Norman Tucker
Encyclopedia
Norman Walter Gwynn Tucker (24 April 1910 – 10 August 1978) was an English musician, administrator and translator. Trained as a concert pianist, he was invited to join Sadler's Wells Opera
in 1947 in an administrative role, and from 1948 to 1966 he was the managerial head of the company.
His translations of operas new to the repertoire and fresh translations of repertoire works were performed by the company at Sadler's Wells Theatre
and, after his retirement and the company's move, at the London Coliseum.
, the son of Walter Edwin Tucker and his wife Agnes Janet. He was educated at St Paul’s School, London, New College, Oxford
, and the Royal College of Music
. He graduated from the last with a performance of Brahms
's Second Piano Concerto
conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
. From 1935 until the Second World War he pursued a career as a concert pianist. During the war he served first as a stretcher-bearer in a hospital and then as private secretary to successive Chancellors of the Exchequer
, Sir Kingsley Wood
, Sir John Anderson
and Hugh Dalton
.
After the war, Tucker resumed his career as a pianist, but in 1947 the conductor James Robertson
invited him to join Sadler’s Wells Opera
as joint director with himself and his co-conductor Michael Mudie. They were dubbed "the three Norns
" by the company. The two conductors soon handed over all administrative responsibility to Tucker, who ran the company from 1948 until 1966. His experience at HM Treasury
was valuable in the company's frequent negotiations with the Arts Council
which dispensed the scarce public subsidies for the arts, and Tucker did much to secure the funding necessary for the survival of Sadler's Wells in the 1950s and 1960s.
For the company Tucker provided new translations to replace some of the stilted old ones, and translated other libretti into English for the first time. Prominent among the latter was Piave
's libretto for Verdi
's Simon Boccanegra
of which Sadler's Wells gave the British premiere in 1948. Other Verdi operas he translated were Luisa Miller
and Don Carlos
. Tucker was enthusiastic about the operas of Janáček
(as was one of the company's rising young conductors, Charles Mackerras
) and he translated Katya Kabanova
, The Cunning Little Vixen
and The Makropulos Affair
for their Sadler’s Wells premieres.
Tucker laid great emphasis on the dramatic side of opera, and was proud of attracting leading theatre directors to work at Sadler's Wells; they included Michel Saint-Denis
, Glen Byam Shaw
and George Devine
. He introduced operetta to the company's repertoire. It proved a financial blessing. The success of The Merry Widow
saved the company from financial crisis in 1958. That box-office hit, followed by another with Orpheus in the Underworld (1960), made him determined to stage Gilbert and Sullivan
as soon the operas came out of copyright and the D'Oyly Carte Company
's monopoly ceased at the end of 1961. Iolanthe
and The Mikado
(both 1962) were box-office successes, and popular with the company, though less so with the higher-minded members of the Sadler's Wells board.
Other tensions between Tucker and the board, combined with his great disappointment when a plan for a new opera house on the South Bank
of the Thames
was abandoned, badly affected his health. He began to drink excessively, and his contract was terminated by the board on 8 March 1966. He was succeeded by his deputy, Stephen Arlen
.
After his enforced retirement, Tucker continued to have ties with the company, making further translations including another Janáček opera, The Excursions of Mr. Brouček (1978). By the time the piece was staged, Tucker had died, aged 68; the first night was dedicated to his memory.
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
in 1947 in an administrative role, and from 1948 to 1966 he was the managerial head of the company.
His translations of operas new to the repertoire and fresh translations of repertoire works were performed by the company at Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
and, after his retirement and the company's move, at the London Coliseum.
Life and career
Tucker was born in the London suburb of WembleyWembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
, the son of Walter Edwin Tucker and his wife Agnes Janet. He was educated at St Paul’s School, London, New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, and the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
. He graduated from the last with a performance of Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
's Second Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Brahms)
The Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 by Johannes Brahms is a composition for solo piano with orchestral accompaniment. It is separated by a gap of 22 years from the composer's first piano concerto. Brahms began work on the piece in 1878 and completed it in 1881 while in Pressbaum near...
conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham
Thomas Beecham
Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet CH was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with the Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras...
. From 1935 until the Second World War he pursued a career as a concert pianist. During the war he served first as a stretcher-bearer in a hospital and then as private secretary to successive Chancellors of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, Sir Kingsley Wood
Kingsley Wood
Sir Howard Kingsley Wood was an English Conservative politician. The son of a Wesleyan Methodist minister, he qualified as a solicitor, and successfully specialised in industrial insurance...
, Sir John Anderson
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, PC, PC was a British civil servant then politician who served as a minister under Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill as Home Secretary, Lord President of the Council and Chancellor of the Exchequer...
and Hugh Dalton
Hugh Dalton
Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton PC was a British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947, when he was implicated in a political scandal involving budget leaks....
.
After the war, Tucker resumed his career as a pianist, but in 1947 the conductor James Robertson
James Robertson (conductor)
James Robertson CBE was an English conductor, best known as musical director of Sadler's Wells Opera.Robertson was born in Liverpool and was educated at Winchester College and Trinity College, Cambridge, before studying music at the Leipzig Conservatory and the Royal College of Music in London...
invited him to join Sadler’s Wells Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
as joint director with himself and his co-conductor Michael Mudie. They were dubbed "the three Norns
Norns
The Norns in Norse mythology are female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men, a kind of dísir comparable to the Fates in classical mythology....
" by the company. The two conductors soon handed over all administrative responsibility to Tucker, who ran the company from 1948 until 1966. His experience at HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
was valuable in the company's frequent negotiations with the Arts Council
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
which dispensed the scarce public subsidies for the arts, and Tucker did much to secure the funding necessary for the survival of Sadler's Wells in the 1950s and 1960s.
For the company Tucker provided new translations to replace some of the stilted old ones, and translated other libretti into English for the first time. Prominent among the latter was Piave
Francesco Maria Piave
Francesco Maria Piave was an Italian opera librettist who was born in Murano in the lagoon of Venice, during the brief Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. His career spanned over twenty years working with many of the significant composers of his day...
's libretto for Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Simón Bocanegra by Antonio García Gutiérrez....
of which Sadler's Wells gave the British premiere in 1948. Other Verdi operas he translated were Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play Kabale und Liebe by Friedrich von Schiller. The first performance was given at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on December 8, 1849...
and Don Carlos
Don Carlos
Don Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
. Tucker was enthusiastic about the operas of Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
(as was one of the company's rising young conductors, Charles Mackerras
Charles Mackerras
Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan...
) and he translated Katya Kabanova
Káta Kabanová
Káťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...
, The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen is an opera by Leoš Janáček, with a libretto adapted by the composer from a serialized novella by Rudolf Těsnohlídek and Stanislav Lolek, which was first published in the newspaper Lidové noviny.-Composition history:When Janáček discovered Těsnohlídek's...
and The Makropulos Affair
The Makropulos Affair
The Makropulos Affair The Makropulos Affair The Makropulos Affair (or The Makropoulos Case, or The Makropulos Secret or, literally, The Makropulos Thing; (Czech Věc Makropulos) is a three-act opera by Czech composer Leoš Janáček...
for their Sadler’s Wells premieres.
Tucker laid great emphasis on the dramatic side of opera, and was proud of attracting leading theatre directors to work at Sadler's Wells; they included Michel Saint-Denis
Michel Saint-Denis
Michel Saint-Denis , dit Jacques Duchesne, was a French actor, theater director, and drama theorist whose ideas on actor training have had a profound influence on the development of European theater from the 1930s on.Michel Saint-Denis was born in Beauvais, France, the nephew of Jacques Copeau, who...
, Glen Byam Shaw
Glen Byam Shaw
Glen Byam Shaw was an English actor and theatre director, known for his dramatic productions in the 1950s and his operatic productions in the 1960s and later....
and George Devine
George Devine
George Alexander Cassady Devine CBE was an extremely influential theatrical manager, director, teacher and actor in London from the late 1940s until his death. He also worked in the media of TV and film.-Biography:...
. He introduced operetta to the company's repertoire. It proved a financial blessing. The success of The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
saved the company from financial crisis in 1958. That box-office hit, followed by another with Orpheus in the Underworld (1960), made him determined to stage Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
as soon the operas came out of copyright and the D'Oyly Carte Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
's monopoly ceased at the end of 1961. Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
and The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
(both 1962) were box-office successes, and popular with the company, though less so with the higher-minded members of the Sadler's Wells board.
Other tensions between Tucker and the board, combined with his great disappointment when a plan for a new opera house on the South Bank
South Bank
South Bank is an area of London, England located immediately adjacent to the south side of the River Thames. It forms a long and narrow section of riverside development that is within the London Borough of Lambeth to the border with the London Borough of Southwark and was formerly simply known as...
of the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
was abandoned, badly affected his health. He began to drink excessively, and his contract was terminated by the board on 8 March 1966. He was succeeded by his deputy, Stephen Arlen
Stephen Arlen
Stephen Arlen was an English theatre manager and operatic administrator. Originally an actor, he took up backstage work as a stage manager, and in the years after the Second World War was in charge of stage management at the Old Vic.He was persuaded to join Sadler's Wells Opera as an...
.
After his enforced retirement, Tucker continued to have ties with the company, making further translations including another Janáček opera, The Excursions of Mr. Brouček (1978). By the time the piece was staged, Tucker had died, aged 68; the first night was dedicated to his memory.