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27 October 2022 Comments Off on Opera’r Ddraig Tours Robert Fokkens ‘Bhekizizwe’ Across Wales Views: 478 CE News

Opera’r Ddraig Tours Robert Fokkens ‘Bhekizizwe’ Across Wales

Rob Fokkens
Robert Fokkens

We are very excited to hear that Robert Fokkens’ operatic monodrama ‘Bhekizizwe’ will be toured around Wales this November to December with Opera’r Ddraig – the women-led, Cardiff-based opera company who premiered the work online in 2021. The venues include Torch Theatre, Pembrokeshire (17 November), Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth (25 November), Theatr Clwyd, Mold (27 November) and Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff (7 December).

Directed by British opera director Benjamin Davis and designed by Brad Caleb Lee, Bhekizizwe explores questions of identity, race, immigration, parenthood and culture through the eyes and experiences of a young South African Zulu man, whose role is assumed by baritone Themba Mvula. The production traces the life of Bhekizizwe Shange, from his childhood during the last years of apartheid in South Africa to studies and unexpected fatherhood in the UK in the early 2000s. Bhekizizwe draws on a range of musical and theatrical traditions – including traditional music and more recent styles from South Africa, British popular culture, and contemporary classical music – and features a bilingual libretto in English and Zulu.

A rite-of-passage story…Mvula moves with an easy grace, his warm baritone catching the changing inflections

Opera Magazine

Alongside the performances a programme of activities are being presented from October to December, funded by Cardiff University’s Innovation for All scheme, allowing young people to explore the themes of the piece through practical sessions aimed at developing their skills in creative music-making. There will also be a number of showings of Opera’r Ddraig’s 2021 film of Bhekizizwe in other venues around Wales, including the Grange Pavilion, Cardiff, and Pontio, Bangor as part of the national Festival of Social Science. As well as having interactive exhibitions in foyer spaces at the various venues, audiences of both the live performances and film showings will be engaged in discussion around the themes of the piece.

Composers Edition is proud to present Bhekizizwe among many other works by Robert Fokkens, readily available for perusal and purchase through our website.

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