Glyndebourne Tour

On the road this autumn, Glyndebourne Tour offers diverse line-up of World-class opera

Theatre Royal Plymouth 24 – 28 November 2015

Booking is now open for the 2015 Glyndebourne Tour which boasts a diverse line-up of World-class operas from Mozart, Donizetti and Handel. Now in its 47th year, Glyndebourne Tour will present three main stage productions, two of which transfer straight from the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival where they premiere this summer.

First is a vibrant new production of Handel’s oratorio Saul, directed by the brilliant, provocative Australian director, Barrie Kosky. It features Henry Waddington in the title role opposite the South African countertenor Christopher Ainslie as David. Local talent comes from tenor David Webb who takes the roles of the High Priest, Abner and Amalekite. Webb was Head Chorister at Exeter Cathedral before winning a Choral Scholarship to Truro Cathedral.

Also transferring from the 2015 Festival is an elegant new production of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus demSerail, which opened to sell-out audiences at the 2015 Glyndebourne Festival.  Among the cast is the up-and-coming American tenor Benjamin Bliss, currently a member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The third production on stage in Plymouth is a revival of an opulent period staging of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale; an acclaimed production which debuted on the Glyndebourne Tour in 2011.

All three main stage productions have a central role for the Glyndebourne Chorus, an ensemble with a well-earned reputation for showcasing the soloists of tomorrow. Tour alumni include: Sir Simon Rattle, Gerald Finlay, Sarah Connolly and John Tomlinson.

David Pickard, General Director at Glyndebourne, said: “Glyndebourne Tour was founded in 1968 to give more people a chance to see our world-class productions and to provide a platform for some of the opera world’s most talented young singers. This year alongside an international cast of up and coming soloists, the Glyndebourne Chorus take a central role in all three productions providing rich opportunities for audiences across the country to watch the stars of tomorrow. It’s a diverse season which I hope will offer much to enjoy for audiences of all musical and theatrical tastes.”

Off stage Plymouth Arts Centre will be screening Glyndebourne’s award-winning production of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd on Thursday 26 November. A production which because of its scale Glyndebourne is unable to take on the road. An all-male piece which presents the tense and stifling atmosphere on board a British man of war during the Napoleonic wars, the production was described by The Stage as ‘a masterpiece of emotional ambiguity’.

During the 2015 Tour, Glyndebourne will once again offer subsidised tickets to schools across the UK to attend full-length, fully-staged opera.  Now in its ninth year, Glyndebourne Performances for Schools will present Don Pasquale in Plymouth on Tuesday 24 and Thursday 26 November.

For more information and to book tickets visit www.glyndebourne.com/tour2015