Garsington Opera 2016 Group Bookings Information

2 016 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 27 years ago. His vision has produced a company renowned for its operatic excellence, award-winning Opera Pavilion and 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 eighteenth-century Walled Garden, a short bus ride from the site. 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 picnic in the gardens or dine in the Long Room Restaurant. As guests depart at around 10.15pm, 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 32 performances over seven weeks, 3 June – 17 July 2016. 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

Above: Lesley Garrett as Despina in CosĂŹ fan tutte, Mary Dunleavy as Christine Storch in Intermezzo, Ashley Riches as Guglielmo and Andreea Soare as Fiordiligi in CosĂŹ fan tutte, 2015 season.

Three world-class new productions each summer.

The Wall Street Journal

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.

From the very early days, Garsington Opera began to explore the neglected works of firstclass composers such as Haydn, Rossini, Richard Strauss and of Russian and Czech composers. The company is known for presenting British premieres, in addition to bringing well-loved works by composers such as Mozart to a new setting under the direction of Artistic Director Douglas Boyd.

Paul Nilon as Gustav von Aschenbach and William Dazeley as the Old Gondolier in Death in Venice, 2015 season.

2 016 SE A SON · 3 J U N E – 17 J U LY

Eugene Onegin

L’italiana in Algeri

Conductor Douglas Boyd Director Michael Boyd Designer Tom Piper Sung in Russian

Conductor David Parry Director William Tuckett Designer George Souglides Sung in Italian

Tatyana, a dreamy country girl, falls in love with the handsome, imperious Eugene Onegin - a man whose world-weary cynicism proves fatal, both to his own chances of finding contentment and to the happiness of those around him. Michael Boyd, former artistic director of the RSC, and Tom Piper, whose ceramic poppies were seen at the Tower of London, bring Tchaikovsky’s impassioned music and this fateful romance to life. We look forward to welcoming baritone Roderick Williams who makes his Garsington Opera debut, alongside a stellar cast including tenor Mark Wilde and soprano Natalya Romaniw.

Isabella, an Italian lady of independent spirit, resourcefulness and wit, runs rings around the various men she encounters. Finding herself at the mercy of the blustering Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers, she must use all the skills in her considerable armoury to escape from his clutches, taking her beloved Lindoro with her.

With improbable climaxes and musical jokes, Rossini’s deliciously funny opera glistens with coloratura and rapid-fire patter sequences. We are thrilled to see the return of Garsington soloists Quirijn de Lang as Mustafà, Mary Bevan as Elvira and Geoffrey Dolton in the role of Taddeo.

3, 5, 11, 16, 18, 25, 29 June & 1, 5, 7 July

4, 6, 12, 15, 20, 23, 28 June & 2, 8, 10 July

Idomeneo

The Creation

Conductor Tobias Ringborg Director Tim Albery Designer Hannah Clark Sung in Italian

Conductor Douglas Boyd Choreographer/Director Mark Baldwin Designer/Director Pablo Bronstein In collaboration with Rambert

Returning from the Trojan War, Idomeneo, King of Crete, narrowly escapes drowning. He makes a vow to Neptune that he will sacrifice the first living creature he meets and, to his horror and despair, that turns out to be his own son. An opera of dramatic immediacy, it contains some of Mozart’s most sublime, inventive and tender music. The sparkling cast includes some of Garsington Opera’s most experienced and established soloists including Caitlin Hulcup as Idamante, Rebecca von Lipinski as Elettra and Robert Murray as the High Priest. We are also delighted to welcome Toby Spence in the title role.

A rare opportunity to experience Haydn’s most famous and enduring masterpiece performed

by Garsington Opera soloists, chorus and orchestra, in a unique collaboration with Rambert, Britain’s national dance company. Depicting through music and dance the creation of the universe as described in the Book of Genesis and Paradise Lost, The Creation showcases Haydn’s extraordinary gift for vivid compositional colour, texture and characterisation. Rambert will be the first dance company to appear on the stage at Garsington Opera. The Creation will be conducted by Douglas Boyd and brought to life by choreographer Mark Baldwin, Artistic Director of Rambert, and visual artist Pablo Bronstein.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

19, 22, 24, 27, 30 June & 3, 6, 9, 11 July

Gioachino Rossini

Joseph Haydn

15, 16, 17 July

T H E OPE R A 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 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.

A glassy, light-filled pavilion theatre which achieves an intimacy rarely possible at any other performance of such world-class calibre.

The Independent

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; and guests may choose to picnic in the Deer Park or in one of our picnic tents with a hamper from our caterers.

Dine in the restaurant Enjoy a delicious three-course dinner in our spectacular new Long Room Restaurant. Designed

by Robin Snell, architect of the Opera Pavilion, panoramic windows provide stunning views across the splendid Wormsley Cricket Ground.

Bring a picnic Take in the view across the Chiltern Hills from the upper terrace of the Opera Pavilion, enjoy a private party in the Granary looking out over the Opera Garden, reserve a picnic tent in the Deer Park or find a table in one of our shared tents.

Order a picnic Prepared picnics are served in a wicker hamper and include a delicious selection of gourmet picnic favourites. A table overlooking the Cricket Ground is reserved free-of-charge for those ordering a picnic, or guests can choose to book a tent in the Deer Park.

Pre-performance Take traditional afternoon tea in the Long Room Restaurant or enjoy champagne and canapés at the Champagne Bar.

Like a beautiful flower, you cannot enjoy it for long, and so you enjoy it intensely.

The Daily Telegraph

WOR M SL E Y E STAT E The Wormsley Estate, home of the Getty family, is a 2500-acre estate and eighteenth-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 eighteenth-century Walled Garden and explore its four contrasting quarters with a glass of champagne.

Above: The Champagne Bar, the Wormsley cricket pitch, 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 2 016 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.

Private tours can also be arranged upon request.

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S E AT I N G P L A N

S E AT I NG PL A N

T IC K E T P R IC E S OPERAS

THE CREATION

Mon, Tues, Weds

Thurs, Fri, Sun

Sat

All Creation performances

Boxes

£180

£200

£220

£160

Rear Stalls

£125

£135

£155

£105

Middle Stalls

£160

£170

£190

£140

Front Stalls

£180

£200

£220

£160

Orchestra Stalls

£155

£165

£185

£120

All prices include a suggested, but non-obligatory, donation of £65.

For further information and to reserve tickets for Garsington Opera’s 2016 season, please contact: E marketing@garsingtonopera.org T +44 (0)1865 361636 www.garsingtonopera.org

Mary Dunleavy as Christine Storch and conductor Jac van Steen in Intermezzo, 2015 season.

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 T 01865 361636 E office@garsingtonopera.org

N O S A E S 61 0 2 P I H S R E B M E M E TA R O P R O C P I HS ROSNOPS & Registered in England No. 2567390