Glyndebourne Festival - Glyndebourne
28 April 2024

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Performance reviews

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Vanessa

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 22

Warner’s production emphasises the claustrophobic and noirish aspects of the story
9 Aug 18 / Music OMH
Barber's opera finds its time with intelligent, gripping staging
8 Aug 18 / The Guardian
Keith Warner’s production evokes the mystery and repressed sensuality of this intriguing work
8 Aug 18 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews
Keith Warner's Glyndebourne production exposes truths and tragedies
8 Aug 18 / Opera Today
Le miroir s'argenta
8 Aug 18 / Forum Opéra
Repression in a cold climate
7 Aug 18 / Bachtrack
Worth the wait for this winningly performed production
7 Aug 18 / Independent
Probing and spectacular
7 Aug 18 / The Stage
Glyndebourne: a solid production can't hide the charmlessness of Barber's opera
7 Aug 18 / Telegraph
Glyndebourne presents the first fully professional UK staging of Barber's romantic opera
7 Aug 18 / What's on Stage
It’s hard to imagine the opera being more sympathetically treated
6 Aug 18 / Classical Source
Blowsy histrionics and a great finale
6 Aug 18 / The Arts Desk
Glyndebourne’s magnificent production makes the strongest possible case for Vanessa
6 Aug 18 / Evening Standard
Gripping psychodrama with a nod to Hitchcock
6 Aug 18 / Planet Hugill
Vanessa: from Pulitzer to obscurity… and beyond
The prize-winning opera fell out of favour. Now it is getting a second chance at Glyndebourne.
Madama Butterfly

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 16

You'd need to be made of stone to get through Act III unmoved here
13 Sep 18 / Opera Journal
Glyndebourne is sunny yet unrewarding
3 Jun 18 / The Sunday Times
The summer opera season kicks off with Annilese Miskimmon’s perceptive staging of Puccini’s heartbreaker
28 May 18 / The Observer
Much is routine – and a fair amount is worse
24 May 18 / The Spectator
A super start to the 2018 season
24 May 18 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews
The undoubted glory of the evening was the orchestral playing by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
22 May 18 / Music OMH
The UK's premier summer festival opens its season with Puccini's beloved tear-jerker
21 May 18 / What's on Stage
Tears on the picnic lawn: Madama Butterfly makes her bow at the Glyndebourne Festival
21 May 18 / Bachtrack
Excellent performances
21 May 18 / The Stage
Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2018 opens with Annilese Miskimmon's Madama Butterfly
21 May 18 / Opera Today
An impressive opening night Butterfly at the 2018 Glyndebourne Festival
21 May 18 / Seen and Heard
A breathtaking Butterfly, but Richard Jones goes overboard on the gags
21 May 18 / Independent
Glyndebourne openers perplex, provoke and charm
21 May 18 / The Guardian
Exceptionally well cast and thoughtfully directed by Annilese Miskimmon, the emotional impact remains devastating
21 May 18 / Classical Source
Bland characterisation but striking singing in Puccini's emotional masterpiece
21 May 18 / Telegraph
Boldly updated to the 1950s, this production nevertheless has a striking visual beauty
21 May 18 / The Times
The heartless GIs who inspired Madame Butterfly
A new production of the opera at Glyndebourne is set in post-war Japan.
Sex, betrayal, suicide
is Madama Butterfly too sordid to stage today?
Pelléas et Mélisande

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 20

Un cenizo llamado Golaud
30 Aug 18 / Mundo Clásico (Spanish)
Ça crève les yeux
9 Aug 18 / Forum Opéra
Country matters
31 Jul 18 / parterre box
Herheim transforms a dream-like play into a claustrophobic domestic drama but his interpretation is relevant
17 Jul 18 / Express
Stefan Herheim’s production seems to me to be picnicking on the croquet lawn of implausibility
11 Jul 18 / Express
A concept-heavy new production of Debussy’s masterpiece leaves little to the imagination
8 Jul 18 / The Observer
Vexing reading of a perplexing opera
5 Jul 18 / The Spectator
Ideas are laid on so thickly that they undermine the evening’s effectiveness and clarity
5 Jul 18 / Music OMH
What might have been?
3 Jul 18 / Opera Today
An operatic locavore consumes the English countryside
3 Jul 18 / New York Times
Pelléas is Stefan Herheim’s directorial debut at Glyndebourne
3 Jul 18 / Seen and Heard
Road to nowhere
2 Jul 18 / The Critics' Circle
Musically enchanting, even if the plot is perversely embroidered
2 Jul 18 / Independent
Glyndebourne makes itself at home in a bizarre staging of Debussy's only full-length opera
2 Jul 18 / What's on Stage
Shadows among the organ pipes: an enigmatic Pelléas et Mélisande on location in Glyndebourne
2 Jul 18 / Bachtrack
Fine singers compromised by eccentricities of this new staging
2 Jul 18 / Telegraph
Ticciati got the most enthusiastic applause; Herheim’s was more muted, with a few boos
2 Jul 18 / Classical Source
Crashing symbols overpower doomed lovers
2 Jul 18 / The Guardian
Debussy’s score becomes merely a soundtrack to a bewilderingly weird spectacle
2 Jul 18 / The Times
Patches of light from Robin Ticciati's conducting on Stefan Herheim's inexpressive canvas
1 Jul 18 / The Arts Desk
Stefan Herheim’s glittering vollisions have changed opera
When his productions fulfill his visions, the viewers can’t ignore what’s happening, Mr. Herheim, one of opera’s most innovative stage directors, said.
Saul

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 5

Music reigned supreme at Glyndebourne’s production of Handel’s Saul
24 Aug 18 / Opera Today
An electrically imaginative, viscerally gripping production
23 Jul 18 / Telegraph
This is an eye-popping Old Testament spectacular, and one with its human drama unshrivelled
23 Jul 18 / The Times
Everybody loves David: Handel’s Saul at Glyndebourne
21 Jul 18 / Bachtrack
The production is utterly brilliant
21 Jul 18 / Classical Source
Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 9

Giulio Cesare in Egitto ritorna a Glyndebourne, nella leggendaria produzione di David McVicar
28 Jun 18 / Opera secondo me
David McVicar’s acclaimed 2005 production of Giulio Cesare returns to Glyndebourne
18 Jun 18 / Express
This production of Handel’s take on the romance between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra is as glorious as it gets
14 Jun 18 / Express
David McVicar's 2005 production returns to Glyndebourne in triumph
13 Jun 18 / What's on Stage
Smashing revival of a gorgeous Glyndebourne classic
12 Jun 18 / Telegraph
Joélle Harvey is a fresh and clean-voiced Cleopatra
12 Jun 18 / Classical Source
A seamless marriage of high tragedy and slapstick comedy
12 Jun 18 / Independent
No weak links in opera with heart-stopping eloquence
12 Jun 18 / Evening Standard
Carry on Cleo: Joélle Harvey leads terrific revival of Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne
11 Jun 18 / Bachtrack
Der Rosenkavalier

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 12

Glyndebourne is sunny yet unrewarding
3 Jun 18 / The Sunday Times
Rosenkavalier never forgets to be funny
31 May 18 / The Spectator
En la oficina de Goro
30 May 18 / Mundo Clásico (Spanish)
Musically a delight, but a staging disappointment
24 May 18 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews
There’s a dearth of passion and poignancy
22 May 18 / The Times
A triumphant first revival for Richard Jones' production of Strauss' romantic opera
22 May 18 / What's on Stage
Seriously funny, musically transcendent
21 May 18 / Bachtrack
A superb revival
21 May 18 / The Stage
This revival comes up freshly minted and emerges as a more thoughtful and likeable production than it did when new
21 May 18 / Classical Source
Easier on the ears than on the eyes
21 May 18 / Telegraph
A breathtaking Butterfly, but Richard Jones goes overboard on the gags
21 May 18 / Independent
Glyndebourne openers perplex, provoke and charm
21 May 18 / The Guardian
Così fan tutte

Glyndebourne Festival


Glyndebourne on Tour


No. of reviews: 8

Glyndebourne Touring Opera’s touring production of Cosi Fan Tutte brings the fun along with Mozart’s magical music
16 Nov 17 / Eastern Daily Press
The 2017 Glyndebourne Tour arrives in Canterbury with a satisfying Così fan tutte
3 Nov 17 / Opera Today
A night at the opera
31 Oct 17 / Sussex Express
One final outing for Nicholas Hytner's outstanding production of Mozart's opera
16 Oct 17 / What's on Stage
Getting to the heart of Don Alfonso
16 Oct 17 / Bachtrack
A multinational cast look sexy, sing well and act beautifully
9 Oct 17 / The Times
The gorgeous autumn planting at Glyndebourne is as dazzling as the Mediterranean sun conjured up indoors
9 Oct 17 / Classical Source
Nicholas Hytner's irresistible production takes a bow
9 Oct 17 / The Guardian
Il barbiere di Siviglia

Glyndebourne Festival


Glyndebourne on Tour


No. of reviews: 5

A beguiling Il barbiere di Siviglia from GTO
6 Nov 17 / Opera Today
Glyndebourne's 2016 production of Rossini's comic opera revived for the autumn tour
13 Oct 17 / What's on Stage
Just not very funny
12 Oct 17 / Music OMH
Strong ensemble cast gives fizz to Glyndebourne's touring Barber
11 Oct 17 / Bachtrack
On this showing, Rossini’s comedy of class and manners remains a masterpiece
10 Oct 17 / Classical Source
La clemenza di Tito

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 13

Tito se aburre
25 Aug 17 / Mundo Clásico (Spanish)
Richard Croft, Titus forever
16 Aug 17 / Forum Opéra
Bogged down
8 Aug 17 / The Critics' Circle
Anna Stéphany shines as Sesto in Claus Guth’s staging
6 Aug 17 / Express
Director Claus Guth arrived with a high reputation for his Mozart but the gods did not smile on this production
30 Jul 17 / Financial Times
Young talent shines through in a troubled production of Mozart's late opera
28 Jul 17 / What's on Stage
One for sorrow: Claus Guth directs a taut, dark Clemenza di Tito at Glyndebourne
28 Jul 17 / Bachtrack
Guth’s and designer Christian Schmidt’s concept is more sentimental than Imperial
28 Jul 17 / Opera Today
Tito and Sesto's relationship was totally implausible
28 Jul 17 / Independent
A magical, maddening return to Glyndebourne
28 Jul 17 / The Guardian
Stark, compelling and very well acted
28 Jul 17 / Telegraph
This profound and moving modern-dress production has a bumpy start, but is imaginatively conducted and winningly sung
28 Jul 17 / The Times
Claus Guth's new production of this Mozart opera is thoughtful and impressively sung
27 Jul 17 / Evening Standard
La Traviata

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 11

Joyce El-Khoury’s Violetta heads strong cast for a tremendous Glyndebourne La Traviata
5 Aug 17 / Seen and Heard
Tears before bedtime: El-Khoury transcends Cairns’ chilly Glyndebourne Traviata
3 Aug 17 / Bachtrack
Kristina Mkhitaryan's Violetta soars
28 May 17 / The Observer
Kristina Mkhitaryan's Violetta reveals everything one might ever look for in the part
25 May 17 / Music OMH
A strong Violetta carries an uninspired Traviata revival at Glyndebourne
24 May 17 / Bachtrack
A noteworthy Glyndebourne debut
23 May 17 / The Stage
Subtle and serious
23 May 17 / The Guardian
Cogent Cavalli, chilly Verdi
23 May 17 / Financial Times
Cairns’s production of La traviata is outstanding
23 May 17 / Independent
Another triumph for Glyndebourne casting
23 May 17 / What's on Stage
Is Kristina Mkhitaryan the new Netrebko?
23 May 17 / Telegraph
Don Pasquale

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 9

What a pleasure to see Mariam Clément’s 2013 Festival production revived
19 Jul 17 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews
Lisette Oropesa is outstanding in Glyndebourne’s admirable Don Pasquale revival
19 Jul 17 / Seen and Heard
A revival that may well get slicker and funnier with every performance
18 Jul 17 / Music OMH
A cold-hearted comedy at Glyndebourne
17 Jul 17 / Opera Today
Buffa as blood sport
15 Jul 17 / Bachtrack
An evening of brilliant entertainment
15 Jul 17 / The Stage
Renato Girolami excels in the title role of Donizetti’s opera
15 Jul 17 / Financial Times
Mariame Clément's breezy version of Donizetti's opera returns
15 Jul 17 / What's on Stage
A black comedy that leaves a sour taste in the mouth
15 Jul 17 / Telegraph
Ariadne auf Naxos

Glyndebourne Festival


No. of reviews: 11

Strauss’s masterpiece emerges mysterious and suggestive
18 Jul 17 / Independent
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen takes a while to relax, but her voice seemingly knows no limits
1 Jul 17 / Financial Times
A dazzling newcomer at Glyndebourne
1 Jul 17 / The Observer
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Performance schedule
Bizet
16 May to 24 Aug 2024
Mozart
18 May to 21 Jul 2024
Lehar
9 Jun to 28 Jul 2024
Handel
23 Jun to 23 Aug 2024
Wagner
2 to 25 Aug 2024

News & Articles

Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2024
It's a great year for beguiling women at the Sussex country opera house, with Carmen and Cleopatra among those weaving their seductive spells.
27 Aug 2023 / CultureWhisper
What is Glyndebourne?
The East Sussex opera house is home to the famed Glyndebourne Festival every summer – here’s everything that happens in this historic place of music.
9 Aug 2023 / Classic FM
Glyndebourne cancels 2023 tour programme after funding cuts
Opera company lost more than half its funding after Arts Council England sought to divert money to underserved regions.
7 Jan 2023 / The Guardian
Glyndebourne announces its 2023 season
Danielle de Niese, Louise Alder, Venera Gimadieva, Joélle Harvey and Liparit Avetisyan headline Glyndebourne’s 2023 season.
4 May 2022 / OperaWire
Glyndebourne tour to return in 2022 with Puccini and Mozart works
The company will present Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in Michael Grandage’s 2012 production as well as a new production of Puccini’s seminal “La Bohème.”
6 Feb 2022 / OperaWire