The end of ENO?

[bluestateprommer]

Some commentaries on the ENO situation from Callum John Blackmore at Parterre Box:

https://parterre.com/2022/11/28/a-game-of-3-d-chess/

https://parterre.com/2022/11/30/oh-thoughtless-crew-ye-know-not-what-ye-do/

CJB will have one more commentary to come, from his closing paragraph of his 2nd commentary.

[french frank]

Some commentaries on the ENO situation from Callum John Blackmore at Parterre Box:

https://parterre.com/2022/11/28/a-game-of-3-d-chess/

https://parterre.com/2022/11/30/oh-thoughtless-crew-ye-know-not-what-ye-do/

CJB will have one more commentary to come, from his closing paragraph of his 2nd commentary.

There are just too many quotable quotes, too much sound information, to know what to select to quote here. A sad picture of what seems like "worst practice" on so many levels. (NB to bsp: Please remind when Part 3 appears!).

[Ein Heldenleben]

Some commentaries on the ENO situation from Callum John Blackmore at Parterre Box:

https://parterre.com/2022/11/28/a-game-of-3-d-chess/

https://parterre.com/2022/11/30/oh-thoughtless-crew-ye-know-not-what-ye-do/

CJB will have one more commentary to come, from his closing paragraph of his 2nd commentary.

Thanks BSP - I wonder if the fate of ENO will follow that of New York City Opera which is just about still going. For what it’s worth I think ENO need to forget about the unreliable Arts Council , scale down , and go all out to raise as much sponsorship/ charitable money as they can.I think there’s enough money sloshing around London to support a second house but not a three thousand seater. I think it’s incredibly difficult to sell 5,000 opera seats a night in London (ENO and ROH) particularly when there’s such a rich orchestral scene. The fundamental problem is that there is almost too much choice in London if you are interested in the entire range of classical music. Although the UK doesn’t have as many orchestras as Germany very few global cities have as much on offer nightly as London.

[Master Jacques]

The Parterre commentaries on ACE are chilling indeed. If any chapter-and-verse were needed on this organisation's arrogance, unaccountability and statistical mendacity, here it is. Its focus on quantitive, as opposed to qualitative, data is gravely worrying where the survival of the performing arts in this country is at stake; and as we knew, the degree of bureaucratic box-ticking to which ACE clients are subjected is "Stalinesque", in Adès's word.

The exposure of ACE's political prejudice against so-called "grand" opera is staggering. Do we really want ENO, our most important opera company culturally and historically, to go the way of New York City Opera? It looks as if we, the people, are not to be given any choice in the matter.

[bluestateprommer]

There are just too many quotable quotes, too much sound information, to know what to select to quote here. A sad picture of what seems like "worst practice" on so many levels. (NB to bsp: Please remind when Part 3 appears!).

Callum John Blackmore has Part 3 of his commentary on the ACE-instigated ENO debacle here, dated today:

https://parterre.com/2022/12/02/leveling-up-or-leveling-down/

Not sure how much CJB's commentaries would circulate around the UK, so getting the word and his analysis out as much as possible can but help.

[french frank]

Callum John Blackmore has Part 3 of his commentary on the ACE-instigated ENO debacle here, dated today:

https://parterre.com/2022/12/02/leveling-up-or-leveling-down/

Not sure how much CJB's commentaries would circulate around the UK, so getting the word and his analysis out as much as possible can but help.

Thank you, bsp. In a nutshell:

"It seems that a move to Manchester on just £17 million would essentially mark the end of the ENO as we know it and would not be the boon for the regions that the Arts Council are marketing it as. The Arts Council are sending the ENO to Manchester as a gutted shell of an opera company and then congratulating themselves on their regional arts provision."

I didn't have much luck with my first effort, but maybe posting CJB's first commentary on ACE's Facebook page would be better received?

[Serial_Apologist]

Thank you, bsp. In a nutshell:

"It seems that a move to Manchester on just £17 million would essentially mark the end of the ENO as we know it and would not be the boon for the regions that the Arts Council are marketing it as. The Arts Council are sending the ENO to Manchester as a gutted shell of an opera company and then congratulating themselves on their regional arts provision."

I didn't have much luck with my first effort, but maybe posting CJB's first commentary on ACE's Facebook page would be better received?

One supposes he could have done that himself, though possibly it would be considered "more politic" for someone other than himself to do that?

[Nick Armstrong]

[french frank]

Well done, chaps. Don't let them off the hook. Of course, we know Rishi Sunak is an opera supporter - when it's in his own constituency and needs funding.

[bluestateprommer]

From Harriet Harman's website, a blog entry titled "Closure of ENO - why Arts Council England must u-turn decision" from a few weeks back:

https://www.harrietharman.org/of_eno

The Tweet (sorry) has a video excerpt of her address to the group at Westminster Hall. The video cuts off in what looks like the middle of the transcript. The transcript continues, with a slight tweak to the presentation to emphasize Ms. Harman's suggestions for a re-think:

"The briefing was that the ENO was going to Manchester—not only was that a bolt out of the blue to the ENO, but it was the first time Manchester had heard of it, and it was not what they wanted. The Arts Council is closing the ENO with a tremendous cultural loss and nothing to show for it up north.

What the Arts Council proposes to do is completely wrong, but the way it has gone about it—with no consultation and, frankly, misleading spin—is shameful. It should think again. Yes, times have changed and times are hard, but difficult decisions should be made carefully, not with a wrecking ball. I am backing the ENO’s call for three things:
(1) a strategic review of opera as a whole;
(2) that the Arts Council should agree realistic funds for the ENO for a period of four years;
(3) and that the Arts Council should agree a period of five years to consult on a new model, based on the ENO retaining its Coliseum base but increasing still further its fundraising and work outside London."

I also can't resist highlighting one particular passage near the end of the transcript:

"The decision to close the ENO is wrong, and the best thing to do with a wrong decision is to change it."

[oddoneout]

Well done, chaps. Don't let them off the hook. Of course, we know Rishi Sunak is an opera supporter - when it's in his own constituency and needs funding.

"Compile a list of possible funding sources". Oh there are so many things one could say in response to that, but I suppose it's one thing Sunak does have some knowledge of. Whether that knowledge is of any use or even relevant to the issue requiring the funding is another matter. Is he not allowed to be a "possible funding source" himself or is that only for the likes of Winchester College?

[bluestateprommer]

The New York Times had an article on the ACE-induced debacle on ENO a few weeks back:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/09/arts/music/english-national-opera-future.html

Obviously this article couldn't go into depth the way that CJB could on Parterre, but the NYT has a wider audience by comparison. And speaking of CJB:

I didn't have much luck with my first effort, but maybe posting CJB's first commentary on ACE's Facebook page would be better received?

Did ACE pull an Elon Musk and delete or get the link to CJB's articles removed from their social media? If reposting CJB's articles to ENO's various social media feeds hasn't yet been done, maybe it's best to go that route?

BTW, Sir Bryn's on-line petition in support of ENO is past 80K signatures as of now:

https://www.change.org/p/reinstate-the-english-national-opera-s-ace-funding-immediately-a2c61aac-4331-4673-ba2f-ab14514caf77?

PS: Didn't realize that R3 is airing ENO's recent production of G&S The Yeomen of the Guard now:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g9z6

[Ein Heldenleben]

This update from Bryn Terfel is worth quoting

“PETITION UPDATE

An update from the ENO

Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, CBE
London, ENG, United Kingdom
24 DEC 2022 —
Thank you for your support of the #LoveENO campaign and signing this petition to support the English National Opera in asking Arts Council England to reverse their decision and reinstate the ENO's funding.
This company is so important in developing incredible artists and staging work of the highest quality and integrity.
I wanted to update you as the ENO have informed me that they are in discussion with Arts Council England and hope they will have news regarding their future in mid-January.
The petition is now at 80,000+ and I thought if we could all send it round (again) to our friends and family and share on our social media channels that it would give a boost to the company over this Christmas period. It would be great to get it to over 100,000 signatures before the New Year.
Thank you once again for your support. Have a wonderful festive season.
Nadolig Llawen,
Sir Bryn Terfel CBE”


Any ideas what this “news” might be ? A reprieve?

[JasonPalmer]

I used to be a regular eno customer, seems a shame to get rid of it. I think it does well in London appealing to the tourists.

[Belgrove]

Glyndebourne have announced it won’t be touring this year because of the ACE cut to their funding:

https://www.glyndebourne.com/tour/glyndebourne-is-unable-to-tour-in-2023/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ACETourannouncement-OTHERMEMBERS-06.01.23&utm_content=version_A&sourceNumber=56341

We await WNO’s decision on touring.