All the releases will be of live performances from Glyndebourne's current and archive recorded repertoire and will encompass Glyndebourne's early Mozart traditions as well as its exploration of lesser known works.
Future releases on The Glyndebourne Label will draw on the extensive archive recordings which span the years from 1960 to the present day. The live recordings, originally made for archival purposes, were recorded under the highest technical standards of the time. Recorded by John Barnes, with the blessing of the Christie family, this unique collection of performance recordings will now become available on CD for the first time.
A further two productions, one archive and one current, will be released in the autumn. Thereafter four CDs will be released each year in the Spring and Autumn.
The Glyndebourne CD Label will be distributed in the UK by Select Distribution and in other territories by Codaex.
Betrothal in a Monastery Sergei Prokofiev
Prokofiev’s last complete opera, Betrothal in a Monastery, highlights the cultural divisions between the faded glamour of the impoverished aristocracy and the new wealth of the lower classes. According to Shostakovich, the opera was ‘one of Prokofiev’s most radiant and buoyant works’. The predominantly Russian cast in this recording is led by Viacheslav Voynarovskiy, with Sergei Alexashkin as Mendoza. Alexandra Durseneva sings The Duenna, with the two sets of lovers sung by Vsevolod Grivnov (Don Antonio), Lyubov Petrova (Louisa), Andrey Breus (Ferdinand), and Nino Surguladze (Clara), making her notable Glyndebourne debut. Established UK artists Alan Opie (Don Carlos) and Jonathan Veira (Father Augustine) make up the cast.
‘It’s a score that Vladimir Jurowski plainly loves, and he coaxes and cajoles a fabulous range of seductive and coquettish and downright bawdy colours from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It can never have sounded better.’
The Independent, 2006
Release date: 2nd June 2008
Total playing time: 135:31
Catalogue no. GFO CD 002-06
Retail Price: £24.99 (2 CDs)
Conductor Vladimir Jurowski
Director / Designer Daniel Slater
Designer / Director Robert Innes Hopkins
Lighting Designer Rick Fisher
Choreographer Kate Flatt
Cast includes
Don Jerome Viacheslav Voynarovskiy
Don Ferdinand Andrey Breus
Louisa Lyubov Petrova
The Duenna Alexandra Durseneva
Don Antonio Vsevolod Grivnov
Clara d’Almanza Nino Surguladze
Mendoza Sergei Alexashkin
Don Carlos Alan Opie
Father Augustine Jonathan Veira
Brother Elustaf/1st Masker Peter Hoare
Bother Chartreuse/2nd Masker Pavel Baransky
Brother Benedictine/3rd Masker Maxim Mikhailov
Lauretta Claire Ormshaw
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The Glyndebourne Chorus
Le nozze di Figaro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Le nozze di Figaro has been Glyndebourne’s ‘signature’ opera since the Company was founded in 1934. This recording of the 1962 Glyndebourne production features a vintage cast with Heinz Blankenburg in the title role and Mirella Freni as Susanna, who made her international breakthrough at Glyndebourne the previous summer. Silvio Varviso conducts and his ‘elegant touch for opera’ (New York Times) is much in evidence.
‘ … a vintage production … the performance brought us closer to the spirit of Mozart and of Glyndebourne than anything else that we can see in this delightful opera house. … One of the very finest performances of the opera that I have seen.’
Music and Musicians, 1962
Release date: 2nd June 2008
Total playing time: 162:10
Catalogue no. : GFO CD 001-62
Retail Price: £29.99 (3 CDs)
Conductor Silvio Varviso
Original Producer Carl Ebert
Set and Costume Designer Oliver Messel
Choreographer Robert Harrold
Cast includes
Figaro Heinz Blankenburg
Susanna Mirella Freni
Bartolo Carlo Cava
Marcellina Johnanna Peters
Cheribino Edith Mathis
Count Almaviva Gabriel Bacquier
Don Basilio Hugues Cuenod
Countess Almaviva Leval Gencer
Antonio Derick Davies
Don Curzio John Kentish
Barbarina Maria Zeri
Bridesmaid Patricia McCarry
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Glyndebourne Chorus
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