Escape to the Country With the hideous realities of people trafficking for sexual exploitation regularly in the news, it’s an apposite moment for a sparky revival of David McVicar’s 2015 production of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The work is a landmark “singspiel” from 1782, a German form of opera promoted by Holy Roman […]
Ariadne Auf Naxos – Glyndebourne Opera
The Serious Business of Comedy It’s a sign of a great production when the audience leaves with a stronger understanding of the composer’s intentions than any synopsis could provide. That was certainly the case with last night’s Ariadne auf Naxos, a spellbinding new production from Laurent Pelly. While the idea of a play within a […]
Tosca at Glyndebourne
The First Cut is the Deepest We are a bit late to the party in reviewing American director Ted Huffman’s new production of Tosca at Glyndebourne. I only managed to get to see the fourth performance of the opera house’s first production of Puccini’s “shabby little shocker”, as described by critic Joseph Kerman in 1952. […]
La Bohème – Glyndebourne Autumn Season
It has been three years since I saw Dutch director Floris Visser’s production of Puccini’s La bohème at Glyndebourne during the 2022 Summer Season. An opera I know and love, Visser’s version still feels like a jolt. He takes the familiar bohemian Paris and reimagines it as a monochrome fever dream, all gleaming cobbles and looming shadows.
Katya Kabanova – Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne’s final opera of the season is a revival of Katya Kabanova—Leoš Janáček’s searing portrait of emotional repression and longing. This staging brings back Damiano Michieletto’s well-received 2021 production, with many of the original cast returning, including soprano Kateřina Kněžíková in the title role. A native Czech speaker, Kněžíková brings nuance and natural musicality to a part she’s made her own.
Falstaff – Glyndebourne 2025
Falstaff, based on The Merry Wives of Windsor, was Verdi’s third Shakespearean opera, an opera buffa which the composer longed to write, especially following on from his successful Macbeth and Otello. Verdi, in his late 70s at the time of composing Falstaff, feared he might not be able to complete the work. The librettist, Arrigo Boito, was an enthusiastic collaborator and helped get the project finished in 1893. It turned out to be Verdi’s final opera
Le Nozze di Figaro – Glyndebourne 2025
Glyndebourne’s 2025 staging of Le Nozze di Figaro marks a historic moment for the opera house, deepening its long-standing connection to Mozart’s comic masterpiece. First performed at the inaugural Glyndebourne Festival in 1934 and revived countless times since, Figaro returns in a new production helmed by French director Mariame Clément—the first woman to direct the opera at Glyndebourne.
Saul – Handel – Barrie Kosky at Glyndebourne
For anyone who thought Handel was best enjoyed with eyes closed, Saul is a thrilling reminder that Baroque can be anything but boring
Wagner’s Final Opera Parsifal – Glyndebourne
Landmark production reframes Wagner’s medieval epic, Parsifal Three ‘firsts’ mark this production of Wagner’s final opera Parsifal at Glyndebourne. This is the first time the production has ever been staged at Glyndebourne, it marks the directorial debut at the prestigious opera house for Jetske Mijnssen and, if this was not momentous enough, it is also […]
The Barber of Seville – Glyndebourne
A Razor-sharp Barber at Glorious Glyndebourne Perfection is an elusive commodity. But tonight’s season-opening production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at Glyndebourne on a glorious early summer’s evening was just that. Annabel Arden’s 2016 production has returned for a revival. It received mixed notices at the time, which improved with a 2019 outing with […]