BWYSTFILOD AFLAN // UNCLEAN BEASTS

Mae Bwystfilod Aflan yn ail-ymweld â'r heriau cymdeithasol a wynebodd Edward Prosser Rhys yn 1924 am ei gerdd goronog, ATGOF, trwy opera, dawns a ffilm i dynnu sylw at y gwrthdaro rhwng traddodiad a'r angen am newid.

“Aflendid” / “Daeth anlladrwydd i barch, trythyllwch i fri, ac aflendid i anrhydedd…”

“Dylsai syrthio ar ei liniau, a gwaeddi dros y lle am faddeuant a thrugaredd.

Gwynebodd Edward Prosser Rhys storm o gamdriniaeth a sarhad mewn ymateb i'w gerdd ATGOF ar ol ennill coron Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 1924. Mynnodd herio’r norm trwy ddweud y gwir trwy ei gelfyddyd, a derbyn dirmyg a ffieidd-dod.

Roedd hyn 100 mlynedd yn ôl, ond gallai fod wedi bod heddiw, pan mae lleisiau sy'n mynd yn groes i’r gwynt yn parhau i gael eu diarddel.

Roedd darluniau Edward Prosser Rhys o ryw, chwant a rhamant rhwng dau ddyn ifanc yn adlewyrchiad beiddgar o'i realiti, gan herio normau cymdeithasol ei gyfnod, cyfnod pan oedd bod yn hoyw yn dal i fod yn anghyfreithlon, ac a fyddai am 40 mlynedd arall. Serch hynny, ymateb y rhai a ddewisodd i "geryddu a gwobrwyo" ei fynegiant creadigol a amlygodd gymhlethdodau a rhagfarnau'r oes.

Yn dilyn yr hynod lwyddiannus, Abomination: A DUP Opera, mae Conor Mitchell, unwaith yn rhagor, yn cyflwyno archwiliad operatig i galon chwalfa gymdeithasol.

Bydd y perfformiad gwreiddiol newydd hwn yn cyfuno monolog operatig gan y tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas, a darn myfyriol gan y dawnsiwr/actor Eddie Ladd. Bydd 'BWYSTFILOD AFLAN' yn craffu ar yr ymateb cymdeithasol a sbardunwyd gan ATGOF, gan ymchwilio i'r newidiadau’r wlad, ei chyfrinachau cudd, a moderniaeth. Trwy lens opera, dawns a ffilm, byddwn yn dyst i'r gwrthdaro rhwng credoau parhaol a'r angen am newid mewn darn gyffrous a dyfeisgar wedi’i gyfarwyddo a’i gyd-greu gan Jac Ifan Moore, a’i ddylunio gan Elin Steele.

Mae Music Theatre Wales, Canolfan Gerdd Prifysgol Aberystwyth a Sinfonia Cymru, yn falch o gyflwyno'r comisiwn hwn ar gyfer yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol.

"Llygru a llygru"

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Bwystfilod Aflan (Unclean Beasts) revisits the public outrage faced by Edward Prosser Rhys in 1924 for his crown-winning poem, ATGOF, through opera, movement, and film to highlight the clash between tradition and change.

“Filth!”

“On your knees and beg for forgiveness”

“better suited to Sodom and Gomorrah than to Wales”

Cancelled and reviled in the media, Edward Prosser Rhys had to face a storm of abuse in reaction to his poem ATGOF winning one of Wales’s most prestigious cultural prizes. He dared to speak the truth through art, but was met with shock and repulsion.

This was 100 years ago, but it might just as well have been today, when voices daring to diverge from the norm are still met with resistance.

Edward Prosser Rhys's depictions of sex and lust and inclusion of a romance between two young men in his poem was a bold reflection of his reality, challenging the societal norms of his time, a time when homosexuality was still illegal, and would be for another 40 years. Yet, it was the response of those who chose to both "rebuke and reward" his creative expression that truly highlighted the era's complexities and biases.

Following his outrageously successful, Abomination: A DUP Opera, Conor Mitchell once again crafts an operatic exploration into the heart of societal upheaval.

This newly commissioned performance combines an operatic monologue performed by tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas, and a reflective piece by dancer/actor Eddie Ladd. ‘BWYSTFILOD AFLAN’ will scrutinise the societal shockwaves triggered by ATGOF, probing into the changes within the country, its retained secrets, and the undercurrents of modernism. Through the lens of opera, dance and film, we witness the clash between enduring beliefs and the imperative for change, in an exciting and imaginative piece created in collaboration with and directed by Jac Ifan Moore and designed by Elin Steele.

Music Theatre Wales, Aberystwyth University Music Centre and Sinfonia Cymru, proudly present this commission for the National Eisteddfod.

“Pollute and corrupt”

Event Venue

Tŷ Pawb, Market Street, Wrexham, United Kingdom