Photography by Howard Sooley.
The British countryside can be a noisy place, especially in summer. We take a tour and find that during opera season there is something here for all the senses.
The Glyndebourne experience begins in the afternoon and can last until midnight. Although the original house dates back to the early 15th century, it has been tinkered with by Elizabethans and Victorians and, more recently, by the founders of the opera and succeeding generations.
Clary sage Salvia sclarea ‘Turkestanica’ and the yellow foxglove Digitalis lutea.
Overlooked by the croquet lawn, which is intended for the recreation of opera artistes, the mainly pink rose garden is a homage to the mother of Gus Christie, current incumbent of Glyndebourne and third generation of the family to run the opera.
The exuberance of the Terrace Border which runs along the front of the house toward the theater. On the day of my visit the wife of Gus Christie, Glyndebourne’s owner, had just given birth to their first child (he already has four sons).
The Figaro Garden, designed by Kim Wilkie, is a cool crossroads, enclosed by yew and planted simply with robinia trees. Temporary sculpture, like the dog in the boat above, or a life-size Diana running through the field over the ha-ha, are a part of the opera’s landscape.
An orchard surrounds the kitchen garden.
Field Scabious grows in the meadows which form part of the orchard and continue down towards the lake.
An English orchid by the lake; a quieter place to picnic during the ninety-minute interval. Closer to the house, the opera’s setting is suitably exuberant, with views beyond the ha-ha of the South Downs.
The new theater is nestled in jungle planting including Acanthus mollis (Bear’s Britches).