Norman Tucker

Norman Walter Gwynn Tucker CBE (24 April 1910 – 10 August 1978) was an English musician, administrator and translator. Trained as a concert pianist, he was invited to join Sadler's Wells Opera in 1947 in an administrative role, and from 1948 to 1966 he was the managerial head of the company.

His translations of operas new to the repertoire and fresh translations of repertoire works were performed by the company at Sadler's Wells Theatre and, after his retirement and the company's move, at the London Coliseum.

Early years Tucker was born in the London suburb of Wembley, the son of Walter Edwin Tucker and his wife Agnes Janet. He was educated at St Paul’s School, London, New College, Oxford, and the Royal College of Music. He graduated from the last with a performance of Brahms's Second Piano Concerto conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.

Administrative career The two conductors soon handed over all administrative responsibility to Tucker, who ran the company from 1948 until 1966. His experience at HM Treasury was valuable in the company's frequent negotiations with the Arts Council which dispensed the scarce public subsidies for the arts, and Tucker did much to secure the funding necessary for the survival of Sadler's Wells in the 1950s and 1960s. For the company Tucker provided new translations to replace some of the stilted old ones, and translated other libretti into English for the first time. Prominent among the latter was Piave's libretto for Verdi's Simon Boccanegra of which Sadler's Wells gave the British premiere in 1948. Other Verdi operas he translated were Luisa Miller and Don Carlos. Iolanthe and The Mikado (both 1962) were box-office successes, and popular with the company, though less so with the higher-minded members of the Sadler's Wells board.

Forced retirement Other tensions between Tucker and the board, combined with his great disappointment when a plan for a new opera house on the South Bank of the Thames was abandoned, badly affected his health. He began to drink excessively, and his contract was terminated by the board on 8 March 1966. He was succeeded by his deputy, Stephen Arlen. By the time the piece was staged, Tucker had died, aged 68; the first night was dedicated to his memory.