2 018 S E A SON G ROU P B OOK I NG I N FOR M AT ION
There is a new candidate for the accolade of Most Beautiful Opera House in the World. The Daily Telegraph
GA R SI NGTON OPE R A AT WOR M SL E Y Garsington Opera was established by opera-lover Leonard Ingrams 29 years ago. His vision has produced a company renowned for its operatic excellence, award-winning Opera Pavilion and offering a quintessentially English experience. In 2011 the opera company moved from Garsington Manor to Wormsley, a traditional English estate in the beautiful Chiltern Hills and home of the Getty family. The experience of visiting Garsington Opera at Wormsley is, from start to finish, designed for pleasure. Guests are invited to arrive in the afternoon
to take tea overlooking the famous Wormsley Cricket Ground or visit the impressive 18th-century Walled Garden, a short vintage bus ride from the Cricket Pavilion. Champagne is served and in the early evening audience members take their seats for the performance. The long dinner interval gives plenty of time to dine in the Long Room Restaurant or in one of the private venues around the Opera Pavilion and Cricket Ground. As members depart at 10pm, candles and the moon’s reflection in the lake light their way. An evening with Garsington Opera is truly an unforgettable experience.
T H E OPE R A Garsington Opera stages productions each year which combine well-known repertoire with the lesser-known. The season lasts for just 34 performances over eight weeks, 31 May – 22 July 2018. The company prides itself on the high quality of its productions and regularly receives praise in the national and international press, with its seasons regularly garnering five star reviews. As well as engaging experienced, world-class opera singers, Garsington Opera promotes young British talent by providing a platform for those just beginning to make their name on the world-wide opera stage, and a number of notable UK debuts have taken place. Our resident orchestra, the Garsington Opera Orchestra, is made up of exceptionally talented musicians, many of whom also have careers as soloists and their own chamber ensembles. The renowned Philharmonia Orchestra also joins us in an exciting partnership for one production each season. From the very early days, Garsington Opera began to explore the neglected works of first class composers such as Haydn, Rossini, Richard Strauss and of Russian and Czech composers. The company is known for presenting British premieres, with a world premiere of The Skating Rink by leading British composer David Sawer and award-winning playwright Rory Mullarkey in 2018. In addition Garsington brings well-loved works by composers such as Mozart to a new setting under the direction of Artistic Director Douglas Boyd.
Garsington Opera’s whole programme is a sign of its growing ambition, and how it is helping to lead this golden age of British operatic life. The Telegraph
Heidi Stober as Semele and Robert Murray as Jupiter in Semele, 2017. Inset: Andrea Carroll as Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande, 2017.
2 018 SE A SON 31 M AY – 2 2 J U LY Die Zauberflöte
Falstaff
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Giuseppe Verdi
Conductor Christian Curnyn Director / Designer Netia Jones Sung in German (with surtitles)
Conductor Richard Farnes Director Bruno Ravella Sung in Italian (with surtitles)
Mozart’s much-loved final opera, The Magic Flute, illustrates love and reason’s triumph over chaos and evil. Tamino and Papageno set out to rescue the Queen of the Night’s daughter, Pamina, from the evil Sarastro. But is everything as it seems? Heartwarming arias, effervescent coloratura and lyrical folksong combine in this new production of Mozart’s sublime work, directed and designed by Netia Jones and conducted by Christian Curnyn.
The lecherous Falstaff, with his infamous roving eye, has finally met his match with the three merry wives of Windsor who conspire to teach him a lesson, tormenting him at every turn. Bursting with wit and beautiful melodies, Verdi’s final masterpiece concludes that all the world is a joke. In this new production Henry Waddington returns in the title role, Bruno Ravella (Intermezzo, 2015) directs and Richard Farnes conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra.
31 May & 2, 8, 14, 17, 22, 30 June & 11, 17, 19, 21 July
Capriccio Richard Strauss Conductor Douglas Boyd Director Tim Albery Sung in German (with surtitles) A poet, Olivier, and his rival Flamand, a composer, vie for the primacy of their art and for the love of the Countess whose charm and artistic refinement they find irresistible. Strauss’s final opera has a score filled with warmth, playfulness and a great sense of longing. In our first collaboration with Santa Fe Opera, Tim Albery (Idomeneo, 2016) directs, Artistic Director Douglas Boyd conducts and we welcome Miah Persson as the Countess. 1, 3, 7, 9, 15, 20, 23, 28 June
16, 18, 21, 29 June & 4, 7, 13, 15, 20, 22 July
The Skating Rink David Sawer & Rory Mullarkey Based on the novel by Roberto Bolaño Conductor Garry Walker Director / Designer Stewart Laing Sung in English (with surtitles) A beautiful young skating champion has a powerful admirer; he pilfers funds to build her an ice rink in a deserted mansion. When an unlikely group of characters discovers them, a deadly plot is set in motion. Based on the gripping novel by Chilean author Roberto Bolaño, this world premiere, commissioned by Garsington Opera, is directed and designed by Stewart Laing with Garry Walker to conduct. 5, 8, 10, 14, 16 July
Quirijn de Lang as Selim and Sarah Tynan as Fiorilla in Il turco in Italia, 2017.
T H E OPE RA PAV I LION The multi award-winning Opera Pavilion, designed by architect Robin Snell, is an elegant, lightweight, Japanese-inspired pavilion, elevated above the ground and seemingly ‘floating’ above the landscape. It achieves a feeling of intimacy, while commanding stunning, expansive views of the country estate over the lake and the Deer Park. The pavilion features covered verandas and terraces where patrons can linger, enjoy the panorama and entertain guests. As at Garsington Manor, it is possible for audiences to enjoy the setting and the summer skies beyond the stage while remaining sheltered for the performance.
An ethereal opera house in an arcadian setting with an intimacy of contact between stage and audience. Music OMH
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new images t via wetransfer
THE AR EA
It is hard to imagine a more idyllic outdoor setting for an opera production than Wormsley. The New York Times
Wormsley is within easy reach of Oxford and only 50 minutes from central London, just off the M40 at junction 5 for Stokenchurch. There is an excellent fast train service from London Marylebone station to High Wycombe where we operate a pre-ordered minibus collection service. The estate is set in the Chiltern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with many charming villages and magnificent beech woods in the rolling hills. Henleyon-Thames, home of the Royal Regatta, Hughenden Manor, Waddesdon Manor and Le Manoir Aux Quatr’Saisons are nearby.
DI N I NG Dinner is an integral part of the evening, taken during the opera’s 85-minute interval. Three-course menus with fine wines are served in the Long Room Restaurant overlooking John Paul Getty’s famous Cricket Ground; or guests may choose to picnic in one of our picnic tents with a gourmet hamper from our caterers. Private entertainment venues are available, offering a unique dining experience. Catering for the Cricket Pavilion and Island Pavilion is organised through our caterers who are available to provide afternoon tea, drinks, and a dinner menu with serving staff according to your preferences. The 2018 menu will be available in the New Year.
Island Pavilion Positioned in the centre of the lake in Wormsley’s spectacular Deer Park, the Island Pavilion provides exceptional private entertaining opportunities. Built by Mark Getty in 2014 and designed by Robin Snell, architect of the Opera Pavilion, it is home to a variety of sculptures. The Island Pavilion seats up to 22 for dinner or can accommodate a larger gathering for a buffet. Cricket Pavilion The famous Wormsley Cricket Ground, based on The Oval, has been described as the most beautiful ground in England. Created by Sir Paul Getty, the names of those who have played on the pitch from the world of cricket and entertainment are legendary. Providing an idyllic location for a quintessentially English dining experience, the Cricket Pavilion seats up to 12 for dinner or a larger gathering for a buffet. The Granary Situated in the Opera Garden, the Granary seats up to 12 for a picnic at a round table.
Garsington Opera creates the illusion of stepping into a world quite separate from the hustle and bustle that surrounds it. You will find yourself enclosed by a forest, with beautiful vistas and an audience decked out in evening attire. The experience of sitting by the lake, taking in the natural beauty of the setting is fabulous. Daily Information
WOR M SL E Y E STAT E The Wormsley Estate, home of the Getty family, is a 2500-acre estate and 18th-century country house nestling in the rolling, verdant countryside of the Chiltern Hills near Stokenchurch. Complete with lake and Deer Park, it is an English country estate on a grand scale and yet it is secluded and sheltered by the wooded slopes that enclose it. Champagne Bar Our recommended meeting place, the Champagne Bar is on the lower terrace of our award-winning Opera Pavilion and offers spectacular views over the Deer Park. Wide steps lead to mown pathways by the lake and picnic tents. Opera Garden A short walk from the Champagne Bar, across an elevated bridge, are the stunning flower borders of the Opera Garden. Specially designed for us when we moved to Wormsley, it evokes the fragrant surroundings of our original home at Garsington Manor. Cricket Ground A replica of The Oval, Wormsley’s Cricket Ground has been described as the most beautiful in England. Our Long Room Restaurant and tea lawn overlook the immaculate pitch and rolling Chiltern Hills beyond. Walled Garden Take a short journey in a complimentary vintage bus to the beautiful 18th-century Walled Garden and explore its four contrasting quarters with a glass of preperformance champagne.
Above: The Champagne Bar, Home Farm Barn, the Opera Garden. Opposite: The Walled Garden.
The wooded hills rolling towards the horizon, the manicured lawns and delightful rose arbour, the swallows circling the lake, the famous cricket ground: all this ravishes the eye as you stand on the terraces surrounding the stunning opera pavilion. The Times
GROU P BOOK I NG S FOR 2 018 Performances at Garsington Opera become more popular each year, with tickets regularly selling out to members and sponsors before public booking opens in March. We are pleased to offer groups the opportunity to reserve tickets within the members’ priority booking period, with a group-booking donation of £20 per ticket. Each group booking is personally overseen and we endeavour to ensure that all clients receive the most detailed care and attention throughout the booking process and during their visit to Wormsley.
S E AT I NG PL A N
T IC K E T P R IC E S OPERAS Mon, Tues, Weds
Thurs, Fri, Sun
Sat
Skating Rink
Boxes
£195
£215
£235
£180
Rear Stalls
£130
£150
£175
£120
Middle Stalls
£170
£185
£210
£140
Front Stalls
£195
£215
£235
£180
Orchestra Stalls
£160
£170
£190
£130
inc. wheelchair platform
All prices include a suggested, but non-obligatory, donation of £70.
For further information and to reserve tickets for Garsington Opera’s 2018 season, please contact: marketing@garsingtonopera.org +44 (0)1865 361636 www.garsingtonopera.org
Kirsten MacKinnon as Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, 2017.
G A R S I NG T O N O P E R A L I M I T E D The Old Garage The Green Great Milton Oxford OX44 7NP 01865 361636 office@garsingtonopera.org Registered in England No. 2567390