ENO saga continues as Caetani ruled out of musical directorship

Published Friday 30 December 2005 at 17:05 by Alistair Smith

English National Opera has announced the latest in a long line of departures from the company, as it confirmed that Oleg Caetani would not be taking up his post as music director only weeks before he was due to start.

A statement issued by the company explained: “Earlier this week Loretta Tomasi, chief executive, and John Berry, artistic director of English National Opera, met with Oleg Caetani to review ENO’s organisation structure and future direction in the light of recent changes.

“As a result of these discussions, they have jointly agreed that Oleg Caetani will not be taking up the position of music director but will maintain an ongoing relationship with ENO as guest conductor.”

The news follows the resignation of both ENO’s artistic director Sean Doran and its chairman Martin Smith and comes soon after the announcement that its technical and front of house staff will strike in the new year, after Bectu members voted by a 94.6% majority in favour of industrial action.

The decision was taken after months of negotiations over pay, which resulted in what the union has described as a “derisory” final offer of a 2.77% increase.