The end of ENO?

[Ein Heldenleben]

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.

Yes that’s really levelling up at its finest isn’t it? I see the ENO decision is massively backfiring with Dorries condemning A E’s decision as a political stunt. Which is about as an egregious example of pot and kettle as I’ve ever seen. ACE have absolutely no political nous at all - they couldn’t even offer a press response to the papers yesterday. Absolutely pathetic …

[french frank]

We await WNO’s decision on touring.

They've already announced that Liverpool has been cut from the touring altogether. They cut the number of visits to Bristol a few years ago.

[Barbirollians]

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.

Well we know WNO no longer going to Liverpool.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Well we know WNO no longer going to Liverpool.

So no WNO or GTO in Liverpool. An absolute disgrace.

[W.Kearns]

If you're referencing Arnold Bennett, by happy chance I'm re-reading Anna of the Five Towns even now, with renewed admiration and pleasure. As with Priestley, Bennett may come in under the cognoscenti's radar these days, but there's still a great deal to savour in the quality (and quiet anger) of his best novels. So he retains at least one satisfied reader!

Well said, Master Jacques. Thank you. You can make that two satisfied readers at least, with special appreciation of The Old Wives Tale, The Card and many of the short stories. (As you'll realise, I have only just caught up with this thread.)

[Master Jacques]

Well said, Master Jacques. Thank you. You can make that two satisfied readers at least, with special appreciation of The Old Wives Tale, The Card and many of the short stories. (As you'll realise, I have only just caught up with this thread.)

Thank you for doubling the number of AB fans here! The Old Wives Tale is the best of the lot, for me.

Apropos ... the Covent Garden Paul restaurant used to do a delicious Omelette Arnold Bennett, which made the perfect lunch, preferably while reading one of his books. Sad to say, since Covid struck it's off the menu.

[Master Jacques]

So no WNO or GTO in Liverpool. An absolute disgrace.

Stephen Crocker, director of the Norwich Theatre Royal, has just been interviewed on Radio 4 PM. He bewailed the removal of GTO and consequent disappearance of all major opera production from his theatre, and therefore from the East of England. Fallout from the Arts Council's utterly shameful bungling continues... no sign of these barbarians resigning, though.

[oddoneout]

Stephen Crocker, director of the Norwich Theatre Royal, has just been interviewed on Radio 4 PM. He bewailed the removal of GTO and consequent disappearance of all major opera production from his theatre, and therefore from the East of England. Fallout from the Arts Council's utterly shameful bungling continues... no sign of these barbarians resigning, though.

There will be two opera performances from English Touring Opera at Norwich Theatre Royal in March, both with period instruments. Interesting to compare that offering with the GTO November visit which was 2 operas, two nights each, an concert pairing Mozart Requiem with music of Joseph Bologne, and a chamber opera new commission, over a 5 day stay, which I assume would have also included their work in the community - schools care homes etc.
ETO is also at Canterbury, another of GTO's cancelled venues.
This is in no way a criticism of ETO but reading this https://englishtouringopera.org.uk/n...sfer-programme I do wonder what the real agenda is at ACE.
Could/should ENO have looked at a move outside London(even if only to prove why it shouldn't happen), did it miss a trick there? If ETO moves into the slots GTO has had in the past, does that set a precedent - no need for multiple opera offerings to the provinces so long as the generic "opera" box is ticked once or twice. Are all ACE funded organisations given the same level of information about current funding thinking(targets, priorities, activities that tick the right boxes) and some aren't as proactive using that information as others or do some genuinely not know what is required of them as they aren't given feedback etc? On the latter point I seem to remember reading that was the case for some.

[ChandlersFord]

So no WNO or GTO in Liverpool. An absolute disgrace.

But hardly surprising.

I’ve noticed that, in recent years, WNO have not exported their more adventurous programming to Liverpool, forcing me to attend performances in Birmingham, as city I dislike and would prefer not to visit. Presumably, the presence of wealthy intellectuals in places like Leamington Spa and Tanworth in Arden explained this programming choice; alas, there are no equivalent wealthy intellectuals on the Wirral.

[Pulcinella]

And Dorries would now have us believe that this whole decision was a stunt!

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nadine-dorries-claims-eno-funding-cut-was-politically-motivated-stunt-tbns7m5bb?shareToken=c06efd970c3b2b66db8fb3b3c6f7c8dc

[Barbirollians]

Trying to portray herself as Henry II to the ENO’s murdering knights.

[Cockney Sparrow]

My thought about Dorries is "please send her to the H of Lords; we can then abolish it".

[mopsus]

But hardly surprising.

I’ve noticed that, in recent years, WNO have not exported their more adventurous programming to Liverpool, forcing me to attend performances in Birmingham, as city I dislike and would prefer not to visit. Presumably, the presence of wealthy intellectuals in places like Leamington Spa and Tanworth in Arden explained this programming choice; alas, there are no equivalent wealthy intellectuals on the Wirral.

I'm not sure what their logic really is. WNO's adventurous progamming (I'm thinking of Janáček and their productions of Lulu, Moses und Aron and Khovanshchina some years back) doesn't get to the Bristol Hippodrome either and there are plenty of wealthy intellectuals in Bristol and Bath and the area. Perhaps they think that if you are really keen on this repertoire you can make it over to Cardiff from those places to hear it.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I'm not sure what their logic really is. WNO's adventurous progamming (I'm thinking of Janáček and their productions of Lulu and Moses und Aron some years back) doesn't get to the Bristol Hippodrome either and there are plenty of wealthy intellectuals in Bristol and Bath and the area. Perhaps they think that if you are really keen on this repertoire you can make it over to Cardiff from those places to hear it.

They did bring the Makropulos Case to Plymouth in November and very good it was too. Complete with Nicky Spence.

[mopsus]

They did bring the Makropulos Case to Plymouth in November and very good it was too. Complete with Nicky Spence.

Yes - I had to go and hear it at at the Wales Millennium Centre as it wasn't in Bristol. The last WNO production I heard at the Bristol Hippodrome was Frank Martin's Le vin herbé which was done with minimal staging so easily portable.