James Henry Mapleson

His productions and repertoire were seen as old-fashioned, and he was no longer able to engage the top operatic stars, who were to be seen at the Metropolitan Opera and Covent Garden.

James Henry Mapleson was a violinist at and music librarian of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for forty years.

[1][2] In 1849 Mapleson organised a tour of the British provinces with a concert company that included Henriette Sontag, Luigi Lablache and pianist Sigismond Thalberg.

[3] In 1861 Mapleson took over management of the Lyceum Theatre, presenting in his first year Il trovatore and the English premiere of Un ballo in maschera, both with Thérèse Tietjens, who performed with his companies for the rest of her career.

Between 1862 and 1867 he managed Her Majesty's, presenting Italian, French, and German opera and promoting such singers as De Murska, Mario, Giulia Grisi and Christina Nilsson.

Mapleson faced strong competition from the new company, forcing him to raise singers' salaries and incur other increased expenses.

The Italian operas in his repertory were seen as old-fashioned, he could no longer provide singers of the quality of Tietjens and his other earlier stars, and his productions were outmoded.

[1][2] In 1888 Augustus Harris, who had strong financial backing, took over Covent Garden, mounting lavish, starry and innovative productions with which Mapleson could not compete.