Sunday evening was my first experience of Glyndebourne, the epitome of British luxury opera, and wow, what a voice – Lise Davidsen left me speechless; a moment I will never forget. Her presence and complete absorption of her character, Ariadne, had everyone sitting on the edge of their seats.
Established in 1934, Glyndebourne prides itself on providing exceptional opera for everyone. Located within the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, it is renowned for the quality of its productions and its commitment to artistic excellence; it offers artists and audiences a remarkable experience.
The new theatre, built in 1994 with architect Michael Hopkins, was completed sixty years after the old theatre opened, winning a series of awards for design and construction and heralded as a masterpiece of modernism for its acoustics and sightlines. Another first was achieved in 2012 when the Festival became powered by renewable energy, inaugurating Glyndebourne as an environmental innovator of the arts.
The Festival runs from May-August every year, delivering 77 performances to over 90,000 people whilst the Tour runs from October-December visiting eight UK venues giving 55,000 people the chance to experience the best of Glyndebourne on their doorstep.
Embracing digital technology to take the art form to broader audiences, Glyndebourne was the first UK opera house to screen its performances in cinemas; today streaming many of them free on glyndebourne.com and running its own independent music label where live performances of admired and successful operas can be bought and enjoyed.
The town of Lewes is not to be missed so if you manage to treat yourself to a ticket whilst the festival is in full swing, be sure to leave enough time to explore the town along with the gardens of the main house and of course, make time for a picnic.
Featured image: Glyndebourne
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