Waterperry Opera Festival returns this August for its 5th anniversary, with 8 productions performing over 8 days. One of these is the UK professional premiere of Ana Sokolovic’s virtuosic a cappella opera Svadba. And Daily Info sat down with director Rebecca Meltzer to discuss the production.
Daily Info: What made you choose Svadba for this year’s Waterperry?
Rebecca Meltzer: I was introduced to the piece back in 2018 and became utterly transfixed by the originality of the musical writing as well as the subject matter. What struck me the most was the way in which it portrays six women on a journey together, experiencing a range of emotional states in such a raw and visceral manner. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since and have always had Waterperry in mind as the perfect location.
DI: How does it feel to be part of a women-led team, producing work by a female composer, with a female cast?
RM: What is so wonderful about this piece is that it celebrates women in such an all encompassing and complex manner. These women feel real and relatable. Working with an all female team enables us to draw on our first hand experiences of sisterhood and female friendship, and I am continuously inspired by my collaborators on this project. There is a real sense of respect for the work, and we are working to establish an egalitarian approach to creating the staging where everyone has a sense of ownership, is heard and feels valued.
DI: The festival is predominantly outside, how will you use the Waterperry Gardens for Svadba?
RM: The gardens at Waterperry have given me much inspiration in conceiving of the concept of this opera. I began by considering what sort of a community exists within such an environment and how that might translate to this piece specifically. There is something particularly special about outdoor theatre and the dialogue one can have with the elements which is something we have wholeheartedly embraced with this project.
DI: If you could only use three words to describe the essence of this performance, what would they be?
RM: Joyful, Wild, Heartfelt
The Waterperry Opera Festival runs from the 12th to 20th August and you can check out the full schedule here.