Opera at Wexford - Rare operas the speciality

The idea of an opera festival aspiring to international standards in a tiny town in the remote south of Ireland was of course absolute madness. (Even today the population of Wexford, still a working port, is not much more than 20,000.) But some mad ideas work, and the Wexford Festival Opera succeeded beyond the wildest hopes of its founders 73 years ago. Despite struggles and challenges, it has continued to succeed, and is now ably and imaginatively steered by artistic director Rosetta Cucchi and executive director Randall Shannon.

Not the least daft aspect of the vision – the visionary being one Tom Walsh, the local anaesthetist – was the decision to focus exclusively on little-known or rarely-performed operas. Indeed, you may find that you have not heard of some or all of the three main operas. Don’t worry, due diligence precludes duffers, and they are very likely to be sung, played and staged with panache and verve and general all-round excellence.

The glory of Wexford Festival Opera is not only musical. To say of the town itself that it is an ordinary, workaday place is not intended to denigrate. It does possess patches of beauty and interest (the estuarial light helps), but its very unpretentiousness means that the habitual Irish warmth of welcome and easy going ways contribute to the conviviality and sense of common purpose. It may be amusingly incongruous to see a street of mariners’ cottages pullulating with gents in dinner jackets (standard, incidentally, but not compulsory) but locals don’t bat an eyelid. After all, it’s their festival too.

Since 1951 the festival has grown steadily in ambition, accomplishment and fame. One triumph has been the building of a new home, named The National Opera House and recipient of numerous national and international awards since its opening in 2008.

The programme for 2024 revolves around the theme of Theatre within Theatre. The three mainstage operas are Le maschere (1901) by Pietro Mascagni, The Critic (1916) by Charles Villiers Stanford and Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali (1827) by Gaetano Donizetti. We have booked top tickets for all three and for I Pagliacci (1892) by Ruggero Leoncavallo, performed by the Opera Factory, a course for early-career artists. There is also a contemporary entertainment, Puccini: Man of the Theatre by William Niall Morris. 

Aside from a rather special morning’s exploration of the town’s history and architecture, we have not laid on excursions or visits. There are talks and discussions daily, and there is a range of events and art exhibitions to entertain you. Time to rest and recharge will also be necessary. In addition to the talks by our own lecturer – John Allison, editor of Opera and also of the Wexford programme book – there will be meetings with several people involved in running the festival. 

Image: courtesy of National Opera House.