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The first curtain rose at Glyndebourne in 1934 |
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The curtain rose on the first performance of the Opera Festival at Glyndebourne on 28th May, 1934. It was the culmination of one man’s obsession with the idea of presenting ‘not the best we can do, but the best that can be done anywhere’. The words are John Christie’s, owner of the estate at Glyndebourne, which he had inherited in 1920. He ‘felt that it [opera] was almost non existent...in England, so we ought to begin to bring it here’. The term ‘we’, he used, referred to himself and his wife Audrey Mildmay, herself a professional singer. They had met at Glyndebourne when John was 48 years old and apparently a confirmed bachelor. Audrey, then a member of the Carl Rosa company, had been engaged at the suggestion of a musical friend of his, to provide a little professional polish to one of John’s amateur opera productions which took place in the Organ Room at Glyndebourne. Built to provide his friend and Eton organist Dr Lloyd with an instrument to play when he was in Sussex, it had become the focus of musical activity at Glyndebourne.
After their honeymoon spent attending Salzburg and Bayreuth Festivals, the Christies returned full of enthusiasm with plans to build a small theatre to enable better performances to take place. It was Audrey who realised that the project was neither one thing nor the other, and urged, ‘If you’re going to spend all that money, John, for God’s sake do the thing properly!’. He immediately took his wife’s advice and re-designed the theatre to hold 300 people, a reasonable orchestra pit and a stage furnished with the most modern technical and lighting equipment.
The timing of the project was perfect: it probably would never have succeeded if built earlier or later. Financially Christie gained as England came off the Gold Standard, and as a result of some accidents and coincidences he eventually found the men that he wanted for his opera house. Both Fritz Busch from Dresden and Carl Ebert from Berlin had left Germany because they could not work under the Hitler regime. They accepted the posts of conductor and producer respectively on the condition that in all artistic matters they were to have sole responsibility. Christie’s only condition was that they should leave all matters regarding the cost of running the Opera Festival to him.
Remaining tickets for the Glyndebourne Festival 2008 are now available to the public online or from the box office on 01273 813813 10am-6pm, 7 days a week.
L'incoronazione di Poppea
Monteverdi's last work is set in a world of sensuality where passionate, forbidden love is victorious over goodness and virtue.
Eugene Onegin
Tchaikovsky's operatic masterpiece is a tragic tale of impossible love which reveals the composer at his most romantic, lush, dramatic and poignant.
Albert Herring
Britten and librettist Eric Crozier, poke fun at a very English hypocrisy, but the combination of wit, mockery and tenderness, make this one of the composer's most admired works.
Carmen
Bizet's extraordinary, passionate score had, within three months of the composer's death, become recognised as one of the greatest operas of all time.
Hänsel und Gretel
Hänsel und Gretel, described by Richard Strauss as ‘a masterpiece of the highest quality’ combines romanticism, lyricism and exuberant playfulness in a vibrantly rich orchestration.
Love and Other Demons
This story of forbidden love set in the tropical and magical world of 18th century Colombia, adapted from the novella by Nobel-prizewinner, Gabriel García Márquez.
We offer talks on the new Glyndebourne Festival Opera productions in the spring in London as well as hosting study mornings or days for an in depth look at a composer and their work. Before performances during the Festival, there are pre-performance talks in the Ebert Room delivered by leading music academics. All these events are designed to inform and enlighten whilst, we hope, increasing your enjoyment of the performance itself.
The Archive holds a wealth of material about the people, productions and origins of our world–renowned opera house. Come and see curated exhibitions and find out what's new in the archive.
History of Glyndebourne
We are now approaching Glyndebourne's 75th anniversary. Read the story so far.
In the Archive
Resources from audio recordings and videos to published monographs. See a list of what's available.
Productions
An invaluable list of all productions staged by Glyndebourne Festival and Touring Opera
Use the links below to read a brief history of Glyndebourne's development from the culmination of one man's passion to one of the world's leading opera houses. |
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