In a week when dozens of migrants perished in a truck in Texas, as Rwanda continues to be the UK government’s preferred destination for asylum seekers and the country’s new protest laws came into effect, the premiere of Welsh National Opera’s Migrations was timely. As a massive exercise in collaboration and inclusivity, and for its engagement with the fundamental concept of freedom, Migrations was a significant and brave venture, even if, in the end, it was compromised by its overarching ambition.
Director David Pountney’s epic began as a project for 2020 to mark the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower and the Pilgrim Fathers’ flight from persecution, but was expanded to become an examination of the age-old necessity of seeking change. With six different narrative threads, five authors from differing backgrounds and the heroic effort of a single composer, Will Todd, the crisscrossing of stories across time avoided becoming confusing thanks to section titles and surtitles. It did, however, become unwieldy.
