OPINION - The ENO is in a mess, but moving to Manchester won’t solve its problems
The English National Opera is a strange beast. On one level, it is the second opera house to glitzy Covent Garden, where the musical cognoscenti, wealthy, and government ministers hover to ensure a credible mix of high culture and intentions in (a few) cheap seats. English National Opera has more overtly democratic credentials — opera sung in English has been its USP — a hangover from the days when surtitling technology was basic and audiences less accustomed to relishing Netflix foreign drama with translations.