The end of ENO?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Full list of cuts/ increases/ status quo

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/investment23

Opera - cut heavily with the exception of the ETO
London Orchs cut
Regional Orchs up a bit e.g. BSO and Halle

Ooh Simon B got there first !

What have they got against opera . What have we ever done to them ?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Just had an email from WNO:

"… as we experience rising costs and reduced income in the current challenging economic climate, we will inevitably need to review the impact of this decision on the delivery of our services in England in light of the announcement. "

In fact their visits to Bristol had already been cut back several years ago, probably due to the fact that it was closest to Cardiff.

WNO used to bring us 5 nights of three to four operas. Next spring is two nights of one . I suspect that’ll be the last season.

[Simon B]

I have an awful feeling that the touring part of WNO will fold.

It's more profound than that. Without the touring in England, what's WNO going to do? Where's the money to survive going to come from? I doubt Mr Drakeford will be stumping up wads of cash. Even if I think I did see him at Butterfly in Cardiff last year sometime - unclear whether this was professional obligation or by choice. They do have an ally in the now King though - he was regularly seen at the Millennium Centre, particularly at Wagner and very likely by choice rather than obligation. Maybe that'll help?

Without the English touring, in a year they'd be doing 30 (a guess) performances at the Millennium Centre, a few in Llandudno and what else in the way of full scale opera*?

[*No criticism of WNO intended. Far from it, as a sometime Friend, regular attendee etc. They sometimes achieve a lot with £peanuts].

[mopsus]

WNO used to bring us 5 nights of three to four operas. Next spring is two nights of one . I suspect that’ll be the last season.

Yes, I think we used to get 3 full weeks Mon-Sat a year. I recall seeing their Tristan on a hot summer evening when the Hippodrome roof was opened to cool the auditorium before the performance!

It's also been true for quite a few years that the productions of 20th-century operas aren't always brought to Bristol, though they may to go to Southampton, Oxford etc.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Yes, I think we used to get 3 full weeks Mon-Sat a year. I recall seeing their Tristan on a hot summer evening when the Hippodrome roof was opened to cool the auditorium before the performance!

It's also been true for quite a few years that the productions of 20th-century operas aren't always brought to Bristol, though they may to go to Southampton, Oxford etc.

Saw Thomas Allen in Billy Budd at the HIPP once - I reckon Bristol is the place they might keep as there are no overnights out of Cardiff and it has a big population. To be honest it would make
a lot of sense for ENO to base in Brum and cover the Mids and South West .

[Ein Heldenleben]

It's more profound than that. Without the touring in England, what's WNO going to do? Where's the money to survive going to come from? I doubt Mr Drakeford will be stumping up wads of cash. Even if I think I did see him at Butterfly in Cardiff last year sometime - unclear whether this was professional obligation or by choice. They do have an ally in the now King though - he was regularly seen at the Millennium Centre, particularly at Wagner and very likely by choice rather than obligation. Maybe that'll help?

Without the English touring, in a year they'd be doing 30 (a guess) performances at the Millennium Centre, a few in Llandudno and what else in the way of full scale opera*?

[*No criticism of WNO intended. Far from it, as a sometime Friend, regular attendee etc. They sometimes achieve a lot with £peanuts].

Didn’t realise they did so few CF perfs. In essence they are a touring company :
so how does it work with GTO, ETO, ON , WNO and now possibly ENO all on tour?
This just hasn’t been thought through has it?
Good theatre the millennium - probably my fave opera house .

[Master Jacques]

Thank everyone for the figures. Even Opera North's tiny rise is well short of inflation, so that too is a cut in real terms. The money's been taken from professional musicians around the country, orchestral and operatic, and given to social service community projects ... and fairy lights. As Simon B has said, the politics are obvious.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Thank everyone for the figures. Even Opera North's tiny rise is well short of inflation, so that too is a cut in real terms. The money's been taken from professional musicians around the country, orchestral and operatic, and given to social service community projects ... and fairy lights. As Simon B has said, the politics are obvious.

What do you mean. . the Tories don’t like what they perceive to be opera loving toffs ( or in my case middle class former public sector workers )?
Weirdly and rather wonderfully the Huddersfield contemporary music festival has its budget bumped up…

[Dave2002]

I don't really know the details, but why Blackpool illuminations seem to be in need of funding while opera companies are allowed to wither away beats me. Or maybe I missed something?

It does probably make sense to strengthen the arts in parts outside London, but this does seem rather like Thatcher's approach to the economy, which one of my erstwhile friends suggested was related to businesses "poison them all, and see which ones survive"!
It administers the poison to every arts organisation in the country - but very few will actually survive - even if there is a differential in favour of organisations outside London.

There will be knock on effects in other ways too.

Yes - the UK is in a mess - but closing down whole areas of activity which would take ages to build up again - if at all possible - seems to be a poorly thought out policy.
Perhaps about what we are coming to expect from HMG these days.

[LHC]

Other casualties include the London Sinfonietta, which has a 41% cut, and the Britten Sinfonia, which like ENO has been removed from the funding portfolio and so has had all of its ACE funding cut (about 50% of its income).

One winner appears to be the Chineke Orchestra, which has been added to ACE’s portfolio and will now receive an additional £700k a year.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Arts Council are on In Tune now and Sean Rafferty is giving them something of a duffing up.

[Simon B]

Didn’t realise they did so few CF perfs. In essence they are a touring company :
so how does it work with GTO, ETO, ON , WNO and now possibly ENO all on tour?
This just hasn’t been thought through has it?
Good theatre the millennium - probably my fave opera house .

Not being privy to the internal details this may be back-to-front of course. Touring may be financially counterproductive for WNO and ON at the moment. They do it because it's part of what they're for.

There was a paradox during the COVID lockdowns where the financial impact on organisations which raised a large proportion of their income from box office, private largesse and other commercial activity (like the Royal Opera House at 75% ish) was much greater than on those who were already heavily dependent on subsidy - like ENO/WNO/ON who if I recall right only got about 1/3 of pre-Covid income from box office etc.

For the latter, each touring performance you put on might end up costing you more money than if you just paid everyone to do nothing for the night, all other things being equal.

Ultimately though, what's the point in an opera company being subsidised to do not that much opera? That's the position ENO ended up in, with the sad consequences we now see...

[Master Jacques]

What do you mean. . the Tories don’t like what they perceive to be opera loving toffs ( or in my case middle class former public sector workers )?
Weirdly and rather wonderfully the Huddersfield contemporary music festival has its budget bumped up…

Remember that it was Nadine Dorries put the screws on the Arts Council for this destruction. She is very embodiment - if not of class envy, then of intellect envy. And if he had an ounce of decency Sir N. Serota would resign, and hand back his knighthood while he's about it. A hundred years to build up our arts structure, frail as it is. And now... much of it emasculated or killed by these time-serving charlatans in one day.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Not being privy to the internal details this may be back-to-front of course. Touring may be financially counterproductive for WNO and ON at the moment. They do it because it's part of what they're for.

There was a paradox during the COVID lockdowns where the financial impact on organisations which raised a large proportion of their income from box office, private largesse and other commercial activity (like the Royal Opera House at 75% ish) was much greater than on those who were already heavily dependent on subsidy - like ENO/WNO/ON who if I recall right only got about 1/3 of pre-Covid income from box office etc.

For the latter, each touring performance you put on might end up costing you more money than if you just paid everyone to do nothing for the night, all other things being equal.

Ultimately though, what's the point in an opera company being subsidised to do not that much opera? That's the position ENO ended up in, with the sad consequences we now see...

Touring must be more expensive unless the home theatre can be let out profitably e.g. juke box musical on tour. But as you say the key thing is keeping up the number of perfs. Have you noticed that with the Linbury and Sunday perfs (which never used to happen) plus a season running into late July the Royal Opera seems to do vastly more then in the 70’s when it was very sleepy tbh.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Remember that it was Nadine Dorries put the screws on the Arts Council for this destruction. She is very embodiment - if not of class envy, then of intellect envy. And if he had an ounce of decency Sir N. Serota would resign, and hand back his knighthood while he's about it. A hundred years to build up our arts structure, frail as it is. And now... much of it emasculated or killed by these time-serving charlatans in one day.

Yes she clearly envies our intellects and having read her work and yours I can say that it’s like comparing Popeye with A.J.Ayer