Trip Journal II

Seeing an opera at Glyndebourne is a unique experience. The home of the Christie family is several hundred years old, surounded by sheep pastures, two lakes, a croquet lawn, gardens, and the theater they built to house their opera festival. Formal dress is expected and most people bring or purchase a picnic. We chose our spot on the lawn in view of both the house and the hills, dotted with sheep. A porter carried our table, chairs, and hamper to our spot and we cracked open our bottle of champagne prior to the start of the opera. Dinner is eaten during the long pause, in this case between Acts II & III of Incoronazione di Poppea, and is really sumptuous - asparagus with hollondaise, smoked salmon, traditional English beef with horseradish, English cheeses, and strawberries with cream. Emmanuelle Hahn's conducting really brought clarity to the music and the voices of Iestyn Davies and Tamara Mumford were really strong and Wolfgang Ablinger Sperrhacker was really fun as the Nurse Arnalta and our friend Danielle de Niese (Poppea, and our reason for coming to Glyndebourne in the first place) was full of passion and beautifully sung, but we have to admit to being a bit biased. We partied late into the night and slept too little, but The Ragazzo has made breakfast and it's time to get a little food in me before we take off for Sicily. More later.