To Direct Australian National Opera

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 772, 7 May 1954, Page 21

To Direct Australian National Opera

FTER leading one or two performances of the Australian National Opera in Wellington last week as guest conductor, Warwick Braithwaite has accepted an offer made him some time ago to become musical and = artistic director of the company on its return to Australia. His term as conductor of the Natione!l Orchestra of the NZBS expires on August 19, and he will leave for Sydney a week later. His decision is likely to have a big influence on the

development of opera in Australia, because of his world reputation as a conductor in this field. "As musical and artistic director I will be in complete charge of the choice of operas, the casting of operas, the arrangement of time allowed for rehearsal, the conducting of performances and the watching over of the standard of the whole company," he said when discussing his plans with The Listener. "The contract will be for two years in the first place, with the possibility of extension, but one has to _ consider whether one should remain away from London for too long," he said. Mr. Braithwaite will live in Sydney, and one of the first steps he expects to see accomplished is the building of a permanent opera house there by the company, which has raised the necessary money. for this purpose. He considers Australia to be the logical place for the establishment of a permanent opera, with its rapidly expanding population and its reserve of many excellent voices which in the past have had to go abroad to Milan and London or Paris to get recognition. Mr. Braithwaite’s long experience with opera includes nine years as conductor of Sadler’s Wells (from 1931 to 1940), and four years as conductor at the -Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (from 1948 to 1952). In symphony work he is equally experienced, having been a conductor for the BBC for nine years, and conductor of the Scottish Orchestra of Glasgow for six years. )