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& Cheryl Imboden'sEurope for Visitors europeforvisitors.com |
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News Archived press release
ABOVE: Mike Hoban took this photo of Peter Rose as Sarastro in Glyndebourne's 2004 production of Mozart's The Magic Flute. INSET BELOW: Glyndebourne in summer. Enjoy opera on a summer evening in BritainNEW YORK--Where better to enjoy the opera than in a British garden on a summer evening? Surrounded by the verdant beauty of neatly-clipped lawns and trees, and the sound of birdsong, nature meets art in these most perfect settings. Here is a selection for summer 2004 – make your choice, then prepare for an evening of style and artistic perfection. Bring your own picnic hamper or enjoy the refreshments sold on the night. Through August 29: Sussex
Through June 26: Northern Ireland Castleward Opera in Northern Ireland was founded in 1985 by Ian Urwin
and Jack Smith, in a coach house belonging to Castle Ward - the National Trust
estate on the shores of Strangford Lough, about 45 minutes’ drive from Belfast.
They took the vision of creating a miniature opera house out of the
cobweb-adorned barn and turned it into a reality. Patrons dress formally, and
either bring their own picnic supper or avail of the suppers provided by the
on-site caterers. This year the highlights will be Verdi's Rigoletto and
Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring. Through August 6: London Opera Holland Park was founded only eight years ago but is now a
popular summer fixture in London. An ambitious program with singers of
international repute is staged within one of the capital’s most beautiful Royal
Parks. Among the six new productions this season are Puccini’s La Boheme and
Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Bookings, tel. (011 44) 845 230 9769. Through July 11: Oxfordshire The charm and unique quality of Garsington is its setting on a terrace
adjoining Garsington Manor near Oxford and its beautiful gardens created by
Philip and Lady Ottoline Morrell. Members of the Bloomsbury set were frequent
visitors. With a purpose-built auditorium seating around five hundred,
performances start in the early evening and there is a long interval when
patrons can picnic in the gardens or have dinner in the restaurant. The
highlights of this year’s season include the British premiere of Rossini’s
L’Equivoco Stravagante and Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte. Bookings, tel. (011 44) 186
536 1636. July 13: London and around the UK BP Opera in the Piazza. Live relays from London’s Royal Opera House to giant
screens in the Covent Garden Piazza and other locations around London and the UK
will enable thousands of people to soak up the atmosphere of classic opera and
ballet at no charge. Yes, these open-air events are free of charge and there is
no need to book! However, these are not garden settings so it is best to have
your picnic elsewhere before joining the crowds. The program is the Royal
Ballet’s La Tosca (July 13, Covent Garden Piazza, Canary Wharf in London’s
Docklands and other locations including Belfast Botanical Gardens and Sherwood
Forest). June 26: Staffordshire/Shropshire Weston Park, a magnificent stately home on the Staffordshire /
Shropshire border in central England, is staging its annual Opera in the Park,
Mozart's Don Giovanni. The Garden Opera Company returns to these beautiful
grounds for an evening packed with unforgettable melodies. The performance will
be seated with a separate allocated area for picnickers to bring tables and
chairs prior to the performance. For tickets, tel. (011 44) 195 285 2100. July 29: East Anglia Mannington Hall, the home of Lady Walpole in Norwich, Eastern England,
plays host to the Garden Opera Company which performs Mozart’s Don Giovanni in
the beautiful gardens. For information, tel. (011 44) 126 358 4175. August 13 - 14: Yorkshire Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, a World Heritage Site near Ripon in
North Yorkshire, comprises the ruin of a 12th century Cistercian abbey, a
monastic watermill and one of the best surviving examples of a Georgian water
garden. This is the idyllic setting for open-air opera in the shape of The
Marriage of Figaro (Friday) and The Barber of Seville (Saturday), performed by
Opera Brava. Information, tel. (011 44) 176 564 3164. For information on traveling to Britain, two brochures, “Invitation to Britain” and “Britain: Time to Travel” are available free from VisitBritain’s Travel Center, 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701, (at 45th Street), in New York City, Mondays through Fridays between 9.00am and 6.00pm. VisitBritain’s Travel Center can also be reached via email at: travelinfo@visitbritain.org or telephone on Toll Free: 877 899 8391. Online: www.visitbritain.com Please note, details of events were correct at the time of editing but are subject to change. Details should be checked before traveling. Text source: VisitBritain |
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Stately
Glyndebourne, near Lewes in the Sussex countryside, is England’s most
renowned open-air opera location. This year is the 70th anniversary of the
annual festival. A varied range of productions includes Rachmaninov’s The
Miserly Knight and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi performed in a double bill for the
first time. There are a variety of dining options and full details are given on
the website. Bookings, tel. (011 44) 127 381 3813.