto for 2117 / Hedd Wyn. His skill and enthusiasm were such that everyone involved in the piece was inspired to go a step further in order to create this unique record. It’s great to see it make the light of day at last.”

WNO Director of Programmes and Engagement Emma Flatley said: “The young singers and performers worked so hard in the development of this production, working alongside WNO Orchestra and Only Boys Aloud and I am over the moon that the recording will now get the profile it deserves, to showcase young operatic talent at its best in Wales. We look forward to an opportunity to be able to perform the full piece in the future, funding dependent.”

Deborah Keyser, Director of Tŷ Cerdd, said: “Tŷ Cerdd’s record label is all about bringing Welsh work to audiences across Wales and further afield, and we’re so thrilled that this partnership with WNO is enabling us to platform Stephen and Gruff’s extraordinary work. This opera is Welsh to its core – from the language, to Hedd Wyn himself – and we know that the music and story will resonate with people around the world.”

2117 / Hedd Wyn is available to pre-order now and will be available to purchase on the Tŷ Cerdd website (www.tycerdd.org) and to stream on all major platforms from 5 August.

To preview / review the new release or to arrange interviews in Welsh or English, please contact: Christina Blakeman, WNO Press Officer (christina.blakeman@wno.org.uk) and Shakira Mahabir, Tŷ Cerdd Label Manager (shakira.mahabir@tycerdd.org)

NOTES TO EDITORS
Tŷ Cerdd Records TCR036: 2117 / Hedd Wyn Performers /artistic team:

Stephen McNeff, composer; Gruff Rhys, librettist Stephen McNeff, conductor
Welsh National Opera Orchestra
WNO Youth Opera

Only Boys Aloud
Soloists: Steffan Lloyd Owen (baritone); Meinir Wyn Roberts (soprano);
Paul Carey Jones (bass baritone); Llio Evans (soprano); Alys Mererid Roberts (soprano); Craig Yates (baritone); Laurence Kilsby (tenor); William Rennie (tenor)

Tŷ Cerdd – Music Centre Wales

Tŷ Cerdd’s mission is to promote and celebrate the music of Wales. Through its activities and working with a variety of partners, Tŷ Cerdd works to:

bring Welsh music to audiences across the nation and around the world
protect the heritage of Welsh music of the past and drive the development of new composition,
across musical genres
enable increasingly diverse communities and audiences to make and enjoy music in Wales
WNO
Welsh National Opera is the national opera company for Wales, funded by the Arts Councils of Wales and England to provide large scale opera, concerts and outreach work across Wales and to major cities in the English regions. We endeavour to provide transformative experiences through our education and outreach programme and our award-winning digital projects. We work with our partners to discover and nurture young operatic talent, and we aim to show future generations that opera is a rewarding, relevant and universal art form with the power to affect and inspire.

The CD is available online or - with fully bi-lingual booklet containing libretto, synopsis etc - from:

@TyCerdd_org

https://bit.ly/3St3pqI https://apple.co/3vIW6RL https://spoti.fi/3Smv8Jz