Glyndebourne’s Tour 2019 will see three operas and a special Christmas concert on stage at the East Sussex opera house and at venues around the country, the company has announced.
Kicking off this year’s season is the first-ever production of Verdi’s Rigoletto (1851) to grace the Glyndebourne stage. This bold new production by German director Christiane Lutz opens on 11 October before touring venues across England in November and December.
Matteo Lippi returns to the Tour as the seductive, power-hungry Duke. Georgian baritone Nikoloz Lagvilava makes his Glyndebourne debut as Rigoletto, with prize-winning South African soprano Vuvu Mpofu as his daughter Gilda and Oleg Budaratskiy as the assassin Sparafucile.
Also on the line-up is L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love, 1832), the biggest success of Donzietti’s career. Korean tenor Sehoon Moon stars as the lovesick Nemorino, with Glyndebourne debuts from soprano Benedetta Torre as the flirtatious Adina and baritone Matthew Durkan as rival suitor Belcore. Rising star Ben Glassberg conducts.
The final opera of the Tour is a revival of Robert Carson’s witty and irreverent take on Handel’s Rinaldo (1711). Two young singers lead the cast. Countertenor Jake Arditti takes the title role and, fresh from playing Michal in Glyndebourne Festival’s Saul (Testi, 2003), soprano Anna Devin is Almirena. American soprano Jacquelyn Stucker makes her Glyndebourne debut as Armida, with bass-baritone Aubrey Allicock as the Saracen King Argante.
Bringing the season to a close in December is a special festive concert on Glyndebourne’s main stage, showcasing the Glyndebourne Chorus, Tour orchestra and Youth Opera. The first half will be packed with opera highlights. Yuletide classics and carols will follow in the second half, with a chance to sing along with the Chorus and Youth Opera.
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This year’s Glyndebourne Tour kicks off with a new production of Verdi’s Rigaletto. Pictured here (left to right) are Vuvu Mpofu (Gilda), Matteo Lippi (Duke of Manuta) and director Christiane Lutz (©Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith).