OPERA HEADLINERS OF THE YEAR
Scottish
Opera Rings Up Huge Bill
The praise is ringing from the
rooftops of Edinburgh - Scottish Opera’s Ring Cycle is the triumph of the
Festival. "Bold, deft, vast organic power," wrote one reviewer; "a singularly
powerful moving force," considered another. Yet for all the glory, the future
of the company remains in doubt, after the opera took an effective cut in its
public funding in the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) budget in April this year. A
board meeting of the company last week discussed a forthcoming presentation to
Frank McAveety, the culture minister, which will make the case for extra
funds, to boost the annual award of £7.4 million which the company already
receives. It promises to be a difficult meeting.
The company is understood to have already spent its public funds for
2003-2004, despite an additional grant of £750,000 from the Scottish Arts
Council Lottery Fund (SACLF) which made its Ring Cycle possible. Twice in the
last four years, Scottish Opera has gone to government and left with
extraordinary grants of £2.1 million in 1999 and £1.9 million in 2001 to bail
it out. However, if the company faces a difficult future, its fate also
presents a defining issue for the Scottish Executive’s cultural policy. If Mr.
McAveety believes in the value of national performing arts companies, he has
to put a price on them, and soon. In the short-term, that may force yet
another extraordinary public award from the Executive to see the company
through the current financial year. But in the medium-term, the Executive’s
answer is likely to be delivered in its forthcoming review of arts provision
in Scotland. Though its terms have not yet been set, this inquiry is set to
establish a framework for all its national companies, including a new national
theatre, as well as setting new ground rules for the SAC. While Scottish Opera
basks in the glow of its critical notices, there is a strongly-held opinion
within the arts establishment that the company already receives sufficient
funding. The company’s annual award from the SAC is equivalent to 20 per cent
of the organization’s £38 million budget which funds the arts in Scotland. As
well as opera, that SAC budget, supplied directly from the Executive, funds
two national orchestras and Scottish Ballet, as well as theatre and music
throughout Scotland. "They’ve known for years they are meant to live within
their means, yet they chose to produce the Ring, as expensive a series as they
could have managed," said one observer.
Richard
Armstrong, the company’s musical director, and its chief executive, Duncan
McGhie, are thought to be responsible for championing these high production
values. Some figures in arts administration are known to have been
disappointed when Mr. Armstrong’s contract was recently renewed. Opera
supporters, however, remain upbeat. They hope for a better relationship with
the second Scottish Parliament. And, importantly, they stress that their
critical success brings economic benefits, reflected in the Edinburgh
International Festival, which are reported to be at record levels. Scottish
Opera already tours extensively overseas, but insiders hope that a higher
level of public funding can enable more productions in more cities in
Scotland. But beyond its next three post-Festival productions - Aida, The
Magic Flute and La Bohème - the future remains unclear, without an uplift in
funds. An independent report into Scottish Opera by Sir Peter Jonas recently
warned of both the erosion of the company’s artistic standards and the
danger of it succumbing to part-time status, if the trend in public finance
continued. The report suggested that with "stand-still funding" Scottish
Opera was likely to produce three operas in 2004-5, two the following year
and three in 2006-7. In terms of performances staged, that would represent a
fall from 69 shows in 2001-2002 to just 39 by 2006-7. The report read: "It
would, indeed, be possible to manage Scottish Opera with a yearly grant of
£7.4 million held level for the next three years. However, this would very
quickly mean a different and artistically less ambitious company than
Scotland has now." Sir Peter warned that a failure to resolve the company’s
financial problems will "result in lost past and present investment, a
company that is permanently financially lame, the continual threat of
insolvency and, therefore, indefensibly bad value for taxpayers’ money".
Mr. McAveety
is thought to be considering all options for the company ahead of a
presentation from the opera board. He recently asked Nod Knowles, the head of
music at the SAC, for a "blue-sky" report, which would outline various
consequences of Scottish Opera in many forms from international powerhouse to
nonexistence.
Fans of the Ring will know which way Mr. McAveety should turn.-Mik Wade