OPERA IN BRITAIN

Southland Times, Issue 20395, 26 January 1928, Page 7

OPERA IN BRITAIN

SIR T. BEECHAM’S APPEAL.

WANDERING ENGLISH MINSTRELS. London, November 30. Sir Thomas Beechahi announced during a concert at Manchester on Saturday that if his opera scheme was not successful the British National Opera Company would be wound up in the spring. “If this scheme does not go through,” he said, “there will be no more opera of any consequence in this country.” During a concert at the Albert Hall on Sunday, Sir Thomas addressed the audience on his scheme for half an hour. “I think I am entitled to speak,” he pleaded, “because for 12 years relatives of mine and myself subsidised opera in this country almost alone. I have produced 119 operas here—and 72 of them were new to this country. Now we can no longer put up the money, and I am trying to get you to do it. Support this scheme and I promise you infinitely better opera than you get at Covent Garden.

“Let us recall home our wandering English minstrels who are famous in foreign lands. Mr Piccaver, the darling of Vienna, is actually Mr Peckover, of Lincolnshire, Edouard Giovanni is really Edward Johnstone, Englishman. Maria Sandra, singing here to-day, is English. These people want to come home, but you cannot expect them to give up their honoured and lucrative positions abroad to come to London for a month or a year. Under my scheme they will get jobs for five years. “But at least 60,000 of London’s 6,000,000 must offer to let me have 2d a week for five vears. Twopence a week I” exclaimed Sir Thomas, “the cost of a railway bunl”

Before conducting part of a symphony by Mr Strickland Constable, Sir Thomas stated that It was being played in England for the first time. “But,” he added, dryly, “it was performed in Munich last March.”

The Prince of Wales has sent £1 to the Imperial League of Opera. This represents a two.years’ subscription in advance.