Bolshoi Theatre offer job to English Nation Opera’s John Berry

The former artistic director of the English Nation Opera is expected to get a job at Russia’s most prestigious theatre.

Makhar Vaziev became Bolshoi Ballet’s artistic director after leaving the same role at La Scala in Milan.

The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow is set to appoint a Briton to one of its top jobs in a rare honour for a foreigner at the Russian opera house and ballet company.

John Berry, 54, stepped down as artistic director at the beleaguered English National Opera last year six months after Martyn Rose, the outgoing chairman, said that he had to leave “for the very survival of the ENO”.

The heads of 33 opera houses and festivals around the world wrote an open letter in Berry’s defence and he is now understood to have been offered a senior artistic role at the Bolshoi, a job created for him.

Top jobs at the Bolshoi are usually reserved for Russians. Tugan Sokhiev is the theatre’s musical director and Makhar Vaziev is the artistic director. Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club, is a member of the Bolshoi’s board.

Berry is likely to report to Vladimir Urin, director-general of the Bolshoi, who was tasked with restoring the theatre’s reputation after a series of scandals and internal rows, including an acid attack in 2013 that almost blinded Sergei Filin, the theatre’s former artistic director.

“The Bolshoi can pretty much do what it wants,” a source tells the Financial Times.

“It’s a major powerhouse organisation. It has an orchestral roster of nearly 300 (musicians), while ENO has about 60. Its chorus is more than three times bigger than ENO’s, which has around 45. They have two stages. The original stage was completely refurbished, so the facilities are incredible.”

Berry declined to comment on Monday. It is understood the Bolshoi Theatre is preparing an official announcement.

Berry came under fire in a leaked letter from Rose to ENO’s president Vernon Ellis in December 2014. Rose said Berry had to leave, “preferably soon”, and added: “No right-thinking person would put him anywhere near the front line for delivery.” He appeared to blame Berry for ENO’s parlous finances and said £10 million had been lost “on his watch”.

Berry stepped down, saying: “My work is now done and ENO is today regarded as one of the most creative forces in opera. The decision feels right to leave at the end of a hugely successful season both from an artistic perspective and in terms of audience numbers.”

Among those who came to Berry’s defence were Alexander Pereira of La Scala in Milan and Peter Gelb of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, who protested against his treatment and praised Berry and his team for “their indefatigable efforts to keep our art form fresh”.

Berry, a clarinetist who graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, joined ENO in 1995 as casting director and spent 20 years at the institution.

The Times