Britannia, rule the stage: English opera’s revival
BITTER rows about the pernicious influence of Europe on British culture date back centuries – even in the genteel world of opera.
So much so that Italian singers were considered “unmanly” for their falsetto singing style.
Which is why it might just be the perfect time for a new project to revive forgotten English operas that fell out of fashion in the 18th Century.
John Andrews, the conductor behind the project, thinks the move may chime with the post-Brexit mood.
“There was a really serious moral panic about opera in the 18th century, with English writers seeing it as threatening the manly national character,” he said.
“One of those fears was that singers would take their money rather than spending fees here, damaging Britain’s balance of trade.
“It has echoes of the Brexit debate.”
Although Mr Andrews had the project in mind long before Britain’s departure from the European Union, he says the time is right to reexamine our own operatic traditions. “There’s never been a better time to rediscover composers”
He aims to co-produce one staged project and one recording each year, with the company’s first project set to be a co-production, with Buxton International Festival, of Malcolm Arnold’s comic opera The Dancing Master, this summer.
He has launched an opera company to champion neglected works from the 18th to the 20th century by the likes of Thomas Arne, Arthur Sullivan, Malcolm Arnold and John Joubert.
Mr Andrews has named it Red Squirrel, symbolising “something endangered, digging up long-buried morsels”.
The aim is to tap into what he describes as the “irreverent” tradition of English opera.
“I hope they will realise there’s more to opera than just Handel and Strauss.”