Opera chief tells Denmark: you no longer have an opera

‘We have been through a war together these past few weeks,’ says Keith Warner, in a full and frank explanation of why he quit – twice – as head of the Royal Opera in Copenhagen. And it’s not just the Government cuts, he adds, though they were the trigger to his decision.

‘The cuts are a meaningless act of vandalism,’ says Keith, ‘the equivalent of taking a flick-knife to the Mona Lisa. ‘

Aside from the cuts, running the theatre meant taking countless ‘decisions over which I am given shallow choices, little real control and absolutely no respect.’ He paints a picture of political and administrative manipulation.

Don’t believe Borgen, Denmark’s gripping TV political drama. The reality is much worse. Read Keith’s passionate, defeated letter here.