[Image: La traviata, Festival 2014, Photo: Richard Hubert Smith]
Glyndebourne Tour is to honour the artistic vision of its founder Sir George Christie by taking three world-class productions, two fresh from premieres at Glyndebourne Festival, on the road this autumn.
Sir George, who died in May, established the Tour in 1968 driven by an ambition to bring the highest quality opera to as many people as possible and nurture talented singers from across the world at the start of their careers.
Now in its 46th year, the Glyndebourne Tour is offering a rare opportunity to see two new productions direct from the internationally acclaimed Glyndebourne Festival, Verdi’s La traviata, and Mozart’s La finta giardiniera. Also taking to the road is Jonathan Kent’s highly acclaimed 2006 production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. Beyond the stage, Glyndebourne will screen Melly Still’s playful family production of Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen in selected cinemas, offering audiences an alternative way to engage with the very best of Glyndebourne.
Glyndebourne Tour, which offers world class opera at venues across the UK, is one of Sir George’s most significant legacies for the arts world. The 2014 Tour will begin at Glyndebourne in East Sussex on 4 October before visiting Woking, Norwich, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Dublin and Stoke-on-Trent. This is the first time Glyndebourne will visit Dublin in more than ten years, ushering in an exciting new era for the Tour.
Sir Thomas Allen, Gerald Finley, Felicity Lott, Kate Royal and Roberto Alagna are just some of the talented, international singers who began their careers on the Glyndebourne Tour.
This year, Glyndebourne will again offer audiences the chance to spot emerging talent on the brink of explosive careers.
Director Tom Cairn’s production of La traviata will feature exciting young conductor David Afkham, fresh from conducting in the Glyndebourne Festival. American tenor Zach Borichevsky makes his UK debut singing Alfredo Germont alongside Russian soprano Irina Dubrovskaya, who is singing at Glyndebourne for the first time. Lauren Easton, who made her Tour debut in 2012, makes a triumphant return to sing the role of Flora Bervoix.
David Afkham said: “What I love about conducting La traviata at Glyndebourne is that it affords you the time to really work on a piece. At Glyndebourne, the music rehearsals are longer and allow for more exposure to the work to really get in to the piece. I grew up with La traviata, studied the opera and feel a real connection to it, so it is wonderful to have the chance to tour La traviata with Glyndebourne and explore the work to its full potential.”
Described by the Evening Standard as a ‘brilliantly inspired production’, La finta giardiniera is directed by 32-year-old director Frederic Wake-Walker and conducted by former Glyndebourne Chorus Master Christopher Moulds. It features award winning Italian soprano Rosa Feola making her Glyndebourne debut as Sandrina, Tour favourite Eliana Pretorian as Serpetta and Polish mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp, a graduate of the Royal Opera House’s Jett Parker Young Artists programme, as Ramiro.
The Turn of the Screw is revived with a stellar cast including award-winning Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw in the role of the Governess and former Jerwood Young Artist Anthony Gregory as Peter Quint. Also making her Tour debut is 13-year-old Louise Moseley playing the role of Flora.
David Pickard, General Director at Glyndebourne, said: “I am proud that the Glyndebourne Tour enables our world class company to be seen in parts of the country where opera performances are comparatively limited. This makes our annual visits particularly special, not just for the venues we visit, but also for the company itself who experience the thrill of introducing live opera to new audiences.”
As part of Glyndebourne’s commitment to inspire young people through opera, around 9,000 school children will experience the exhilaration of watching fully staged opera, many for the first time, during Glyndebourne Tour. As well as six performances of La traviata and La finta giardiniera for schools,Five Deaths and a Happy Ending, an opera for 7 to 10-year-olds which charts the history of the art form, will also tour the country. Then on 11 October Glyndebourne will once again open its doors to young people and their families for a day of activities, workshops and talks, enabling curious minds of all ages to glimpse behind the scenes of the renowned opera house.
Arts Council England provides the bedrock of funding that makes Glyndebourne’s innovative Tour and education work possible and for the fourth year the Daily Mail is also providing valuable sponsorship of Glyndebourne Tour. Without this continued support Glyndebourne would not be able to offer the breadth and quality of touring work that it proudly presents every year.
For more information on tour dates and to book tickets, please Click Here.