Glyndebourne will hold its first ever full season of open-air concerts this summer, having previously been forced to close its annual festival.
Performances will take place throughout July and August in the manor house’s gardens, with guests abiding by social distancing and audiences limited to 200 people.
Jacques Offenbach’s one-act opera Mesdames de la Halles will be staged with 12 singers, but no chorus, with musicians reduced from 40 to 13. From mid-July, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will perform, and August will see the London Philharmonic take to the Glyndebourne stage.
Artistic director Stephen Langridge said: “We are in our 85th year and, so this is not the first crisis we have faced. Things are not good for the theatre and classical music at the moment, and we have been working closely with our peers, and trying to support the artists, orchestras and freelance staff who rely on us for their living – enormously helped by the generosity of our members.
“Experiencing live music and theatre, together, in an inspiring environment is what Glyndebourne is all about...This mini-festival will be intimate, unusual and unforgettable. Some cause for celebration in these tough times.”
Last month, it was announced that BBC Proms plans to have musicians perform live at the Royal Albert Hall for the classical music festival’s final two weeks. The Last Night of the Proms celebrations will be broadcast live on BBC One and Two.
Tickets are on sale from June 26 at glyndebourne.com
