ANNUAL REPORT 2013 2013: the Year in Brief
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ANNUAL REPORT 2013 2013: The year in brief The 2013 Festival was one of Glydebourne’s Journey into cyberspace most ambitious, showcasing six highly Months before the Festival itself, diverse operas. Glyndebourne’s auditorium was the Ariadne auf Naxos was a choice prompted venue for the world premiere of our latest by Music Director Vladimir Jurowski, community opera, Imago*. Our education who, in his last season at Glyndebourne, department commissioned the work, in longed to tackle his first staged opera partnership with Scottish Opera, from by Richard Strauss. Katharina Thoma composer Orlando Gough and librettist directed, making her Glyndebourne debut. Stephen Plaice. The two-act piece brought Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie, directed by together over 75 local amateur singers Jonathan Kent, continued Glyndebourne’s (ranging in age from 15 to 73) working with exploration of Baroque operas less well- professional soloists as well as 25 young known in the UK – an interest shared by musicians in the pit with members of conductor William Christie. Don Pasquale Aurora Orchestra. by Donizetti was revived by Mariame Likened to a ‘La bohème for the digital age,’ Clément with a cast including Danielle Imago tells how a wheelchair-bound woman de Niese and Alessandro Corbelli. For the of 80, confined to a care home, creates an Britten centenary, Billy Budd was an obvious 18 year old avatar through whom she can selection. Falstaff and Le nozze di Figaro made re-experience the joys – and uncertainties – welcome returns. of youth. All perfectly suited Glyndebourne’s 1,200- The first performance, on 6 March, was seat auditorium. And, for the first time, the culmination of two years’ work. every Festival production had a cinema Development workshops had begun in screening during the season; three of which 2011, with rehearsals starting in November had live transmissions. These screenings, 2012. Susannah Waters directed a combined with online streaming, reached spectacular production. an estimated 100,000 people – doubling the audience (98,000) who were able to join us Imago, like previous community operas, in person. This ‘virtual Festival’ prompted combines Glyndebourne’s passion for real-time social media acclaim from new works (we commissioned our first around the world, while demonstrating a new opera in 1970 – Nicholas Maw’s The significant commitment to accessibility. Rising of the Moon; our first community It also continued to fulfil John Christie’s opera was Hastings Spring in 1990) with an original ambition to achieve ‘Not just the enthusiastic commitment to promoting the best we can do, but the best that can be widest possible participation in opera. That done anywhere.’ includes welcoming international artists as well as those living locally. Even in another dimension… 2 GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Photo: Photo: Workman Robert 2013: THE YEAR IN BRIEF THE 2013: ‘ You get the impression that the directors are not treating you as amateurs. They’re treating you as equals. They’re treating you as the instruments, the tools to produce the substance that they’re looking for. And that’s been a tremendous honour really, to work with people like that.’ Member of the Imago elders chorus In 2013, Imago played four performances Which, according to critics, participants, to packed houses. Accessible seat prices audiences and the community, Imago encouraged attendance by the local certainly did. community as well as a wider audience. As composer Orlando Gough put it: ‘The difference between a wholly professional project and a community project is that the community project is more interesting, In 2014, Imago won the award for Learning more frustrating, more engaging, more and Participation at the Royal Philharmonic difficult to pull off, more exciting when Society Awards. it succeeds…’ GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2013 3 Nurturing talent In addition to 2013’s six main productions, The result: an extraordinary piece of theatre the Festival also featured, in our Jerwood consistent with Glyndebourne’s history of Showcase, Wakening Shadow, a celebration nurturing talent and experimentation. of collaborative creativity across every theatrical discipline. On the road Produced in partnership with the Jerwood The year’s Tour featured operas for all ages Charitable Foundation and staged in with Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and the Jerwood Studio, this chamber opera Donezetti’s L’elisir d’amore. The Tour’s third placed three Britten Canticles within a new offering was a new production of The Rape framework by Luke Styles, Glyndebourne’s of Lucretia, which had its world premiere at Young Composer-in-Residence (a post Glyndebourne in 1946. Directed by Fiona supported by the New Generation Shaw, it formed part of our our Britten Programme – NGP). Director Daisy Evans centenary celebrations. helped to bring out the best in the young artists who worked on the project, while Music Director Vladimir Jurowski, who led the London Philharmonic Orchestra, was instrumental in helping to shape the work’s The Rape of Lucretia went on to win the existential theme. Glyndebourne’s Jerwood Best New Opera Production for 2013 in the Young Artists and the Glyndebourne Chorus What’s On Stage opera poll. provided the singers. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith Hubert Richard Photo: 4 GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Photo: Photo: Gontcharov Roman 2013: THE YEAR IN BRIEF THE 2013: A fitting departure The 2013 season marked the end of Vladimir Fittingly, considering his enthusiasm for Jurowski’s 13-year tenure as Glyndebourne’s developing young talent, all funds raised Music Director, only the sixth person to hold were for Glyndebourne’s New Generation this position. Programme (NGP). During that time, he conducted 19 operas, His choice of programme was also working with the Orchestra of the Age of entirely appropriate: a Mozart symphony Enlightenment (of which he is Principal because the composer has come to be so Artist) and the London Philharmonic closely associated with Glyndebourne Orchestra, which he also serves as Principal and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Those links Dream since ‘that’s exactly what my time at are indicative of his degree of comfort with Glyndebourne has been,’ he said. the full range of Glyndebourne’s repertoire, which expanded during his time with us. New arrival Also under his leadership, Glyndebourne’s In 2013 we opened our new coach park. efforts to develop talent accelerated. To support Glyndebourne’s ambitions Young directors, singers and fellow to reduce its overall carbon footprint, we conductors particularly appreciated his have for some time encouraged audience easy accessibility as a mentor. As General members to use rail and coach services Director David Pickard says, ‘ Vladimir’s to reach the opera house, providing a generosity of spirit, ferocious intellect free coach service to and from Lewes and profound musicianship have been a train station. The new coach park, ideally constant inspiration and revelation for all of situated next to the wild garden and lawns, us at Glyndebourne.’ facilitates this by accommodating more To mark his departure, a special concert vehicles than previously. under his direction was held on 23 August. GLYNDEBOURNE ANNUAL REPORT 2013 5 Photo: Alastair Photo: Muir ‘ Everything fits superbly and the production captures the fragility of happiness and the undertow of melancholy better than any I can remember.’ Barry Millington, London Evening Standard Ariadne auf naxos RICHARD STRAUSS ‘ There is no more life- Falstaff enhancing night at the opera than a Falstaff as GIUSEPPE VERDI good as this.’ Richard Fairman, Financial Times Photo: Tristram Kenton Tristram Photo: Photo: Photo: Workman Robert ‘ The singing is excellent, the playing of the LPO is crisp and delightful, but above all, Michael Grandage’s production brings out the humour in the opera magnificently.’ William Hartston, Daily Express Le nozze di Figaro WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART ‘ In this, the first-ever production of a Rameau Hippolyte et Aricie opera at Glyndebourne, JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU Hippolyte et Aricie, Jonathan Kent may have produced something as original and startling in its own way as was Rameau’s original conception for what was his first opera.’ Curtis Roger, Classical Source Photo: Photo: Bill Cooper Photo: Clive Clive Photo: Barda ‘ The simplicity and charm of this Don Pasquale production make it a GAETANO DONIZETTI Glyndebourne classic.’ Andrew Clark, Financial Times ‘ Glyndebourne’s chorus is Billy Budd on unbeatable form, and BENJAMIN BRITTEN the London Philharmonic conveys the sweep of the score under conductor Andrew Davis…’ The Guardian George Hall, Photo: Richard Hubert Smith Hubert Richard Photo: Photo: Photo: Jack Robbie ‘ There are two outstanding performances in the title roles… Victoria Yarovaya’s warmly sung Hänsel and Andriana Chuchman’s glinting Gretel … make a lively duo but find all the stillness for a touching Evening Prayer.’ Hänsel und Gretel John Allison, Daily Telegraph ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK ‘Unmissable’ Hugh Canning, L’elisir d’amore The Sunday Times GAETANO DONIZETTI Photo: Sisi Photo: Burn ‘ Nicholas Collon’s crystalline conducting of one of Britten’s most original scores also puts the opera under a forensic light: all the music’s nervous shudder and electric shimmer register at the highest pitch. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith Hubert Richard Photo: The Rape This is opera at its most nakedly powerful.’ of Lucretia Rupert Christiansen, Daily Telegraph BENJAMIN BRITTEN Financial Overview With a full complement of Festival and Tour performances – including three new productions, an additional community opera premiere, a bigger roster of principal singers and a larger chorus than ever before – 2013 was always going to be a costly year at Glyndebourne. So it proved to be. Photo: David Fernandes David Photo: At the same time, as the world emerged from one of its longest economic crises, we experienced disappointing Tour box office sales, fewer production hires from overseas and considerable fundraising challenges. These hurdles notwithstanding, overall budget was achieved. We were able to do this because Glyndebourne operates under a cost-control imperative that is integral to our culture.