Advertisement
BUY A WINTER SUPPORT KIT & CHANGE A VENDOR’S LIFE
BUY NOW
Music

English National Opera cuts speak of a deeper problem

Arts Council England’s decision to defund the English National Opera means the spectre of the pandemic continues to leave a dark shadow

The protesters sang You’ll Never Walk Alone, from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. The rendition was surprisingly tuneful; those who happened to be passing by Arts Council England (ACE)’s London offices on the bright autumnal morning paused to admire the performance. The opera world is the latest to demonstrate its unease in the face of job insecurity, following in the footsteps of rail staff, medical workers and academics, among others. The London gathering on November 14 – attended by singers including Camilla Kerslake and Dame Sarah Connolly – was held to show support for English National Opera (ENO) in the wake of the news the organisation is to lose its ACE funding. Since the cuts were announced, a petition set up by bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel has attracted over 50,000 signatures urging a rethink. Melvyn Bragg wrote a piece for The Observer, decrying “cultural vandalism” and opining that, “It had been decided to kill off one big institution by Easter and English National Opera was the target.” 

ACE chief executive Darren Henley responded with a Guardian article of his own. He pointed out that London’s arts institutions will continue to receive £152 million a year – a third of ACE funding – and there is a need to address historic unfairness in terms of cultural support. Few people disagree with that, broadly speaking, but the whole process seems wildly misinformed, as indicated by the second part of Henley’s argument. ACE, he wrote, seeks organisations that are “embracing opera and music theatre in new ways: opera in car parks, opera in pubs, opera on your tablet”. As noted here before, there was just one opera company that held a performance in a car park in 2020, which happened to be the first of its kind in Europe. It also worked with Netflix to create a TikTok opera. The organisation? English National Opera. 

The unrest over ACE’s decision to defund the ENO, offering it instead a relocation allowance to move away from the Coliseum in the West End of London to – well, that wasn’t exactly clear, as it seems only anecdotal research has been undertaken – is part of wider tensions felt within the industry, as the spectre of the pandemic continues to swoop. UK music charity Help Musicians recently revealed that eight in 10 musicians are worried about paying their mortgage or rent and are currently earning less than they were at the beginning of 2020. The charity surveyed 500 professional musicians and almost all of them (98 per cent) reported concerns about basic living costs. 

As Help Musicians chief executive James Ainscough explained: “It is hard to imagine any point since the Second World War when it has been tougher to be a professional musician – put simply, the current environment is brutal.” 

To more positive news now, in Birmingham, where 12 singers are preparing for the latest The Voice of Black Opera competition. The biennial event was first held in 2008, and helped launch the careers of sopranos Elizabeth Llewellyn and Nadine Benjamin (both English National Opera regulars, incidentally). Finalists will perform with the Welsh National Opera (WNO) Orchestra at Birmingham Town Hall (December 5), where the winner will be awarded £10,000 and a concert appearance with WNO Orchestra. 

There is also a prize named after British composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor, which includes the opportunity to perform a new work by Daniel Kidane with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. In an exemplary example of local creative collaboration, finalists will be given a bespoke piece to wear on stage designed by students of Birmingham City University School of Fashion and Textiles, with accessories made by students of the BCU Birmingham School of Jewellery. 

Advertisement
Advertisement
Schumann symphonies with the Staatskapelle

Recording of the week

Before he announced that he was taking a break due to illness, pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim recorded the Schumann symphonies with the Staatskapelle Berlin. The album has just been released via Deutsche Grammophon, the label that has marked the maestro’s recent 80th birthday with several recordings, including Encores, a collection of short solo piano pieces by Albéniz, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Schubert and Schumann. Historic recordings are also being made available in honour of the occasion, such as Warner’s Tangos From Buenos Aires (first released on Telarc in 1996) and Beethoven: Piano Concerts, recorded at the 2007 Ruhr Piano Festival (EuroArts). 

Claire Jackson is a writer and editor

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine. If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas and beyond

Buy a Big Issue Winter Support Kit for £34.99, you’ll receive four copies of the magazine and vendors could receive immediate tools for survival plus access to vital training and employment pathways to escape poverty for good.

Recommended for you

Read All
Iconic venue where Oasis and Pulp cut their teeth shuts after 45 years: 'We won't be the only ones'
Venue Watch

Iconic venue where Oasis and Pulp cut their teeth shuts after 45 years: 'We won't be the only ones'

Xero Slingsby: The anarchic spirit of British jazz being discovered by a new generation
Music

Xero Slingsby: The anarchic spirit of British jazz being discovered by a new generation

Deck the halls with hits and follies: The greatest Christmas albums of 2023, ranked
Christmas

Deck the halls with hits and follies: The greatest Christmas albums of 2023, ranked

Merry Xmas Everybody at 50: How a mother-in-law and John Lennon inspired Slade's festive cracker
Christmas

Merry Xmas Everybody at 50: How a mother-in-law and John Lennon inspired Slade's festive cracker

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when people will get the cost of living payment in 2024
3.

Here's when people will get the cost of living payment in 2024

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue