King Charles III came on stage last night at Covent Garden to bid farewell to Antonio Pappano after 22 years as music director of the Royal Opera.
It was a rare, personal and highly welcome gesture of solidarity with an art lately under attack from its funding authority, Arts Council England.
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This is good. I don’t think his offspring are much interested in classical music. I hope he will bequeath some of his fortune to the arts.
Given that he is listed as being worth £610 million, he could certainly afford to make generous donations to opera companies and orchestras which have had their funding withdrawn – as he seems to be a genuine lover of classical music.
Almost all of that wealth is the estates of Balmoral and Sandringham which will certainly be passed to William.
William will probably slash arts budget until it’s 3% like in the USA.
And how would he do that?
(a) the Windsors have always been notoriously lowbrow (b) the Sovereign’s wealth is controlled by HM Government, so I’m afraid he has no personal fortune to bequeath.
I bet he didn’t count on being the center of attention at this time of his reign, with his heir sidelined and the spare representing in Africa and America, it’s the Charles show in Britain.
Why was it not recorded, either for radio or television broadcast?
Given the glittering array of singers, it is very strange. Too “elitist”? One despairs.
Yes, way too elitist! It felt like being an extra on the set of a James Bond movie… the one with an opera scene – was it Quantum of Solace or Spectre?
Reports elsewhere are that it was recorded (by the BBC) for future broadcast.
Time will tell!
No sign of microphones, nor cameras (I was there).
Well you’ll just have to join the rest of the world and wait until the show is available on Royal Opera Stream. I look forward to watching it from my home in Canberra.
Speaking of Royal Opera Stream, I’m enjoying the Royal Ballet’s recent “Cinderella, Marianela” by Prokofiev, availability now.
Hardly a gesture of solidarity. ROH, emphasis on the “Royal” is as remote from the rest of the Lyric stage as the King’s son is from the homeless he apparently champions. This was a toff’s night out and the King toff was in attendance. As no doubt were plenty of the members of ACE. What would not be heard would be anything that was critical of the actions of ACE as it is just not ‘done’ to involve the monarch in anything that smacks of the realities of life. Even life as experienced by those who could wangle a seat for this bash or, indeed, could afford to pay for theirs.
Buckingham Palace announced this week that His Majesty The King will retain patronage of the Royal Opera House and The Royal Opera.
In the announcement marking the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation, it was also announced that His Majesty will also take on his late mother’s long-standing patronage of The Royal Ballet.
I can’t believe it’s 2024 and people are still using terms like “His Majesty The King.” The whole family are essentially welfare cases sponging off taxpayers. They did nothing to earn their millions other than show up for ribbon-cutting ceremonies and a few charity events. Imagine what the UK could do with all of the money that this family hordes in its castles, yachts, and ill-begotten jewels.
I’m not British and hardly an expert but even I know that the only castle in their private ownership is Balmoral, I’m not aware of any yachts and the “ill-begotten” Crown Jewels are effectively state property.
Oh and it’s thousands of charity events. The demand from charities is considerable.
Get in the tank, Frank.
Do tell us, Frank. What COULD the UK do with “all that money?”
Never mind. Those seeking something less remote, less unreal, free of toffs and fully down to earth, can pay several hundred pounds to reserve a seat at the 90,000 capacity Wembley stadium to see the amplified Taylor Swift as a dot in the far distance (oh, so not so unremote after all).
To sweeten the pill, they will also receive a set of four Taylor Swift prints and exclusive Taylor Swift VIP merchandise including a bag, pin, sticker and postcard set, and a souvenir concert ticket. Perhaps this is where the ROH is going wrong.
If several hundred pounds is too much, they can opt to join the standing crowd in the centre.
Each to his own I suppose.
You are correct. The tickets were prohibitively expensive, way out of reach for ordinary opera lovers. I had a seat in the third row, the ticket purchased on a whim yesterday morning – I had a difficult week, so better to splash it on opera than something else to lift my spirits. With Charles in attendance and great music overall it felt like money well spent. Indeed, there were toffs all around, but they were remarkably well behaved and seemed to genuinely enjoy the music.
I was there last night and I’m a pensioner, certainly not a toff. My seat cost less than a ticket for a Spurs match. It was a great concert and a wonderful surprise to see the King there.
An amazing evening, the tribute to Pappano more than well deserved.
Prince Charles (as he then was) made a superb documentary about Sir Hubert Parry. He was a cellist too, I believe. Far more musical then his father, who spent much of his time killing big game in Africa.
And serving in the Navy in WW2.
A few decades ago, Charles (as Prince Charles) also made or took part in a documentary about the primitive back stage conditions at the ROH, which had not changed significantly since the building was completed in 1858.
Of course, in true British fashion, bringing the building up to date attracted criticism and the usual “white elephant” prediction. This was similar to the near hysteria stoked up over the Wales Millennium Centre when it was in grave danger of being called, horror of horrors, an “opera house”.
Elizabeth II was often criticised for her lack of interest. Now we have a monarch who takes an interest and the usual suspects don’t approve of that either.
Of course this was an expensive evening. The ROH subsidy accounts for 25% of total income, I understand, less than comparable European opera houses, so it is inevitable that potential donors and influential people need to be kept happy. The alternative would be more cash from the Arts Council but, of course, that wouldn’t be popular either.
Just some of the joys of living in the cynical UK.
And don’t get me started about Scotland.
I had the great fortune to be there last night. People were just happy to see that the King was in good health, to be honest. We could do much worse than Charles as our monarch.
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Can’t be done, Puzzled! This is the randomised illiterate output from the same bull***t app that spews out all those screeds of policy statements from newly-appointed but brainless directors and musical administrators that NL regularly regales us with for our delectation.
Some negativity here regarding royalty and associated wealth? Let’s just celebrate the fact that he was supporting classical music.
I have made the observation on other threads,
It would be good if KC111 bent a few ears and twisted a few arms up backs at ACE in support of Classic Music. As most of those at ACE present themselves as rather left of centre, no doubt they will love receiving a ‘gong’ from HRH and even an invitation to a Garden Party for them ( plus 1) so they can impress friends may help. I am sure they’d be delighted to rub shoulders with Royalty.
Hard to understand how the “star” quality has become so low. Except for Kaufmann (albeit in poor voice since quite some time now), nobody in this gala was notable. Pappano used to know better
So next stop WNO? We’re watching, Charles.
Show him the exit…
It was a very good evening. Lisette Oropesa stood out, I thought, as a singer and an actress. Good to hear Freddie de Tommaso finally.
National Anthem to start! When was this last done?
Loved the choice of the finale from Guillaume Tell with its hymn to liberty and re-growth. A post-Brexit choice?
But no speeches, bouquets or liveried flunkies (as of yore), so all quite appropriately 2024.