Sun 19 May 2013
Glyndebourne
Falstaff
Verdi Falstaff
Sir Mark Elder conductor
Richard Jones director
Laurent Naouri Falstaff
Ailyn Perez Alice Ford
Roman Burdenko Ford
Lucia Cirillo Meg Page
Susanne Resmark Mistress Quickly
Elena Tsallagova Nannetta
Antonio Poli Fenton
Graham Clark Dr Cajus
Colin Judson Bardolfo
Paolo Battaglia Pistola
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
The Glyndebourne Chorus
Sir Mark Elder conducts Verdi’s ‘commedia lirica’ Falstaff. Adapted from Shakespeare’s plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV, Falstaff was Verdi’s final opera and only his second a comedy. Revered for its stunning orchestration and electrifying libretto, this performance gives audiences a rare opportunity to hear this glorious masterpiece played on instruments…
Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro DVD
Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro is the quintessential Glyndebourne opera – first performed in 1934 and in 1994 when the opera house re-opened. ‘This is a Figaro of rare grace, naturalness and charm’, said The Daily Telegraph, and for The Sunday Times it was a production that ‘affirms Mozart’s most beloved masterpiece as both of…
Read MoreLorraine Hunt Lieberson
Mon 13 May 2013
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson was born in San Francisco, on 1 March 1954. She grew up in a very musical household, with both her parents being music teachers and heavily involved in opera.
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A Bit About Falstaff
Wed 8 May 2013
The character of Falstaff appears in three of Shakespeare’s plays, the two Henry IV plays, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. A vain and obese knight, he provides the kind of comic relief that has become so embedded in today’s theatre and cinema.
Read MoreGiuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Composer
Himself: Despite his innate musical ability (he began studying music at the age of three), Verdi’s application for the Milan Conservatory was rejected due to his lack of piano technique and discipline. In 1839, he moved to Milan and he had his first success with Nabucco and also his first failure, with the comedy Un…
Read MoreCimbasso
James Anderson, OAE musician, tells us a bit about his Cimbasso which he’ll be playing at our Glyndebourne performances of Falstaff this summer…
Read MoreSir Simon Rattle and the OAE
Mon 28 Jan 2013
Music journalist Andrew Mellor wrote a lovely article a while back about our relationship with Sir Simon Rattle, so we thought it was the perfect time to share it with you, just before we perform with the maestro himself tomorrow night at the Royal Festival Hall…
Read MoreHandel, Theodora CD
Peter Sellers takes Handel’s tale of self sacrificial love between a Christian virgin and a Roman bodyguard in 4th century Antioch and by resetting it in modern day America, transforms it into a timeless parable of spiritual resistance to tyranny and persecution. Handel Theodora William Christie conductor Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Cast: Lorraine Hunt,…
Read MoreNot all audiences are the same: Jennifer Jones
Mon 8 Oct 2012
When I rang my Mum, Jennifer, (pictured right) at the eleventh hour and asked whether she would like to be in the OAE’s new season brochure – since we were looking for an older woman to complement the bodybuilders and other people with ‘strong looks’ that had already contacted the OAE – she completely astounded…
Read MoreCurrent Distractions
Thu 30 Aug 2012
Welcome to the first of a new section based around what’s been catching our collective eye…
Read MoreGlyndebourne’s Le Nozze di Figaro – free and on demand
Fri 24 Aug 2012
As ever, this summer we’ve been down in Glyndebourne, this year performing in the pit for two operas, The Fairy Queen and Le Nozze di Figaro. We’re delighted to say that Glyndebourne have made available this completely free stream of Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Robin Ticciati, which you can enjoy here until 2 September….
Read MoreFairy Queen DVD
The DVD of Glyndebourne’s spectacular production of Purcell’s exuberant take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is now available.
Read MoreGlyndebourne: on demand
Mon 6 Aug 2012
We’re very pleased to be able to offer you the chance to watch the 2009 Glyndebourne production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, featuring the OAE, online.
Read MoreRinaldo DVD
The DVD of the 2011 Glydebourne production of Handel’s opera, featuring the OAE conducted by Ottavio Dantone.
Read MoreFairy Queen: First reviews
Wed 25 Jul 2012
Last week Glyndebourne’s production of Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen opened, with us providing musical accompaniment from the pit. The first reviews are in and here’s what they had to say:
Read MoreFigaro in pictures
Tue 17 Jul 2012
We’re almost halfway through our run of The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne and there’s been some great response to it so far.
Read MoreFigaro: First reviews
Mon 2 Jul 2012
Here are the reviews so far from our first performance of The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne.
Read MoreOAE at the BBC Proms
Mon 23 Apr 2012
One of the most closely guarded secrets in the classical music world is always what’s going to be on at the BBC Proms, so even though our appearances are planned some way in advance, no one aside from us in the office knows what we are doing until the big Proms announcement and launch. This…
Read MoreRinaldo Reworked
Fri 21 Oct 2011
On 6 October, OAE and Glyndebourne’s education departments joined music students from Blatchington Mill School and Varndean College to perform extracts from Handel’s Rinaldo.
Read MoreRinaldo at the BBC Proms: Reviews
Wed 31 Aug 2011
Last week we made our annual appearance at the BBC Proms, as part of the Glyndebourne Prom, a semi-staged performance of Handel’s Rinaldo. Here’s what the reviewers and bloggers made of it: Guardian Music OMH Classical Source The Times (subscribers only) Gramophone Seen and Heard There are some pictures from the Prom on the Proms…
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