In Parenthesis: Watch the Welsh National Opera performance online

7 July 2016

Hailed as a masterpiece of 20th Century literature by the likes of W.B. Yeats, David Jones' epic poem In Parenthesis recounts the horrors of the Battle of Somme from a Welsh perspective - and all mixed in with a fair dash of Celtic mythology. Adapted for the stage by Welsh National Opera, this new production, thanks to collaboration with The Space, is now available to view online.

The ensemble cast on stage in WNO's adaptation of In Parenthesis. Photo: Bill Cooper.

As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, Welsh National Opera is looking to the future. And what better way to do it than by making its brand new opera available online?

The WNO, in conjunction with The Space, a collaboration between the Arts Council England and the BBC, have commissioned the online streaming of a very modern opera - In Parenthesis.

In Mametz Wood, the central character, John Ball, wanders into a strange world - timeless, unreal and deadly

Based on David Jones’ epic poem, In Parenthesis charts the experiences of the author during World War One from arrival in France to fighting at Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme.

In the poem the central character, John Ball, wanders into a strange world - timeless, unreal and deadly. But it’s here that John and his fellow soldiers find something they never expected: hope.

The poem, published in 1937, won the admiration of such literary luminaries as W.H. Auden, T.S. Eliot, and W.B. Yeats for its take on the horrors of war and its allusions to Celtic and Arthurian myths.

Jones was primarily a visual artist and initial he intended to capture his experiences of war in drawings and paintings. Instead, the project came to life as a poem. It was the sonorous quality of reading the poem that inspired its translation to the stage as an opera.

Devised by composer Ian Bell and director David Pountney, the production team set out to capture the experience of total war as seen through Welsh eyes, humour and song.

Viewers can watch the opera for free online.

To accompany the production, a range of behind-the-scenes video podcasts and audio recordings will be available. The opera will also tour selected venues and be screened in cinemas across the summer. Full details can be found on the WNO In Parenthesis website.

In Parenthesis is part of the 14-18 Now WW1 centenary art projects and jointly commissioned by the Nicholas John Trust.