Temptings at Glyndebourne in 2017

Kate Lindsey (Composer) in Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss in
Katharina Thoma's production at Glyndebourne in 2013.
Photograph: Tristram Kenton

Glyndebourne Opera has announced its 2017 rather earlier than usual, perhaps in order to tantalise us with the delights which are going to be on offer. These include a rare Cavalli opera, with Glyndebourne revisiting its championship of a composer first experience in Raymond Leppard's versions in the 1960s and 1970s, plus a new opera on Hamlet from Australian composer Brett Dean, and the chance to hear Alice Coote and Kate Lindsey in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito. The season also includes a couple of distinguished returnees.

The season opens with the new production of Cavalli's Hipermestra, directed by Graham Vick (returning for his first new staging at Glyndebourne in 17 years), and conducted by William Christie. The opera was premiered in 1656 but was not performed between 1680 and 2006 when it received its modern premiere at the Early Music Festival in Utrecht. The cast includes Emöke Baráth (Hipermestra), Raffaele Pe (Linceo), Renato Dolcini (Danao), Ana Quintans (Elisa), and Benjamin Hulett (Arbante). The plot is based on the Greek legend of Hypermnestra who was the only one of the Danaids (sons of Danaus) who did not kill her husband on their wedding night!

Another new production is the premiere of Brett Dean's Hamlet, directed by the Australian director Neil Armfield, who staged Dean’s first opera Bliss in 2010. Conductor Vladimir Jurowski returns to Glyndebourne for the first time since completing his tenure as music director, and a terrific cast includes Allan Clayton (Hamlet), Sarah Connolly (Gertrude), Barbara Hannigan (Ophelia), Rod Gilfry (Claudius), Kim Begley (Polonius), and John Tomlinson (Ghost of Old Hamlet). Part of me feels that it would have been rather interesting to have staged Ambroise Thomas' very different take on Hamlet in the same season.

The final new production is Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, only the second time the opera has been staged at Glyndebourne. It will be directed by Claus Guth (director of Covent Garden's 2014 production of Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten, see my review), and conducted by Robin Ticciati with another strong cast including Alice Coote as Vitellia plus Steve Davislim (Tito), Kate Lindsey (Sesto), Joélle Harvey (Servilia)

Revivals include Tom Cairns production of Verdi's La Traviata conducted by Richard Farnes with Kristina Mkhitaryan (Violetta), Zach Borichevksy (Alfredo), Igor Golovatenko (Giorgio), Katharina Thoma's production of Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos (see my review from 2013) conducted by Cornelius Meister with Thomas Allen (Music Master), Lise Davidsen (Ariadne), Angela Brower (Composer), Erin Morley (Zerbinetta), and AJ Glueckert (Bacchus), and Donizetti's Don Pasquale in Mariame Clement's production with Renato Girolami (Don Pasquale), Lisette Oropesa (Norina), Andrew Stenson (Ernesto), and Andrey Zhilikhovsky (Dr Malatesta).

The 2017 Glyndebourne On Tour season will include Brett Dean's Hamlet plus revivals of Mozart's Il barbiere di Sivigla and Mozart's Cosi fan tutte.

Glyndebourne’s Young Composer-in-Residence, Lewis Murphy, will premiere his first main-stage youth opera performed by members of Glyndebourne Youth Opera aged 9-19, whilst other education works includes a major singing project with SoundCity involving secondary schools from across Brighton and Hove and the Tour 2017 Performances for Schools will be offering schools subsidised tickets to see a full-length, fully staged opera.