In this second podcast, staff director Will Edelsten and marketing manager Andrea Perseu take you around ETO’s rehearsal rooms in London’s Bermondsey, just before the start of the day’s rehearsals. Listen to this episode here.
ETO’s staff director Will Edelsten and marketing manager Andrea Perseu introduce our first podcast for this season. Featuring contributions from all the ETO team on what Venice means to them, and a conversation with ETO’s general director James Conway on the operas in the season. Plus, help us find a new name for the podcast and listen to Oliver John Ruthven play Ombra mai fu from Handel’s Xerxes. Listen to the first episode here.
#LOVETHEATREDAY IS A CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS STAGE. FOR A PRODUCTION TO TAKE PLACE, MANY BEES ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO ENSURE WE REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE WORK. HERE ARE SOME OF THE ENGLISH TOURING OPERA BEES…
CÉCILE BEAUVILLARD, PRESS & MARKETING OFFICER
What is your role at English Touring Opera, what does it mean?
I am Press and Marketing Officer. I am one of the links between our cast and creative teams, journalists, photographers and marketing teams in partner organisations around the country, and I make sure we have innovative campaigns in place to get as many people as possible to see our work.
What’s the most exciting thing you do there?
The exciting thing about this role is its diversity, not one day is similar to the previous one. I can be writing copy, going to the BBC for interviews, discussing pricing policy with a venue… The most exciting thing is probably going to rehearsals, at a stage when it’s just a repetiteur, a director and a singer discovering a piece of music, and then seeing it on stage only a few weeks later. It always feels like a magic trick, even if it is really hundreds of hours of work.
What’s the biggest challenge faced by the performing arts today?
As far as opera is concerned, one of the challenges is probably that we are constantly working against the idea that it is an art form for the old, the white and the rich. So it’s a collective work to renovate the art form in a way that makes it accessible to a diverse audience. There’s no education needed to enjoy opera, and keeping tricket prices low is something we thrive to achieve. I grew up in a jazz family that wasn’t particularly interested in opera, I am not a musician, I first attended opera with no knowledge of it and I was literally stuck on my seat. I think music moves human beings in a very intimate way, and I think operatic voices can go incredibly deep in that intimacy.
Do you recall a particular #LoveTheatre moment?
My first-ever time at the Comédie Francaise in Paris to see Molière’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme aged about 6 was a big eye-opening moment. More recently, Ghosts at the Almeida with Leslie Manville really moved me, I loved Francesca Hayward’s debut at ROH in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I have to admit that the Olympia Act in ETO’s production of The Tales of Hoffmann with Ilona Domnich and Sam Furness was a BIG #LoveTheatre moment!
A tough one: favourite opera/play of. all. times?
Oh this is difficult. Written on Skin by Benjamin is incredible. Matthew Bourne’s take on Swan Lake is a ballet I could see every week.
But the aria that is most likely to get on my neighbour’s nerves is this one:
#LOVETHEATREDAY IS A CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS STAGE. FOR A PRODUCTION TO TAKE PLACE, MANY BEES ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO ENSURE WE REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE WORK. HERE ARE SOME OF THE ENGLISH TOURING OPERA BEES…
JOHN HOLMES, HEAD OF MARKETING
What is your role at English Touring Opera, what does it mean?
I’m Head of Marketing. That means a looking after a lot of things, all coming under the banner of making sure as many people as possible attend ETO’s performances at theatres across the country.
What’s the most exciting thing you do there?
Attend performances and getting to meet audiences at venues on the tour. Otherwise, why do we do it?
What’s the biggest challenge faced by the performing arts today? How is ETO doing its bit?
Short-term thinking and lack of creativity. There’s a risk that by trying to screw as much money as possible out of the audiences of today, the arts as a whole alienates the audiences of the future. An example is the increasing insistence of many theatres to charge booking and transaction fees when buying a ticket. This creates a further barrier to attendance and, importantly, reduces the amount of money going back to the artists who create and perform the work. At ETO, we do our best to lobby our venues to keep ticket prices low, particularly for children and young people. We also provide exciting, different programmes of opera for adults and children that don’t just rely on a few well-known old titles.
Do you recall a particular #LoveTheatre moment?
Al Seed’s The Factory at the Leeds Metropolitan University Studio Theatre in 2006. Until then, I’d largely assumed theatre was a polite, uncontroversial business lacking the counter-cultural spirit of great literature or punk music. An hour of comic noise terror later my mind had changed for ever – never had I simultaneously wanted to escape a theatre and been so engrossed in my whole life.
A tough one: favourite opera of. all time?
Easy. The first full length opera I ever saw – Handel’s Flavio staged by ETO at Exeter Northcott Theatre back in 2009. I was working for the Northcott at the time, and met James Conway (ETO’s General Director) and Jim Follett (then ETO press officer) before the show, who persuaded me to give Handel a try. I don’t know if musicologically this makes any sense, but there’s a gentleness to this aria (from 2.20 in the video) that makes me think as much about folk music as it does opera.
#LOVETHEATREDAY IS A CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS STAGE. FOR A PRODUCTION TO TAKE PLACE, MANY BEES ARE WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES TO ENSURE WE REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE WORK. HERE ARE SOME OF THE ENGLISH TOURING OPERA BEES…
KATE EBERWEIN, HEAD OF DEVELOPEMENT
What is your role at English Touring Opera, what does it mean?
I’m Head of Development at ETO which means I raise money from many different sources, including individuals, trusts and foundations and companies, in order to help keep the show on the road!
What’s the most exciting thing you do there?
Well it’s incredibly satisfying when a new person signs up to be a Friend of ETO or a trust decides to support us, perhaps by helping stage a new work like Pia de’ Tolomei or by making a gift that allows to us commission and stage a new opera for children with special needs like Dust Child. New donations to ETO make me feel that we’re communicating our mission in a way that resonates with our audiences and since I’m truly passionate about what ETO does, I feel so pleased that other people are too!
What’s the biggest challenge faced by the performing arts today? How is ETO doing its bit?
I’m not sure there’s a one-size fits all challenge, especially as I notice big regional differences when considering this question. However, from an opera perspective, I think it’s clear that everyone is concerned about attracting more young people to an art form unfairly tagged as ‘elitist’. One of the principle reasons which drew me to this role at ETO is the company’s belief that opera is for everyone- this is an ethos that’s at the core of everything we do. With this in mind, I think we’re helping challenge opera stereotypes by introducing children to opera in schools, providing discounted tickets for young people, and programming a really fabulous mixture of titles to encourage audiences to either try something new (for instance, every theatre outside London in which we performed Pelléas et Melisande had never received this gorgeous opera before) or come to opera for the first time via a ‘classic’ work (We had a fair few new opera-goers at La boheme who described it as ‘the original Rent’!). I’m really proud of the fact that we cover more of the UK than any other opera company and that James Conway, our General Director, is known for choosing really interesting repertoire (as opposed to playing it safe with a short list of well-known titles).
Do you recall a particular #LoveTheatre moment?
But there are so many! A real highlight for me was a 2010 trip to ENO to see L’elisir d’amore (translated for their production as The Elixir of Love which I have to say sounds rather prosaic in comparison). I’d previously seen a production with gorgeous singing (I’d cheerfully listen to Aleksandra Kurzak in anything!) but a staging which to me dulled the sparkle of the cast and dramatically lessened the impact of Donizetti’s gorgeous music. As I recall, it centered around a single giant haystack (!) and left me feeling puzzled, and grumbling about production budgets. I’m not even sure why I was convinced to see it again… I’d dragged my husband along under duress, so when John Berry came out to announce that the tenor who was meant to star in the role of Nemorino was ill, as was his understudy, I felt an elbow in my ribs and a hissed, “we could still make a run for it and have a lovely dinner instead”. The audience was told that a suitable tenor who knew the role in English could not be found at such short notice and a Lithuanian tenor named Edgaras Montvidas would perform the role in Italian instead. Our patience was requested, amidst audible groans from some audience members and laughter from others– we decided that the performance would, if nothing else, certainly be memorable!
In the end it was excellent– Jonathan Miller’s production used a very free translation in which the setting transfered from Italy to the 1950s American Midwest and having a Nemorino singing in Italian with the rest of the cast in English made him seem even more like a lonely outsider in a society not always welcoming of foreigners. What’s more, Andrew Shore (as a delightfully sleazy Dr Dulcamara) pulled off a phenomenal feat of singing to the rest of the cast in English while singing to Montvidas in Italian– a clear example of a serious professional but also totally believable. After all, wouldn’t a snake-oil salesman be able to communicate with every potential customer?
I still gush about this production (clearly!)! It was a really amazing example of turning a potential disaster into a triumph.
A tough one: favourite opera of. all. times?
That’s easy: Bizet’s Les pecheurs de perles. A seriously vacuous plot but oh, the music! The libretto was composed by Eugene Cormon and Michel Carre, with Cormon commenting after the premiere that they would have written something better if they’d known Bizet was so talented!
What is your role at English Touring Opera, what does it mean?
I am the Education and Community Coordinator. My role is organising and assisting on Education projects which makes it really varied as no two projects are the same. It can include working with schools, community groups, musicians, directors, conductors on projects that could be community operas or children performing in our evening performance or workshops breaking down opera. I am also music librarian for the company which involves planning years in advance and sourcing and preparing music for the cast, creatives and orchestra.
What’s the most exciting thing you do there?
Everything I do is exciting. The great thing about my job is no two projects are the same. You can spend one day watching a community opera in Hampton Court and then a few days later be preparing for a performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
What’s the biggest challenge faced by the performing arts today? How is ETO doing its bit?
The biggest challenge is the lack of funding and support for performing arts at a youth level. The lack of support for arts education makes it a constant challenge for us to increase audience engagement, but with a varied programme of outreach work, aimed at both those who already enjoy opera and those who have no experience of opera, we are rising to the challenge!
Do you recall a particular #LoveTheatre moment?
I was lucky enough to go to a very active performing arts primary school where we were given opportunities to see shows and give performances on a regular basis from a young age. However, the first time I came to see a show in London (the Lion King), the whole atmosphere was like nothing else. Being in the middle of the west end, in what seemed like an enormous theatre, with all the amazing costumes and singing, was exhilarating.
A tough one: favourite opera of. all. times?
Turn of the Screw, Benjamin Britten. When I saw it a few years ago, I jumped out my seat and almost had a heart attack!
What is your role at English Touring Opera, what does it mean?
My role is an Artistic Assistant. This job involves being an office adminstrator, audition organiser, surtitle preparer and general helpful person during our busiest periods, when we are in rehearsals, production, and the lead up to the tour opening. It is incredibly varied and busy – but I love it!
What’s the most exciting thing you do there?
The most exciting thing for me is being involved with the opening of productions. I love nothing more than being in a theatre, and find it incredibly rewarding to see parts of a creative rehearsal process develop as we hurtle towards an opening of a show. Being in such close proximity to our productions is so exciting, and knowing that I am helping (in a small way!) create something so special is fantastic.
What’s the biggest challenge faced by the performing arts today? How is ETO doing its bit?
I think the biggest challenge is encouraging and nurturing people’s love of the arts when they are children. The performing arts give you such a wide range of intellectual and emotional experiences, it is a life education like no other and has to be encouraged and funded for if we want to see our passion and industry staying alive. ETO is doing it’s bit with a HUGELY wide range of education projects, ranging from taking children’s operas into schools (we reach over 10,000 people country-wide a year), running workshops specifically linked to the tours, performing with children in our ‘main stage’ productions, travelling with operas for children with special education needs, and so much more.
Do you recall a particular #LoveTheatre moment?
There are lots to choose from… but seeing Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2012 was amazing. The show was simply perfect.
A tough one: favourite opera of. all. times?
This is a tough one! I tend to go through phases of being competely obsessed with different operas. The top (rather eclectic) two at the moment are Puccini’s La bohème and Britten’s Noyes Fludde. La bohème has the most amazing, heartbreaking and perfectly formed score, I hear something different every time I see it, and Noyes Fludde is the first opera I really got to know well, and I love it because it invites everyone to be involved (performers and audience!). There is nothing exclusive about it, it is Britten telling a story that anyone can be part of, and he does it very well!
Ilona Domnich as a 1920s movie star in ETO’s The Tales of Hoffmann
ETO’s Box Office & Marketing Assistant, Genevieve Arkle, looks at the arguments surrounding this controversial subject, and makes the case for creative interpretation.
‘If after my death something does not sound right, then change it. You have not only the right but the duty to do so’
– Gustav Mahler
In its Autumn 2015 season of French opera, ETO has chosen to reinterpret Offenbach’s opera The Tales of Hoffmann in the style of 1920s cinema and set Massenet’s Werther in a domestic scene in 1950s America – two modern reimaginings of classic 19th century French operas. But in recent years there has been much controversy from opera goers over the idea of modernising opera, and in general, modernising classical music. Classical music has been battling with its elitist stereotype for decades, but debate frequently sparks over whether a new production is sacrilegious to the composer’s intentions, or whether the modernisation of a work decreases its worth and value as a high class art form. While modern stagings of operas do frequently grace our theatres exhibiting controversial and fresh approaches to traditional works, they rarely receive popular attention, and period stagings of La Bohème and The Marriage of Figaro still reign supreme as crowd-pleasing favourites.
The fact that you have made it here to the English Touring Opera blog and that you’re reading this post means you might have already formed an opinion on the topic of modernising opera, or you have had some kind of experience with classical music that makes you intrigued about learning more or joining the debate. It is likely therefore that you fall into one of two categories: those for modernisation and those against. Those who are against tend to be advocates of traditional period productions and feel that if the composer’s intentions are not adhered to and if the score is not obeyed, that we are being disrespectful to the original work or even to the composer himself. Many similarly feel insulted by modern stagings; Peter Sellar’s infamous Don Giovanni no doubt caused a stir among Mozart fans, and I dread to think what traditionalists thought of the all male Don G that took place at the gay nightclub, Heaven, here in London a few years ago.
Don Giovanni at Heaven nightclub, 2011
But as in many cases with opera, the composer has passed away and therefore is unable to share his desires, thoughts, feelings or intentions on the presentation of his work, and more importantly he is unable to be affected or offended by any given performance of his piece. So if you decide that you want to produce an all male La Bohème with two gay couples then by all means, because Puccini certainly isn’t coming back to stop you. But many people feel that in some way the essence of Puccini lives on in his music, and that to present his opera in such a way would be disrespectful not only to the work, but to Puccini himself. These ideas about the composer being enveloped in his music as a sort of god-like figure began to take shape in the 19th century, as prior to this, performers were at liberty to edit a composition however they deemed fit, adding embellishments and ornamentations in order to suit their personal needs, as with the da capo arias in Handel’s operas.
Listen to a 15-minute podcast about our upcoming autumn season, featuring interviews with the artists and creatives of all 3 operas: click here.
In the post-war years of austerity, Benjamin Britten was at the forefront of a new type of opera, the “chamber” opera. Although principally focussed on new works, this pioneering venture aimed to widen the reach of live opera performance: small orchestras, no chorus, simple costumes and staging. In the last few decades, this genre has come of age with “reduced” arrangements of repertoire works, allowing performances in venues from public gardens to prisons.
My new arrangement of Massenet’s Werther is a complete re-working of the rich, Romantic orchestral score, adapted for only four players: clarinet, violin, cello and piano. Rather than being a mere reduction of the full score, this version attempts to create an entirely new chamber piece. Every player is a soloist with their own character: the clarinet agile and melancholic, the violin soaring and passionate, the cello rich and soulful, the piano full and supportive. Taken as a whole with the vocal lines and text, the intention is to conjure an atmosphere of intimate and direct expression.
The scenario of the opera is perfect for this approach: a “normal” domestic household is disrupted by passionate personal conflicts. Musically, this brings the sound-world closer to that of song, especially the mélodie so beloved of French composers. Massenet himself composed many volumes of songs, and this arrangement taps into that deep source.
French music is often noted for its transparency, lightness and delicacy, qualities that we will be exploring. Our production places the players on the stage, at the heart of the action. It promises to be a truly personal theatrical experience.
Iain Farrington
Arranger and conductor
ETO’s French opera season opens at the Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, on Thursday 1 October 2015, before touring to Buxton, Malvern, Durham, Harrogate, Cambridge, Bath, Snape Maltings and Exeter. For more information and to book tickets visit www.englishtouringopera.org.uk.
