Music: An Ordinary Bloke

In 1969, when they were named heirs designate to the artistic direction of London's Royal Opera at Covent Garden, Conductor Colin Davis and Director Peter Hall announced that they planned "to turn the opera house upside down." By this fall, when their appointments were to take effect, what had been turned upside down was their plans. Hall had pulled out of the partnership on short notice, having decided that the opera would take too much time from his film and stage commitments. Davis was left to carry on alone, with no intention of finding...

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