From Orfeo to Ulisse: The Second Chapter of a Monteverdi Journey Visiting Garsington for the second time this season (check our review of Rosenkavalier for more of what is on), the production of Il ritorno d’Ulisse from The English Concert seems particularly apposite. I’m moving away from London, and much as I love summer excursions […]
Der Rosenkavalier – Garsington Opera
A Fabulous Frolic, Magnificent Vocals and a Deeper Message Travelling to Garsington for a summer opera spectacular is always a treat. The stunning setting, together with an evening of exemplary opera, seldom disappoints. Der Rosenkavalier, a late-Romantic opera by Richard Strauss, has a fairytale storyline perfect for an idyllic evening in the country. This production, […]
Rodelinda – Handel – Garsington Opera
With sublime arias, poignant duets, and gripping drama, Rodelinda showcases Handel at his finest—blending musical brilliance with timeless human themes. This critically acclaimed production at Garsington Opera brings fresh intensity and theatrical flair to a rarely staged masterpiece.
Fidelio at Garsington Opera
The timely 2025 revival at Garsington Opera (June 27–July 22) reimagines John Cox’s iconic 2009 production, with Jamie Manton as revival director, while Douglas Boyd conducts Baroque specialists The English Concert.
The Queen of Spades at Garsington
After a triumphant season opening performance of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, I’m back at Garsington tonight for The Queen of Spades, the 2nd production of their 2025 season. Reuniting the same creative team of director Jack Furness, designer Tom Piper and conductor Douglas Boyd, from 2022’s well-received production of Dvorák’s Rusalka, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades with its themes of obsession, fate, and madness is a far cry from the frothy Italian romance of Donizetti’s opera. However, both works are thematically linked with a narrative framework of an outsider character in love with a seemingly unattainable social superior but with predictably different outcomes.
L’elisir d’amore delights – Garsington Opera
Few moments compare to stepping out of the opera house as night falls, the grounds aglow with flaming torches and crackling firepits illuminating the quirky dining tents there to protect picnics from the red kites hovering above. It’s an experience that always lifts the spirit, made all the more wonderful after such an excellent performance of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, a buoyant, heartwarming opera that ends on just the right note
Un Giorno Di Regno – Verdi – Garsington Opera
An exuberant production of an early Verdi comic opera This opera, almost resulting in the composer abandoning his career as a composer, was Verdi’s second work. While his debut, ‘Oberto’ is also seldom staged today, the tragic opera was a great success in its time. Un Giorno di Regno, commissioned by the impresario Merelli and […]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Garsington Opera
Magic and Mystery at Garsington There is something otherworldly about going to see opera at Garsington. As you drive into the Getty family’s Wormsley Estate you are encased in a huge valley set in the chalk downlands of the Chiltern Hills, entering an exclusive, magical world that houses not only the Opera Pavilion and its […]
Le Nozze di Figaro – Garsington Opera
The Wedding of The Season There are few operas so able to elicit a joyful response by their mere mention as Le Nozze di Figaro. For many opera fans, myself included, each aria forms a beloved collection of recollections of performances past. This can be a double-edged sword as each production is measured against hundreds […]
Rameau’s Platée and a Preview of the Glorious Garsington Season
Platée and Beyond at Garsington 2024 It always feels like the beginning of summer when I zip along the M40 to the Getty family’s stunning Wormsley Estate for the opening of the Garsington Opera season. The 2024 Season runs from Wednesday 29 May to Wednesday 31 July kicking off with Rameau’s Platée (reviewed below). Founded […]