Pountney, David (Willoughby)

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Pountney, David (Willoughby) (b Oxford, 1947). Eng. opera director. Directed first opera 1967 at Cambridge Univ. ( Scarlatti's Trionfo dell’ Onore). Prod. Janáček's Káťá Kabanová, Wexford 1972. Dir. of prod., Scottish Opera, 1975–80, where he staged Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Eugene Onegin, Don Giovanni, and a notable Janáček cycle in collab. with WNO. Amer. début Houston 1973 (Macbeth), ENO 1977 ( Blake's Toussaint), Australia (Sydney) 1978 (Die Meistersinger). Several prods. for Netherlands Opera incl. f.p. of Glass's Satyagraha (1980). Dir. of prod. ENO 1982–93, incl. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, f. Brit. stage ps. of Doctor Faust and Osud, and f.p. of Harvey's Inquest of Love. Several of his prods. caused controversy. Prod. world première of Floyd's Bilby's Doll (Houston 1976), and of Glass's The Voyage (NY Met début, 1992). Librettist of Maxwell Davies's opera The Doctor of Myddfai (1993–6). CBE 1994.