Opera 1968 (nem teljes évfolyam) I-II. [antikvár]

In the News In this new monthly feature, we shall give political and administrative news of operatic interest from various countries, hems of a more personal nature will continue to he found under 'We hear that . . .' (see p. 132) Metropolitan Has a 'Surplus'. The Metropolitan Opera House's annual report (its first for ten years), covering the 1966-7 season, discloses that its income from operations was $14.3m., its expenses $21.3m. The deficit was made up by donations, with $545,000 to spare — the company's only 'surplus' in the last decade. The percentage of expenses which had to be covered by donations rose from 9% in 1958 to the present 34%. Among economies achieved was the discontinuation of the National (Touring) Company, which was losing Sl-million a year. An Emergency Fund Drive netted $3.1-million, almost one third of it from two foundations, $700,000 from extra contributions by subscribers, and the rest from individual contributions. The report also lists regular support from more than 650 individual patrons who give $1,000 or more annually, and 85 corporate patrons contributing $2,500 or more annually. There were also exceptional contributions such as Eastern Airlines' gift for a new production of The Ring, Texaco's weekly radio broadcasts and the Ford Foundation's 1963 matching grant of $2.5-million for a 10-year development programme. An Opera House for Harlem? According to the New York Times, Gian-Carlo Menotti is working with civic, business and entertainment leaders in Harlem on plans to build a 1,000-seat opera house as part of a redevelopment programme planned for the community. Mrs Hilda Stokely, a local consultant on housing and education, said the opera house appeared to be 'on the way in a year". Menotti himself said that opera in Harlem would reach a wider public than 'the connoisseurs of bei canto and "society" subscribers' who patronize the Metropolitan and the New York City Opera. Mr Menotti said that he hoped to develop a company of young singers, white and Negro ('talent is the point, not colour'), studying opera techniques with leading professional producers and musicians and offering four or five productions a season. The company would stress contemporary opera, he said, because it has proved too intimate for today's big opera houses and too complex for their hastily rehearsed companies. He estimated that the theatre might cost as much as $4m. Vienna: Speculation on Hilbert's Successor. The resignation of Egon Hilbert as administrator of the Vienna State Opera has been followed by speculation on whether Herbert von Karajan will return to the post he left in 1964. Another possible choice was Rolf Liebermann of the Hamburg State Opera; but it is reported that Hamburg has now prolonged his engagement (on financially improved terms) till 1975. Hermann Juch, formerly administrator of the Vienna Volksoper and another 'candidate', has been similarly secured in his present post as administrator of the Zurich Opera. The choice may eventually rest on someone of local Austrian reputation only. London: No Increase in Performers' Fees. As a result of the devaluation of sterling, a number of overseas performers have requested increases in already-contracted fees for appearances in Britain. The requests are being refused, according to a joint statement issued by the British Association of Concert Agents and the Orchestral Employers Association. 'This decision was made, not only because it was not possible for the organizations to find the additional money, but also because it was felt to be in the national interest continued on füge j