Country house opera is opera performed at a country house, whether in the house itself, in the grounds, or in an adapted or purpose built theatre on the grounds. It is a feature in particular of the English summer. Country house opera is usually initiated by private enthusiasts, and relies almost exclusively upon private funding. This distinguishes it from the UK's state subsidised opera companies which, like most opera houses around the world, are based in city centres. Black tie is often de rigueur, in contrast with the Royal Opera House in London and other city operas where casual clothing is often acceptable.
The performances of country house opera are generally planned to provide a leisurely and elegant experience, with time for picnics on the lawns or a full meal during the often-lengthy interval, and often start in the late afternoon:
"The English have always liked picnicking in the summer and if you can throw in a bit of entertainment, then that's even better" said a former manager at the Sydney Opera House, attributing the popularity of country house opera in England to "the wonderful adventurous spirit of the British.... The British like to go out and find a new place. No one in Australia would go out if they had to take a picnic and it was going to rain."[1]
The most important landmark in country house opera was the opening of Glyndebourne Opera House in 1934. The Glyndebourne Festival Opera company has gradually expanded so that it now has a 1,200-seat theatre and it has become one of the most prominent opera companies in the United Kingdom, performing both at its home venue and on tour.
While other companies, which put on a regular summer season often include works from the standard repertoire, some specialise in particular composers or particular periods. Existing companies include Garsington Opera,[2] Dorset Opera Festival at Bryanston in Dorset, Nevill Holt Opera at Nevill Holt Hall in Leicestershire, Longborough Festival Opera in Gloucestershire, Grange Park Opera in Surrey, Bampton Classical Opera and Waterperry Opera Festival in Oxfordshire, Bury Court Opera in Bentley near Farnham, Surrey, The Grange Festival at Northington, Hampshire and Opéra de Baugé, established by an English family in the Loire Valley, France. The country opera house tradition has inspired opera performances in similar settings outside England, such as Stålboga Summer Opera in Sweden.
There are also a number of touring companies that tour to several country houses each summer, which include Opera Project, "a touring company that plays at West Green, Iford Manor and many other venues round the country."[3]
^Marylyn Abbott, quoted in "Country House Opera" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Country Life, 17 June 2004 on countrylife.co.uk
^Christiansen, Rupert, "Where opera soars in harmony with nature", The Daily Telegraph, 31 May 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2014
^Author unknown, "Country House Opera" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Country Life, 17 June 2004 on countrylife.co.uk
and 28 Related for: Country house opera information
Countryhouseopera is opera performed at a countryhouse, whether in the house itself, in the grounds, or in an adapted or purpose built theatre on the...
This is a list of notable operahouses listed by continent, then by country with the name of the operahouse and city. The opera company is sometimes named...
An operahouse is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating...
The Sydney OperaHouse is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded...
sometimes dance or ballet. The performance is typically given in an operahouse, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble, which since...
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English countryhouse near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. Under the supervision...
13°22′14″E / 52.51861°N 13.37056°E / 52.51861; 13.37056 The Kroll OperaHouse (German: Krolloper, Kroll-Oper) in Berlin, Germany, was in the Tiergarten...
The Hanoi OperaHouse (French: Opéra de Hanoï), or the Grand OperaHouse (Vietnamese: Nhà hát lớn Hà Nội, French: Grand Opéra) is an operahouse in central...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Opera festivals. Opera portal List of festivals CountryHouseOpera List of opera companies Notes Cantiere Internazionale...
Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (French: [ɔpeʁa ɡaʁnje] , Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seat operahouse at the Place de l'Opéra in the...
in the country built before 1900 with less than 1,000 seats that is still in operation as a live performance venue. The Lexington OperaHouse officially...
entirely plastic. London Opera Glass Company Monocular Spotting scope OperaOpera hat Opera cloak Opera gloves "How to Choose Opera Glasses". Archived from...
composition considered opera, as understood today, although with only five instrumental parts it was much more like a chamber opera than either the preceding...
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued...
origins of opera in late 16th century Italy, a central repertoire has developed, shepherded by major opera composers. The earliest major opera composer...
musical comedies, jazz and operettas, examples include Irving Berlin's That Opera Rag, Billy Murray's My Cousin Caruso and Louis Armstrong's riffs on Rigoletto...
pre-date those countries. German-language opera appeared remarkably quickly after the birth of opera itself in Italy. The first Italian opera was Jacopo Peri's...
Countryhouse theatres are indoor or covered performance stage theatres built within or in the grounds of a countryhouse. Examples include: Chatsworth...
OperaHouse may refer to: Metropolitan OperaHouse (Lincoln Center) Metropolitan OperaHouse (39th Street) ("the old Met") Metropolitan OperaHouse (Grand...
French opera is both the art of opera in France and opera in the French language. It is one of Europe's most important operatic traditions, containing...
Ljubljana OperaHouse (Slovene: Opera, or ljubljanska operna hiša) is an operahouse in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The seat of the national opera and...
Both houses are officially called the "Royal Opera", however the terms "The Gustavian Opera" and "The Oscarian Opera", or the "Old" and "New" Opera are...
Cardiff Bay OperaHouse was a proposed centre for the performing arts in Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales, conceived in the 1990s as a crucial part of the...
OperaHouse opened on June 7, 1904, having deliberately been built on the international border. It was declared a heritage building by both countries...
The following is a list of operas and operettas with entries in Wikipedia. The entries are sorted alphabetically by title, with the name of the composer...
Green House hosted a production by the Garsington Opera Emerging Artists programme. Countryhouseopera List of opera festivals Notes "WEST GREEN HOUSE, Hartley...