Opera North chief names retirement job
NewsSir Richard Mantle, who retires as general director of Opera North in December, will be the interim chair of The Grange festival in Hampshire.
The Grange, founded in 2017 after a falling out with director Wasfi Kani, has slipped far behind the rest of the countryhouse opera industry. Kani continues to thrive at Grange Park Opera in Surrey.
Good for Sir Richard. But it makes me wonder yet again about the UK honours system. Sir Peter Jonas who steered the ENO’s wonderful years with Pountney and Elder before another excellent spell in charge of the Opera in Munich gained his knighthood in his early 50s. Mantle has clearly gained his when more than a decade older for many years steering Opera North. Yet I cannot but wonder why Peter Hemmings who led Scottish Opera almost from scratch and over 14 years helped turn it quickly into an extraordinary company and then was the founding General Director at the Los Angeles Opera for 16 years ended up with just an OBE. His time in Scotland and LA was many years longer than Jonas at ENO/Munich and many would suggest that by being involved virtually at the start of companies and making both a success, he was at least as deserving.
Of course I don’t wish to suggest he was more deserving – merely that his achievements were at least as deserving. Curious!
Peter Hemmings was also MD of the LSO before Clive Gillinson took over with his visionary plan.
I believe Hemmings term with the LSO was not a major success as he and the Chairman (and the orchestra’s Principal Oboe) Anthony Camden frequently did not see eye to eye. In this respect, I’d suggest that Peter Jonas enjoyed more success during his years prior I joining ENO in lesser positions at the Chicago Symphony. At least he managed to lure Carlos Kleiber twice for concerts with the CSO.
Also David Geeed former leader of the orchestra of Opera North led the orchestra for nigh on 40 years without any recognition whatsoever!! A disgrace !
Dick, good luck in your “retirement” and may you be as creatively successful at The Grange as you’ve been at Opera North…and, knowing you, even more so!!!
Have some respect Norm. Grange Festival does pretty great work. Maybe with less fanfare, but excellent casts and very decent results..
Yes. Michael Chance has really brought up the artistic standards in Hampshire.
(Meanwhile in Surrey, GPO has its greatest success with fundraising, but what’s on stage features expensive stars backed up by middling casts and an underprepared chorus, accompanied by the least accomplished orchestra in country house opera (there’s an obvious reason Garsington moved them on).
Grange Festival may occasionally suffer from inner-circle appointments, but what’s presented to the audience is generally very good.
Whereas Grange Park had nobodies, Barlow and Shanahan, conducting this year.