Opera on demand

Y Tŵr explores the extremes of emotion experienced by a man and a woman over the course of a 
lifetime together. Based on the work of Gwenlyn Parry, one of Wales’s most prolific playwrights, this 
touching and lyrical new opera is an intimate and universal story of love and life set within the tower 
of its title – a metaphor for any relationship – as its two characters, sung by soprano Caryl Hughes 
and baritone Gwion Thomas, ascend from one level to the next; each one representing a particular 
moment in their relationship, from the flush of youthful romance to the heartfelt ravages of old age.

Y Tŵr was the first ever opera commissioned in Welsh for professional performers and was Music Theatre Wales’s second work to be performed in Welsh. Y Tŵr was also Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s very first opera production. 

The opera received its world premiere in 2017 at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, presented by the Vale of 
Glamorgan Festival, before touring to venues across Wales, and was presented also at the Buxton 
International Festival.

Y Tŵr is the thirteenth production to be shared as part of the Theatr Gen Eto programme since the 
first lockdown in March 2020. It also marks an exciting moment of development for MTW as the first 
streaming of an MTW production and the beginning of their mix of work created for both digital and 
live performance. 

‘The first contemporary operatic work written in the Welsh language, 
it breaks important new ground’
The Guardian

‘A cracking psychological drama – both realistic and surreal, metaphysical and mysterious at the 
same time . . . These are towering talents’
The Times

Arwel Gruffydd, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s Artistic Director, said:
“We’re thrilled to be able to share our co-production of Y Tŵr as part of our Theatr Gen Eto 
programme. The production with Music Theatre Wales was our first venture into the world of opera and was a great opportunity for us to reimagine Gwenlyn Parry’s great play for new audiences. I’m 
delighted that we are able to share this Welsh-language opera with a global audience this spring.”

Michael McCarthy, Artistic Director of Music Theatre Wales and director of the production, said:
“We are delighted to be joining our co-producing partners at Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru to share 
this touching and significant first opera in Welsh with audiences across Wales and far beyond. Opera 
is a truly international art form, written and performed in many different languages, and now it can 
be experienced in glorious sung Welsh, with the drama supported by closed captions in English and 
Welsh. I am deeply grateful to all the performers and production company of Y Tŵr for enabling this 
streaming to take place and I’d like to congratulate them again on an outstanding achievement.”

Theatr Gen Eto was launched by Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru as a new programme of work in 
response to the Coronavirus pandemic. It provides an opportunity for audiences to enjoy past 
productions on screen whilst theatres all over Wales and beyond are closed.