The Orquesta de Valencia, one of the best in Spain, has consulted its musicians on whether to renew the contract of its Israeli music director, Yaron Traub.

The players voted 50-16 to let him go, with nine abstentions.

The decision, however, is not binding on the orchestra management.

A former Barenboim assistant Traub, 52, is son of the long-serving Israel Philharmonic concertmaster, Chaim Taub.

The Vienna State Opera has been shocked by the sudden death on Sunday night of Erich Wessner, 68, a career-long company member.

Erich joined the chorus in 1981 and was promoted to soloist ten years later.

He retired in 2008.

At a time when English National Opera is being pushed to the brink of extinction, it’s a bit upsetting to see that Covent Garden inflated its payroll last year to 1,057 people, a net increase of 33.

More discomfiting still, 19 of these people earned over £100,000.

That’s rich.

Looking at the staff list, everybody now seems to be a Head.

In the Audiences and Media department, there is a Director (Lucy Sinclair), a Head of ROH Media, a Head of Film and Broadcast, a Head of Publishing and Interpretation, a Head of online content.

In Press and Communications, there is a veteran Director (Chris Millard), a Head of press and communications, a Head of ballet press, a Head of opera press and various managers.

So many heads, so little media activity.

Independent analysis of the Royal Opera House accounts shows a huge wake hike for the music director. Sir Antonio Pappano was paid  £737,424 in 2014/15.

This breaks down to salary of £104,186 plus conducting fees of £633,238.

An ROH spokesman said he conducted a lot more nights last year. How many nights is two-thirds of a million quid?

Other high earners were chief executive Alex Beard (£266,875) and Royal Opera director Kasper Holten, who made £235,183 in salary, plus £14,900 in fees.

Pappano, 56, has given sterling service to the ROH over 14 years a music director, but he needs to move on before he becomes part of the furniture. Vienna Opera is vacant and Munich comes up in 2020.

Although he grew up in the US, he has never hit it off with US orchs and opera houses. On the plus side, no opera music director after Levine is more trusted by the best singers.

He is also music director at Santa Cecilia in Rome.

UPDATE: ROH swells the payroll.