Music, Art & Gardens in Sussex

Glyndebourne is synonymous with all that represents excellence in the musical traditions of Great Britain. Year after year, this remarkable festival presents six operas during the summer months. Its reputation is undoubted and it continues both to enthral and to challenge in equal measure. Thus, it is with great pleasure that we offer members of our own list the opportunity to enjoy this unique Festival, choosing two or three of the following operas – Giulio Cesare, Madama Butterfly and Der Rosenkavalier.

Individuals will be able to select two or three operas, to include a seated, interval dinner with wine, each evening. Our seats will be within the Stalls, Foyer Circle and Circle areas, offering excellent sight of the stage. A series of three private visits to houses and gardens will support the operas - the ideal combination of art and nature.

Handel has always been a favourite of Glyndebourne’s and in 2018 the David McVicar production of Giulio Cesare, first seen in 2005, will be conducted by William Christie. Puccini’s Madama Butterfly will be the second offered opera and Annilese Miskimmon’s Glyndebourne Touring 2016 production will receive its main house premiere conducted by Omer Meir Wellber. Finally, Richard Strauss’s magical tale of aristocratic intrigue and duplicity, Der Rosenkavalier, will be seen in Richard James’s 2014 production, conducted by Robin Ticciati. All in all, these operas reflect the three composers at their most dramatic and musical.  

Supporting the opera programme, participants will be able to enjoy a range of private visits to some splendid houses and gardens. Arundel Castle is the seat of the Howard Dukes of Norfolk and it has recently been restored. The important collection of paintings and decorative arts has also been rearranged by the present Duke and Duchess. The surrounding gardens include the recently created ‘Collector Earl’s Garden’ designed by Isobel and Julian Bannerman and is a tribute to Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, one of the most important figures in the visual arts of the early seventeenth century.

Parham House was built in 1577 and since then has been owned by only three families. This Elizabethan masterpiece was bought in 1922 by the Pearson family and is still their property. It has an amazing collection of furniture, paintings and textiles, some of which comes from the North family’s Wroxton Abbey near Banbury, bought at auction in 1923. The surrounding gardens are remarkable. Finally, a masterpiece of horticultural artistry awaits us when we visit Clinton Lodge where Lady Collum will guide us round a series of garden ‘rooms’ which should be at their mid Summer best.

For this gently paced visit, we shall stay at the comfortable 4* Buxted Park Hotel, close to Uckfield and the Ashdown Forest and just ten miles from Glyndebourne. Set amidst 300 acres of parkland and Medieval in origin, the present house is a Palladian mansion built in 1722 with subsequent alterations and additions. It will be an ideal base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.

Day 1: Monday 18 June

Participants should arrive at our hotel, the 4* Buxted Park from 3.00 pm onwards. We have our first group dinner in the hotel - wine, water & coffee are included with all group lunches and dinners.

Day 2: Tuesday 19 June

We leave the hotel by coach and our first visit will be a private one to Parham House and Garden. Parham was built in 1577 and since then has been owned by only three families. This Elizabethan masterpiece was bought in 1922 by the Pearson family and is still their property. It has an amazing collection of furniture, paintings and textiles, some of which comes from the North family’s Wroxton Abbey near Banbury, bought at auction in 1923. The surrounding gardens are remarkable. We have coffee on arrival and lunch before we return to our hotel.  Mid afternoon we travel to Glyndebourne for a performance of Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier.  You will have time to wander in the gardens before the performance and we shall have a group dinner during the long interval in the Mildmay restaurant.

Day 3: Wednesday 20 June

This morning we drive over to Arundel Castle.  This is the seat of the Howard Dukes of Norfolk. First built at the time of the Norman Conquest, it passed to the FitzAlan family and via marriage to the Howard Dukes of Norfolk in the sixteenth century. It has subsequently been altered and restored many times.  The important collection of paintings and decorative arts has been rearranged by the present Duke and Duchess. The surrounding gardens include the recently created ‘Collector Earl’s Garden’ designed by Isobel and Julian Bannerman and is a tribute to Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, one of the most important figures in the visual arts of the early seventeenth century. We shall have a private tour of the Castle before it opens to the public after which there will be time to explore the gardens. After lunch (not included) we return to our hotel for a short rest.  Mid afternoon we travel to Glyndebourne, to see Handel’s Giulio Cesare and our group dinner during the long interval shall be in the Middle & Over Wallop restaurant.

Day 4: Thursday 21 June

We drive the short distance to visit privately the gardens at Clinton Lodge, a masterpiece of horticultural artistry created by Lady Collum, who will guide us round a series of garden ‘rooms’ and areas which should be at their mid Summer best. These include a double blue and white herbaceous border, a cloister walk swathed in white roses, clematis and geraniums, a Herb Garden and much more. We end our visit with lunch hosted by Lady Collum and return to our hotel for a short rest. Mid afternoon we travel to Glyndebourne, to see Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and we shall have a group dinner during the long interval, again in the Middle & Over Wallop restaurant.

Day 5: Friday 22 June

After a leisurely breakfast the group disperses.

The Operas

Please note that the tour price includes two of the three Operas. If you attend all three Operas then the payment for the third Opera will be an additional £295, which includes dinner at Glyndebourne. As we are required to purchase all the tickets in December 2017 you are asked to provide an additional deposit of £240 per person. In the event of you having to cancel this would also be non-refundable, unless we were able to re-sell the ticket.