Glyndebourne

A privately owned and operated opera house, founded in 1934 by John Christie and his wife, the singer Audrey Mildmay, at their Glyndebourne (Sussex) home. Opera performances, which rank musically and artistically with the best in Europe, are given every summer under the direction of Carl Ebert and, until his death in 1951, under the conductorship of Fritz Busch. A special train service makes the opera accessible to Londoners.

During its first years Glyndebourne concentrated on the Mozart^* operas, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutti and The Magic Flute, but later adde'd Verdi's Macbeth and Donizetti's^** Don Pasquale to its repertory. Closed during the war, it re-opened in 1946 with a fortnight's festival, which included Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia, under the direction of the composer, and the following year saw the presentation of Albert Herring^*** and Gluck's^**** Orfeo. Later, Strauss's^***** Ariadne auf Naxos, Rossini's^****** La Cenerentola and Mozart's Idameneo have been added to the repertory. The company has also performed other works at the Edinburgh Festival.

^* (Mozart - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), a great Austrian composer; the Russian names for the operas mentioned in the text are, respectively, "Свадьба Фигаро", - "Дон Жуан", "Так поступают все женщины".)

^** (Donizetti - Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), an Italian composer of over 60 operas, Professor of Music and Director of Conservatoire in Naples Albert Herring - an opera by Beniamin Britten ("Альберт Геринг"), 1947.)

^*** (Albert Herring - an opera by Beniamin Britten ("Альберт Геринг"), 1947.)

^**** (Gluck - Christoph Williabald von Gluck (1714-1777). A German composer of operas. His earlier operas were of conventional type, but his Orfeo ed Euridice ("Орфей и Эвридика", 1762) is a landmark in operatic history in that it introduced, the idea of fuller harmony between music and poetry.)

^***** (Strauss-Richard Strauss (1864-1949). A German composer of symphonies, concertos, symphonic poems and operas; Ariadna aaf Naxos (1912)-his less successful opera ("Ариадна на Накосе").)

^****** (Rossini - Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868). An Italian composer of operas, cantatas and piano-pieces. La Gensrentola - "Золушка". )

The opera house seats an audience of 600, and the stage, which has the most up-to-date equipment, and the specially designed auditorium offer ideal conditions for both performers and listeners. Stress is always laid on the best possible artistic production of an opera not only musically, but from the point of view of stage design and presentation. Each opera is sung in its original language, and the utmost care is taken in casting, singers being chosen not only for their reputations but for their suitability for particular roles. Rehearsals aim at producing a consistent musical and dramatic ensemble.

The Glyndebourne Theatre is renowned for the near-perfection of its productions.

(The World of Music, vol. 1)