Il barbiere di Siviglia Glyndebourne Festival Opera, 22nd May to 17th July
The gold standard for comic operas, Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia was not the first opera to be made from Pierre Beaumarchais’s trilogy of plays featuring the irrepressible hairdresser Figaro. There were many others knocking around at the end of the 18th century. When Rossini’s version received its premiere in 1816, fans of Giovanni Paisiello’s 1782 version encouraged the audience to jeer throughout the performance. By the second night Rossini’s masterpiece received its due acclaim and has rarely been absent from the repertoire since. This is Glyndebourne’s first production since 1982 and they are taking no chances. The director is the multi-talented Annabel Arden, co-founder of Complicité (whose production of L’elisir d’amore graced the Glyndebourne stage in 2007.) Award-winning German baritone Bjorn Burger plays Figaro, and receives able support from Glyndbourne regulars Danielle de Niese as Rosina and Italian buffo baritone Alessandro Corbelli as Dr Bartolo. The festival combines this new production with two revivals of past successes—David McVicar’s 2011 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Melly Still’s Cunning Little Vixen from 2012.
Eugene Onegin Garsington Opera at Wormsley, 3rd June to 7th July
The wonderful setting of Garsington Opera plays host to a hugely anticipated production of Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky’s most celebrated opera. Directed by the former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company Michael Boyd, and designed by Tom Piper, the man behind the poppy installation at the Tower of London, this will mark the opera’s first appearance at Garsington. Roderick Williams and Natalya Romaniw make their debuts in the roles of Onegin and Tatyana.
Tristan and Isolde English National Opera at the Coliseum, 9th June to 9th July
Another killer director-designer team helms ENO’s new production of Tristan and Isolde: the company’s newly appointed Artistic Director Daniel Kramer collaborates with Anish Kapoor for Richard Wagner’s tale of doomed love in a production that promises to be both epic and thrillingly intimate. Acclaimed Wagnerian Heldentenor Stuart Skelton takes the role of Tristan opposite the well-regarded American dramatic soprano Heidi Melton as Isolde.
