THERE WILL be a rare opportunity this year for an audience to see and hear a performance of a lost musical masterpiece by composer Arwel Hughes with words by playwright Saunders Lewis. ‘Serch yw’r Doctor’ (Love is the Doctor) is based on Molière’s comedy drama, L’Amour médecin. This is only the second time the opera has been performed on stage since it saw the light of day at the National Eisteddfod in Cardiff in 1960.
This special performance will be staged at Aberystwyth Arts Centre as part of this year’s Musicfest festival, with the Welsh National Opera’s orchestra. The conductor will be Musicfest’s Artistic Director, Iwan Davies with leading soloists Fflur Wyn, Robert Lewis, Paul Carey Jones, Steffan Lloyd Owen and Sioned Gwen Davies. Local choir, Côr ABC, will provide the chorus for this unique event.
Marking the 40th anniversary of the death of Saunders Lewis, and in the year of the National Eisteddfod’s visit to Wrexham, the birthplace of Arwel Hughes, this is a fitting tribute to two of Wales’ most prominent creative figures of the twentieth century.
Iwan Davies is undertaking this work as a result of receiving financial support from the Saunders Lewis Memorial Fund, a fund set up to offer opportunities for people to undertake studies relating to the playwright’s contribution to Welsh literature, theatre or politics.
According to Iwan Davies, Saunders Lewis’ important contribution to the world of opera in Wales has been largely ignored until now.
Iwan said: “When reading the play Serch yw’r Doctor, Saunders Lewis’s lyrical cleverness and strong rhythms are evident throughout the libretto, and this in turn is clearly an inspiration for Arwel Hughes.
“This was Arwel Hughes’ second opera and what is very interesting is to identify and analyse the development in Arwel Hughes’ craft as a composer.
“Saunders’ lyrics are clearly a trigger for him and it is as if he has found his own operatic voice in the creation of the piece, and married his music with the genius of the playwright.
“I am delighted with this unique opportunity to be able to stage this production and am very grateful to the Fund’s trustees for their support and to the Welsh National Opera for their willing co-operation.”
The performance itself will be staged on Friday, August 1st, at the Great Hall in Aberystwyth as one of the highlights of Aberystwyth Musicfest and there is sure to be a high demand for tickets for such a unique event.
According to the chair of the Saunders Lewis Memorial Fund, Professor M Wynn Thomas, it was very pleasing to be able to support such an initiative,
Professor Thomas said: “The fund was originally set up to offer opportunities for people to research areas of interest to Saunders himself. The connection with the world of opera is one that has not been considered before, in the context of the Fund, and it’s great to see that interest being highlighted, in such a lively and exciting way on stage.
“It is also timely that the performance is staged on the eve of the National Eisteddfod’s visit to Wrexham, an area that of course have close links with the composer, Arwel Hughes.”
It is also very appropriate that the Welsh National Opera’s orchestra will offer the musical accompaniment for the performance as it was the company that performed the work on the opening night of the 1960 Cardiff Eisteddfod at Sophia Gardens. They are delighted to be part of the production according to Sarah Crabtree and Adele Thomas, the Co-General Directors of WNO.
Sarah and Adele said: “We are thrilled to be participating in this remarkable production as it’s staged for only the second time in its history. ‘Serch yw’r Doctor’ represents an important chapter in our nation’s cultural history, bringing together the extraordinary talents of Arwel Hughes and Saunders Lewis.
“Having premiered this work at the 1960 Cardiff Eisteddfod, it feels particularly meaningful for WNO’s orchestra to return to perform it again and introduce it to new audiences.”
Tickets can be booked through the Aberystwyth Arts Centre website or by calling 01970 62 32 32.
The Saunders Lewis Memorial Fund will open later this year for applications.
