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The legacy of Glyndebourne's George Christie The legacy of Glyndebourne's George Christie
(4 months later)
The The legacy that George Christie leaves at Glyndebourne isn't just the reputation of the world's most famous summer festival of opera. The most obvious way that George continued and extended his father John's work, who founded Glyndebourne in 1934, is the new opera house that he commissioned, and which opened in 1994. That building makes Glyndebourne much more than a summer fixture for those whose calendars also include Henley, Ascot, champagne, private jets, and strawberries. It's transformed the place into the seat of genuinely world-leading standards of ensemble playing, singing, and production, as well as the most perfectly intimate and intimately perfect acoustics for operatic performance in the country, as dazzlingly wonderful for Wagner as they are for Handel or Mozart. And the increased capacity of the house has also made Glyndebourne's audience change too, becoming - slowly - more representative of those who don't travel everywhere by chauffeur-driven Mercedes. Along with the building has come an increasing focus in recent seasons on how Glyndebourne relates to the modern world, in reaching out to the communities of Sussex in their education programme, in the shows that go round the country in Glyndebourne on Tour, and in commissioning new works, such as Harrison Birtwistle's The Second Mrs Kong, premiered as part of the new house's first season of touring productions in 1994.
legacy that George Christie leaves at Glyndebourne isn't just the In fact, George Christie's most challenging legacy is the one he bequeaths to his son Gus, who took over as Executive Chairman of Glyndebourne in 2000. With his General Director, David Pickard, Gus has continued to extend Glyndebourne's reach - not least through the streamed performances of their shows, in cinemas, and online - but it's in terms of making a physical difference of Glyndebourne's facilities, there's nothing he will be able to do that will trump George's building. Not even the wind-farm that he finally got through local planning demonstrations to erect on the hill behind the house, which became operational in 2011.
reputation of the world's most famous summer festival of opera. The most
obvious way that George continued and extended his father John's work,
who founded Glyndebourne in 1934, is the new opera house that he
commissioned, and which opened in 1994. That building makes Glyndebourne
much more than a summer fixture for those whose calendars also include
Henley, Ascot, champagne, private jets, and strawberries. It's
transformed the place into the seat of genuinely world-leading standards
of ensemble playing, singing, and production, as well as the most
perfectly intimate and intimately perfect acoustics for operatic
performance in the country, as dazzlingly wonderful for Wagner as they
are for Handel or Mozart. And the increased capacity of the house has
also made Glyndebourne's audience change too, becoming - slowly - more
representative of those who don't travel everywhere by chauffeur-driven Mercedes. Along with the building has come an increasing focus in
recent seasons on how Glyndebourne relates to the modern world, in
reaching out to the communities of Sussex in their education programme,
in the shows that go round the country in Glyndebourne on Tour, and in
commissioning new works, such as Harrison Birtwistle's The Second Mrs
Kong, premiered as part of the new house's first season of touring productions in 1994.
In fact, George Christie's most challenging
legacy is the one he bequeaths to his son Gus, who took over as Executive Chairman of Glyndebourne in 2000. With his General
Director, David Pickard, Gus has continued to extend Glyndebourne's
reach - not least through the streamed performances of their shows, in
cinemas, and online - but it's in terms
of making a physical difference of Glyndebourne's facilities, there's
nothing he will be able to do that will trump George's building. Not
even the wind-farm that he finally got through local planning
demonstrations to erect on the hill behind the house, which
became operational in 2011.