The Merchant of Venice (opera) In his will he left his skull to the Royal Shakespeare Company for use in productions of "Hamlet". Tchaikowsky met the theatre director John O'Brien in 1968 and they agreed to attempt an opera on "The Merchant". O'Brien has noted "At first it seemed odd that [Tchaikowsky], as a Jew, would want to take Shylock on, particularly at a time when there was a feeling that Shakespeare was anti-Semitic, which is a nonsensical thing anyway." Most of the opera was written by 1978, and following discussions with the music critic Hans Keller, Tchaikowsky decided to submit it for consideration to
Supermarine S.6B the power of the engine by 400 hp (298 kW) to 2,300 hp (1,715 kW). Although the British team faced no competitors, the RAF High Speed Flight brought six Supermarine Schneider racers to Calshot Spit on Southampton Water for training and practice. The aircraft were: S.5 "N219", second at Venice in 1927, S.5 "N220", winner at Venice in 1927, two S.6s with new engines and redesignated as S.6As ("N247" that won at Calshot in 1929 and S.6A "N248", disqualified at Calshot in 1929), and the newly built S.6Bs, "S1595" and "S1596". The improved aircraft was designated the Supermarine S.6B to