Musical Groups Established in 1946 - Royal Opera, London (Paperback)

Chapters: Royal Opera, London. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 88. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Royal Opera is London and the United Kingdom's most famous and most wealthy opera company, which, as the Covent Garden Opera Company, began in 1946. The company is based at the Royal Opera House, an opera house in Covent Garden, in central London. In the immediate post-war years, the Covent Garden Opera Company (as it was originally named) planned only to present operas in English and to use the talents of British and Commonwealth singers. However, apart from Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Hans Hotter, who appeared respectively as Mimi in La Boheme and as Wotan in 1948, there were few internationally-known singers who were willing to learn their roles in English. Additionally, the ROH performed important works by British composers such as Benjamin Britten (Billy Budd, December 1951 and Gloriana, in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II), Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Bliss, and Michael Tippett. Many English-speaking singers made their debuts in those years before about 1955, including such now-famous singers as Joan Sutherland, Jon Vickers, Michael Langdon and Geraint Evans. But, "this flowering of native talent began at a time when the principle of opera in English was slowly being disregarded" (Drogheda et al.), and, as it gradually became clear that Covent Garden could not attract international talent by being an English-only company "the retreat from the vernacular, never formally promulgated or announced, provoked some grumbling among the opera-in-English lobby.." but found little opposition elsewhere.. However, during the years under Rafael Kubelik as Music Director, a significant number of British and Commonwealth singers did emerge. These included sopranos Amy Shuar...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=160019