English National Opera

English National Opera (ENO), located at the Coliseum Theatre on St. Martin's Lane is one of two opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera at Covent Garden. It is a world-class company, as famous for attracting talented lesser-known singers as it is for its modern productions and groundbreaking setting of opera. ENO currently mounts twenty productions a year with an annual audience of 450,000. Its music director is Paul Daniel.

History

In 1898, Lilian Baylis presented a series of opera recitals at the Old Vic theatre. Some ten years later, she established a theatre company there, initially performing 'cut-down' versions of Shakespeare's plays. Having added a small group of dancers to the company (a group which later separated from Vic-Wells and renamed: The Royal Ballet); Sadler's Wells Theatre opens and the Vic-Wells Opera Company is formed.

Related Topics:
Lilian Baylis - Old Vic - Shakespeare - Royal Ballet - Sadler's Wells

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After closures during the Second World War, Sadler's Wells re-opened with Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes, introducing the first English opera composer since Purcell to receive international acclaim. In 1968, Sadler's Wells Opera moved from Sadler's Wells Theatre to the Coliseum; six years later, the company was renamed English National Opera.

Related Topics:
Second World War - Sadler's Wells - Britten - Peter Grimes - Purcell - Coliseum

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In 1984, ENO was the first British opera company to tour the United States, and in 1990 was the first major foreign opera company to tour the former Soviet Union. After acquiring the freehold to the London Coliseum, the company embarked on a four-year restoration programme in 2004. While the Coliseum was undergoing these changes, ENO temporarily made its home in the Barbican Centre.

Related Topics:
British - United States - Soviet Union - Coliseum - Barbican Centre

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