Brian Large

Brian James Large (16 February 1937 – 23 May 2026) was a British television director and author. He was among the world's foremost television directors specialising in opera and classical music. After a 15-year association with BBC television his international career took him to the United States (notably the Metropolitan Opera), the Bayreuth Festival in Germany and Vienna for the New Year's Day Concerts.

Life and career

Early life and education Large was born in London, England, on 16 February 1939 and took piano lessons. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy in 1991. After graduating from the University of London with doctorates in both music and philosophy, he did postgraduate work in Vienna and Prague and worked at the Prague National Theatre in early 1960s.

He directed numerous programmes by Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan from The Royal Ballet, including Cinderella (1979, Lesley Collier, Anthony Dowell) and Sleeping Beauty (1969, Antoinette Sibley, Dowell) and (1978, Merle Park, David Wall).

Large worked with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. At the BBC he also directed numerous live telecasts of concerts with:

Claudio Abbado (Prokoviev's Piano Concerto No.3 with Martha Argerich) Daniel Barenboim (Dvořák Cello Concerto with Jacqueline du Pré) Sir John Barbirolli (Elgar symphonies and orchestral works by Delius) Leonard Bernstein (Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring", Shostakovich's Symphony No 5, Sibelius' Symphony No 5) Sir Adrian Boult (Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with Janet Baker, Peter Pears and John Shirley-Quirk; symphonies by Elgar and Vaughan Williams) Benjamin Britten (Tschaikowsky's Rococo Variations with Rostropovich; and symphonies) Sir Colin Davis (Shostakovich's Cello Concerti 1 & 2 with Rostropovich) Kirill Kondrashin (Brahms' "Double Concerto" with Oistrakh and Rostropovich) Igor Stravinsky (his "Firebird Ballet") Sir William Walton (his Belshazar's Feast).

International networks and opera companies Grove comments that Large "always preferred to film singers live rather than allow them to mime to pre-recorded tapes", and that he paid "as much attention to the musical as to the dramatic aspects of opera direction". which was broadcast to over 90 countries worldwide to an anticipated audience of one and a half billion.

Large directed for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra its annual New Year's Concert from 1989 to 1993; and again from 1997 to 2009; and in 2011. In Germany he has directed for ZDF from Deutsche Oper Berlin and two concerts at the Dresdner Frauenkirche with Angela Gheorghiu and Cecilia Bartoli. Brian Large televised for Bayerischer Rundfunk from Bayerische Staatsoper, Prinzregententheater and Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and two special concerts from the Vatican honoring Pope Benedict XVI (Jansons 27 October 2007; Thielemann) as well as the Opening Concert of the 2006 World Cup Games (Domingo, Damrau, Lang Lang; Jansons, Mehta, Thielemann).

He directed opera productions from La Scala among others Nabucco (Dimitrova, Bruson; Muti) and from the Arena di Verona Madame Butterfly (Kabaivanska) and Tosca (Marton, Aragall). From the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Large has televised opera under the musical direction of Valery Gergiev including Pique Dame and the original "St. Petersburg" version of La forza del destino as well as ballet: Jewels (ballet) and Don Quixote. At the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris he directed The Cunning Little Vixen (Mackerras, Hytner); Alceste (von Otter; Gardiner) and Orphée et Eurydice (Kožená, Gardiner) . From the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées he televised "Viva Vivaldi" with Cecilia Bartoli.

From 1979 Large directed over 80 opera-, recital- and gala-telecasts from the Metropolitan Opera New York including Birgit Nilsson's final appearance as Electra (1980),

Awards and honours Large received two primetime Emmy Awards: 1992 for The Metropolitan Opera Silver Anniversary Gala (Levine, 1991) (TV) at Lincoln Center for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Classical Music/ Dance Programming – Directing; and again in 1993 for the live transmission of Tosca conducted by Zubin Mehta (1992) (TV) from Rome, seen worldwide on 106 television networks, and for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Classical Music/ Dance Programming – Directing, (shared with Giuseppe Patroni Griffi (director)).

Other honours: 1986 Large received a Peabody Award for the live CBS telecast "Sunday Morning: Vladimir Horowitz" (1986) from the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. 1981 The British Television Society recognized Large as "Best Television Director" for the Chéreau/ Boulez production of Der Ring des Nibelungen; 1990 for "The Three Tenors" FIFA world cup concert on 7 July 1990 from the Bath of Caracalla in Rome and again in 1993 for Stiffelio (Carreras) from Covent Garden further with its Judges' Award (Programme) for outstanding achievement in the field of television direction. 1990 The British Academy of Film and Television Arts/BAFTA recognized Large as "Best Television Director" for "The Three Tenors".

For the 'excellence of his opus of more than 600 programmes,' the 44th annual Golden Prague Festival in June 2007 honored Large with a special tribute for his contribution to the industry, and named his 2006 Salzburg DVD of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro "Best Performing Arts Programme – Opera". In 1985 the French government named Large a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Publications Smetana (London, 1970) Martinů (London, 1975) Martinů. In: 6th edition of Grove Dictionary. HDTV: an eye to the future Filming, videotaping. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997, Vol. 2, p. 200-204. (Memoir) At Large: Behind the Camera with Brian Large, in collaboration with Jane Scovell.

He also translated the libretto to Wagner's The Flying Dutchman and Martinů's Julietta.

Videography Mozart: Idomeneo (1982), Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440–073–4234 The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440–073–4582 Dvořák in Prague: A Celebration (1993), Kultur Video DVD, D4211 James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala (1996), Deutsche Grammophon DVD, B0004602-09