A COWBRIDGE church is to premiere a new Welsh opera, An Act of Piracy, exploring how Trinidad and Wales are intimately linked tomorrow (Friday, 9th January).
Holy Cross Church will host the opera, which will be presented by Welsh singer Richard Parry with leading Trinidadian artist Mary-Anne Roberts. The score features classical British sea songs and a calypso band.
It tells the dramatic story, with classical and calypso music, of a man from west Wales carried away to Trinidad by pirates in the 1790s.
Richard Parry, who has developed the show, said: “We’re presenting a daring pirate adventure told with classical music alongside the most amazing Trinidadian traditional and modern calypso songs. Operas are celebration events, so for An Act of Piracy audiences are invited to come along dressed for fun and a pirate carnival. It’s an opera party.”
Britain invaded Trinidad in 1797 and the first Governor was the Pembrokeshire-born soldier Thomas Picton. Cowbridge is directly connected to Thomas Picton’s story because the hotel on Cowbridge’s High Street was renamed “the Duke of Wellington” after Wellington stayed there following the Battle of Waterloo on his way to visit Picton’s mother in Pembrokeshire.
Picton was a brutal governor of Trinidad and convicted of torturing the civilian population, but amid the turmoil of British colonial society, his reputation was restored by his death whilst leading British troops at the battle of Waterloo.
Richard said: “Becoming friends with Mary-Anne has uncovered astonishing stories about Wales and the rest of the world. Modern Wales is a truly remarkable and open place, and our new carnival-inspired opera looks at the past and celebrates the life and vibrancy of Trinidad and Wales today.”
Richard and Mary-Anne met while working on Carnifal y Môr, the late-night carnival spectacle celebration that opened the 2018 National Eisteddfod of Wales on the steps of the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. They have worked on musical projects and the new opera is their latest.
Mary-Anne Roberts is a Turner Prize nominated artist who performs Welsh classical medieval music. She came to Britain in her early 20s.
She said: “When I arrived in Wales, I discovered I had a Welsh surname! My first boyfriend in Trinadad was a Rastafarian called Llewelyn. My teachers at school and neighbours had names like Davis, Evans, Lewis, Williams, Griffiths and Jones. Arriving in Cardiff I came to realise that there’s so much of Wales inside Trinidad that is hidden.”
“Opera sometimes comes with a reputation of being a bit stuffy,” said Mary-Anne, “but this show is full of life and fun. We’ve deliberately set out to make it accessible to anyone who enjoys musicals. It’s a mix of classical and traditional Trinidadian street songs, and an open exciting show for everyone. Join the opera party. An Act of Piracy will be performed at 7.30 pm on Friday, 9 January at Holy Cross Church, Cowbridge. Information and tickets are available from www.actofpiracyopera.org
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