Remarks at the Opening of the 61st Wexford Festival Opera
24th October 2012
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am delighted to be here today for the opening of the 61st Wexford Festival Opera, an event of which I am very proud to be patron. I would like to thank Peter Scallan for his kind invitation and all of you for that very generous welcome.
Imeacht thar a bheith tábhachtach í ar fhéilire chultúrtha na hÉireann Féile Cheoldrámaíochta Loch Garrman. Le breis agus seasca bliain anuas ó bunaíodh í i 1951, tá sí tar éis iompú ina mórimeacht chultúrtha ar bhonn na hEorpa. Go deimhin, tuigtear dom gur ón iasacht tuairim is daichead faoin gcéad den lucht freastail, daoine a thagann go Loch Garman le héisteacht le cuid de mhórsheoda dearmata shaol na ceoldrámaíochta, na sárshaothair sin a bhíonn folaithe agus beagnach imithe ó chuimhne ach a bhíonn athbheoite go hálainn ag an iliomad daoine ildánacha taobh thiar den imeacht seo, agus a chuireann sceitimíní ar na glúnta d’éisteoirí dílse na ceoldrámaíochta.
[The Wexford Opera Festival is, of course, a hugely important event on Ireland’s cultural calendar. Over the past six decades, since its establishment in 1951, it has also become a major European cultural event. In fact, I understand that about forty percent of attendees at the festival come from overseas, travelling to Wexford to hear some of the great forgotten gems of the opera world; those long buried and almost forgotten masterpieces which are so beautifully revived by the many talented people behind this event, delighting new generations of devoted opera audiences.]
The Wexford Festival Opera stands as a great tribute to the many people who have worked so hard over the past five decades to create one of the most significant classical music events in Europe. It is amazing to consider that such an important cultural landmark began with an informal gathering of like minded friends who simply came together to listen to some music on the gramophone. Out of that social occasion a music and arts festival was born which soon grew into the major musical occasion it is today. We owe an enormous debt to the festival’s first director Dr Tom Walsh, the amateur musician and man of great imagination and foresight who steered this festival through its first decade and a half, ensuring the mark it left on Ireland’s cultural landscape would be deep and enduring.
All great works of art, be they in the fields of music, song, drama, literature or dance have the power to stir us to great emotion; to cause us to reflect and to dig deeply into our feelings and sentiments as we experience the artist’s own emotions being transmuted into unforgettable plays, songs, poetry, melodies, harmonies and stage performances. Opera, however, is a union of all of these art forms, a great coming together of the skills of the writer, the singer, the actor, the musician, the choreographer and the visual artist. It is, in many ways, the most complete work of art, a remarkable bringing together of each distinct form of creativity into one absolute and mesmerising piece of work.
Over the next few days audiences in the award winning Wexford Opera House will experience a true rollercoaster of emotions; they will feel all of the heartbreak of unrequited love, the tragedy of doomed love and the highs and lows of great patriotic love as they watch truly breathtaking performances of Francesco Cilia’s L’Arlesiana, Frederick Delius’ A village Romeo and Juliet and, of course, Emmanuel Chabrier’s comic Le Roi Malgre Lui. These productions will, I am confident, reinforce the Wexford Festival Opera’s renowned reputation as an outstanding artistic event.
Níl dabht ar bith ann ach go mairimid i ré dhúshlánach, ré ina bhfuil deacracht mhór eacnamaíochta agus pianmhaireacht d’an-chuid saoránach. Is nithe ríthábhachtacha iad imeachtaí ar nós Fhéile Cheoldrámaíochta Loch Garman lena chinntiú go mbíonn an mhuinín agus an fhadbhreathnitheacht againn spás cultúrtha a choinneáil, spás nach n-éireoidh imeallach, tadhlach nó tréigthe fiú.
[There can be no doubt that we are living through somewhat challenging times; times of economic difficulty and pain for many citizens. Events like the Wexford Festival Opera are a crucial element in ensuring that we have the confidence and the foresight to retain a cultural space, a space that does not become marginal, tangential or even abandoned. ]
When I was inaugurated as President of Ireland I committed to championing creative communities. I believe that encouraging the development of creativity in our communities and ensuring opportunities for creative expression will lay the groundwork for sustainable employment in creative industries and enrich our social, cultural and economic development. The arts and culture is a unique sector, not just in its capacity to rouse our passions and imagination on a deep personal and communal level, but also in its employment-creation potential but in the sustainability of such employment, its capacity for regional dispersal and the economically attested high multiplier it generates for local economies.
One of the great attributes of this festival is its ability to speak to all citizens and to create a cultural space that is accessible; that is not colonised or seen as the preserve of an elite. The festival’s role as a major cultural event sits comfortably alongside its role as an important community event and a part of a larger inclusive space. The former Chief Executive of the Festival, the late and sadly missed Jerome Hynes, was a man who truly understood the importance of allowing the arts to make a real contribution to our evolving society; a man who had a clear vision of how a mutually rewarding relationship could be built between the worlds of business and culture. By so doing he also ensured that the festival remained loyal to its local roots while becoming the valuable international event it is today.
I would like to conclude by commending all of those involved in the Wexford Festival Opera for their extraordinary hard work and commitment. The programme for the festival is a truly impressive one and includes concerts, recitals, lectures and a programme of short works making this festival a true celebration of culture and art.
I wish all of the Festival visitors, both from home and abroad, a very enjoyable experience and am delighted to declare the Wexford Festival Opera officially open.
Go raibh mile maith agaibh go leir.