For opera lovers, Glyndebourne Festival is the highlight of the summer, beloved for its magical setting as well as the calibre of its productions.Celia Rufeysteps behind the scenes as it celebrates its 90th birthday
As my taxi from Lewes station speeds towards Glyndebourne, the country seat of the Christie family, and home to its eponymous opera festival, I notice a small hill with a wind turbine slowly spinning on top. The driver sees me looking and tells me that it covers all the electricity used in the house and theatre, adding that it was opened by David Attenborough in 2012. Although not the landmark I was expecting for an opera house as renowned for its romantic backdrop as it is for the quality of its productions, it soon becomes clear that it’s surprisingly apt.
Glyndebourne has always been ahead of its time. ‘No Ordinary Opera’ its website declares, and from its inaugural production in 1934 the festival, which celebrates its 90th season this year, has taken pride in doing things a little differently. By now, the taxi is turning into Glyndebourne’s trade entrance and the view of the turbine has been replaced by a modern theatre and various service buildings. With the start of the season still a few months away and orchestral rehearsals yet to begin, it’s all very quiet. But my visit is not to listen to opera; I’m here to meet the people behind the scenes: the creatives who are as much a part of the company’s rich artistic eco-system as the maestros and musicians who draw the crowds year after year.
I am met by the archivist, Philip Boot, who suggests we begin our conversation in the organ room, as it’s integral to the early story of how John Christie transformed his Sussex home into an opera centre of international renown.
Although Christie had inherited Glyndebourne in 1913 – both the modified 16th-century house and its considerable estates – he only came into full legal possession of the property in 1920. At this point he embarked on various renovations, including the 24m-long extension in which we are talking. As a lifelong music lover, Christie planned to use the room for small-scale opera recitals, and it was designed to accommodate the cathedral-size organ he had installed by Hill, Norman & Beard, an organ building company he’d acquired in 1923. It was at one of these recitals,
