English Opera singers "translated" into English

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Britions may not be the world's greatest linguists, but an opera company's decision to its performances has raised eyebrows as it only sings in English. The move by the English National Opera(ENO), that is based in central London, prompted some ridicule. "I think it is a contradiction in terms...this is the thin end of the wedge," John Allision, editor of Opera magazine, told BBC Radio. The trend to install surtitles above or next to stages has been growing since the 1980s in a bid to make operas traditionally sung in Italian and German intelligible to non-native speakers. Most of the world's top opera houses have surtitles, although some music critics say the electronic boards can distract from on-stage performances. The ENO, set up in 1931 specifically to perform opera in English, said the move was aimed at improving audience understanding. The ENO said its Coliseum opera house seats 2,500 people and the acoustics mean not everyone can hear every word sung.