Stage: Affordable bliss

The 2015 Glyndebourne Tour offers a diverse line-up of Mozart, Donizetti and Handel

Glyndebourne might seem like an expensive fantasy to some, and it is indeed an occasion that can cost more than your average night at the theatre. But trust me when I say that it is so much more than an average night of anything. Glyndebourne is a magical experience where one can enjoy opera performed at the very highest level. All that said it need not be an expensive night out as there are many more seats than in the past and at far more affordable prices. It is always worth looking online to see what is available up to the very last minute. Add to this that booking is now open for the 2015 Glyndebourne Tour which boasts a diverse line-up of world-class operas from Mozart, Donizetti and Handel and at what can be described as excellent value prices. Now in its 47th year, Glyndebourne Tour will present three main stage productions, two of which transfer straight from the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival where they premiere this summer. An elegant new production of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, which opened to sell-out audiences at the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival on 13 June, heads the line-up. Among the cast is the up-and-coming American tenor Benjamin Bliss, currently a member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Also transferring from the 2015 Festival is a new production of Handel’s oratorio Saul, which tells the well-known biblical tale of the first King of Israel’s love and loathing for his eventual successor, David. Directed by the brilliant, provocative Australian director, Barrie Kosky, it features Henry Waddington in the title role opposite the South African countertenor Christopher Ainslie as David.
The third production is a revival of an opulent period staging of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale; an acclaimed production which debuted on the Glyndebourne Tour in 2011.
All three main stage productions have a central role for the Glyndebourne Chorus, an ensemble with a well-earned reputation for showcasing the soloists of tomorrow. Previous Glyndebourne Chorus members include such familiar names as Gerald Finley, Sarah Connolly and John Tomlinson.
David Pickard, General Director at Glyndebourne, said: “Glyndebourne Tour was founded in 1968 to give more people a chance to see our world-class productions and to provide a platform for some of the opera world’s most talented young singers. This year alongside an international cast of up-and-coming soloists, the Glyndebourne Chorus takes a central role in all three productions providing rich opportunities for audiences across the country to watch the stars of tomorrow. It’s a diverse season which I hope will offer much to enjoy for audiences of all musical and theatrical tastes.”

Off stage, cinemas in selected Tour locations will be screening Glyndebourne’s five star production of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd, a production which, because of its scale, Glyndebourne is unable to take on the road. An all-male piece which presents the tense and stifling atmosphere on board a British man of war during the Napoleonic wars, the production was described by The Stage as ‘a masterpiece of emotional ambiguity’.
During the 2015 Tour, Glyndebourne will once again offer subsidised tickets to schools across the UK to attend full-length, fully-staged opera. Glyndebourne Performances for Schools offer priority booking and reduced price tickets to schools to take their students to see an opera, often for the first time.
Now in its ninth year, Glyndebourne Performances for Schools will present Don Pasquale by Donizetti in Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Plymouth and at Glyndebourne. In addition, Glyndebourne will host a Performance for School of the Mozart classic, Die Entführung aus dem Serail at home.
The 2015 Tour will begin at Glyndebourne on 10 October before visiting Woking, Norwich, Canterbury, Milton Keynes and Plymouth.
Public booking for Glyndebourne Tour performances ​at Glyndebourne ​opened on 8 June, ticket prices range from £8 – £68. Booking at other Tour venues is also open now. glyndebourne.com/tour2015
Glyndebourne (10-31 October)
Tickets from £8 – £68