The word festival conjures up many images: muddy wellington boots, pop-up tents and endless supplies of beer, either chugged back or chucked around with as much vigour as the artists throwing their guitars across the stage.
There is, however, a festival in England catered towards the classical conscious that harbours none of the things above. Glyndebourne is an operatic festival staged annually in the enchanting backdrop of idyllic Sussex. It is a summer long classical spectacular and a much loved and highly coveted occasion. One which is cherished amongst its dedicated following.
John Christie inherited the illustrious Glyndebourne estate in 1920. He felt that opera was “non-existent” in England and so resolved to put his estate to good use by announcing that he would be the man who “ought to bring it here”.
Fourteen years later, after careful planning and deliberation, the curtain eventually rose for the first performance at Glyndebourne in 1934. Christie’s original ethos for the festival is still echoed in the concert hall at the estate today; “To present not the best we can do, but the best that can be done anywhere.”
The true spirit of Glyndebourne is found not only in the sensational operas on stage, but amidst the lavish grounds that the festival inhabits. Attendees dressed head to toe in evening wear, whatever the weather, congregate in the grounds with picnic hampers and blankets, to enjoy opera and the temperamental British summer, in a truly romantic setting.
“Glyndebourne is a marriage between the grounds and the opera stage,” says head of Membership and Development, Andy Higgins. “We have a team of specialist gardeners who strive to make our grounds as beautiful as they can be all year round. Whether our festival goers are enjoying a spot of lunch on the lawn or watching the sun going down over the hills after a magical performance; it all adds to the escapism and the magic that Glyndebourne supplies.”
It’s no secret that opera is considered inaccessible to a large proportion of the population. It is widely perceived to be exclusively for the enjoyment of either the elderly or the aristocratic. Glyndebourne is working hard to break down barriers and banish the stereotypes that dissuade people from taking an interest in opera.
“At the heart of this festival there is a pioneering approach to opera. John Christie would fondly recognise many of the classics that are staged here but we’re always seeking to commission new work and to update or find a unique spin on traditional operas.”
This year people across the world were treated to cinema screenings and online live streaming of performances ranging from the comical Falstaff to the magnificent Hippolyte et Aricie, which is the first opera of Rameau’s to be featured at Glyndebourne.
Everyone involved with the festival, both backstage and front stage, have a deep and diligent love for opera that they wish to prolong and pass on to the next generation. By showcasing spectacular performances outside of the theatre and on to different platforms there is an underlying desire to inspire the sopranos, tenors and baritones of the future.
Andy Higgins’s vision is to look for ways to bring Opera to more people, particularly young people, who would perhaps not have taken an interest in it before. “From presenting community operas to arranging study events and creating work with schools and youth centres – our education outreach programmes seek to gage appreciation for opera and provide opportunities for young people’s work to be created and staged.”
The Glyndebourne education outreach programme provides an initiative to inspire teenagers and under thirties to join in the festivities. Their under thirties membership scheme offers reduced ticket prices, booking priority, invitations to pre-performance events and exclusive invites to London concerts. They encourage young people from all walks of life to share their passion for opera and become involved.
The performances at Glyndebourne are lavish and thoroughly polished without being stuffy and wooden. With the longest rehearsal time of any other operatic performance in the world, and with the performers staying at Glyndebourne over the summer months, the whole production team live breathe and love the work they are doing.
“We’re all working hard to pay homage to John Christie’s legacy. This is a labour of love and the fun certainly doesn’t stop when the summer months are over. We have our encore week to look forward to and after that we will focus on taking Glyndebourne performances on tour across the UK.”
The tour will take to the road in autumn with three large scale productions: Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” and Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” will be on show along with “The Rape of Lucretia”, written by Benjamin Britten, which was granted its first performance at Glyndebourne in 1946.
Text by Helen Frances Vaudrey
