From the Editor: Tuesday 7th February

A trip to Glyndebourne is special: a lustrous, vivid, vibrant spectacle combined with dazzling singing and music. I’ve seen some of my favourite ever shows thanks to their generous scheme offering cheaper tickets for Under 30s.

The rightfully revered 2015 production of Saul was beguiling and even lurid at times in it staging, while also being transcendentally beautiful musically. Just stream ‘O Lord, Whose Mercies Numberless’ to sample the celestial, lilting grace of one of Handel’s arias as an example. My first ever opera at Glyndebourne was Britten’s haunting, unnerving Turn of the Screw whereas Mozart’s Figaro last year was riotous fun, so there’s a diverse range of different experiences on offer.

Those aged under 30 can buy £30 tickets in great seats for certain performances, which go on sale on Monday 27 February. This year’s Under 30s shows include a UK premiere of Cavalli’s Hipermestra, a new version of Hamlet and the brilliant Richard Strauss’ bold, comedic Ariadne auf Naxos.

Any music lover should give opera a go: it’s a startlingly complete musical performance, with striking variance between different singing styles meshed with an evocative, stunning live orchestra. The Glyndebourne Chorus exemplify how incredible the voice can sound in finely rehearsed unison. That’s to say nothing of the staging, lighting, choreography, acting, directing, costumes and lots more. Yeesh, I get excited just writing about it.

The tickets go quickly so you should persuade some friends and arrange who’s booking in advance. For those over 30, it’s worth noting that you can still find cheap standing tickets or look into other pricing options with the Glyndebourne box office.

You won’t regret it.

Joe Fuller
editorial@thelatest.co.uk

Find out more about the Glyndebourne Under 30s scheme here