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| | Messager: Fortunio, Grange Park Opera, July 2001 (H-T W) (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22) |
 | | In 1804, William Wilkins, the architect of the National Gallery, had transformed the exterior of the original house into a Greek temple, while in 1820, C R Cockerell, the architect of the Ashmolean in Oxford, had been asked by Alexander Baring (soon 1st Baron Ashburton) to design the Orangerie. |
 | | When Wasfi Kani approached Lord Ashburton with the suggestion of using The Grange for a short opera season and converting the Orangerie into a small theatre (with seats from the Royal Opera House before its renovation), she met with open ears. |
 | | Even today, the improvised auditorium with its spooky atmosphere (the beautifully designed, but totally broken ceiling is covered with nets) only seats 366 people, while the stage has no facilities at all. |
| www.musicweb-international.com /SandH/2001/July01/fortunio.htm (760 words) |
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