Music
[SIR THOMAS BEECHAM'S SCHEME] AFTER a long delay due to illness, Sir Thomas Beecham has at last announced his scheme for the establishment of Opera in this country. The details are not yet fully prepared, but we know enough of the general plan to be able to judge roughly how far it is likely to succeed. Almost at the very beginning of his announcement, Sir Thomas Beecham hit upon the most important factor in the question. " The problem of opera in the past," he said, " has been the difficulty of obtaining from the public a sustained interest." This may seem a platitude, but platitudes are often obscured by irrelevant considerations, and I am lad that this one has been clearly stated. The most effective way of solving the opera problem, it seems to hie, is to create a habit of mind. The promoters of Association football, of greyhound racing, and of revue have discovered that secret and have followed up their discovery with shrewd Organization. The result is that -these things are established anong.us so securely that their continuance has become almost an automatic- process. ft remains to be seen whether Sir
Thomas Beecham and his co-operators will be able to make opera attendance an English habit of mind.
The scheme has many things in its favour. In the first place, it is not extravagant. Sir Thomas Beecham's long experience has taught him to go warily and to suspect ambush on every side. He is opposed to the idea of erecting a new opera house until the strength and measure of public support have been tested. At the same time he makes it quite clear that there is no suitable theatre in London which can combine adequate seating at reasonable prices with well-produced and successful opera. Covent Garden is out-of-date and its capacity too small. The ultimate hope is to displace the old kind of exclusive theatre with seats at a guinea each by a modern theatre holding 3,500 people and with prices not exceeding 10s. lid. a seat.
In the second place, the scheme recognizes an important truth, namely that the burden of opera cannot be thrust upon the British public as a whole. The appeal will be to the small minority of opera-lovers and their immediate circle of friends. This group, which represents but a fractional percentage of our population, will be set to work to leaven the whole lump. The members thereof will be conscious of their active partici-, pation in the movement, for not only will they be asked to subscribe towards the subsidy,* but also they will, under favourable circumstances, be impelled to proselytize to a certain extent. To persuade individuals that they are par- taking in the government, is one of the best ways of securing stability. " I will undertake to do certain things, and the opera-loving public will be asked to respond." That is Sir Thomas Beecham's pledge.
Thirdly, there is no rigid policy in the scheme concerning " Opera in English," or " Opera for All." Slogans have brought many a former opera campaign to grief for the simple reason that they were the product either of megalomania or of provincialism. Under this new scheme we shall have opera in English, when time and place adhere and good sense approves ; at other times the operas will be given in their original languages.
Moreover there is to be no rigid resolution that the per- sonnel of the company will be entirely British. About 95 per cent. of the players and singers will be British, and the remaining 5 per cent. will consist of foreign artists who will fill roles that, by general consent, no British singer can fill adequately. This reservation may seem a small matter; but it speaks volumes. This is the kind of flexibility of mind
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