Glyndebourne launching opera VoD service
November 1, 2021
Glyndebourne is launching a new streaming service called Glyndebourne Encore, giving on-demand access to its back catalogue of operas, as well as all future filmed productions.
Glyndebourne says it has been investing in filming its operas since 2002 and has built up an extensive collection of iconic productions. This enabled the opera house to run a digital festival in place of the 2020 Glyndebourne Festival, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The popularity of those broadcasts, which together attracted more than 850,000 views, has inspired Glyndebourne to create a platform that can offer year-round access to its operas.
The company will also continue to offer regular, limited period, free streams as part of its efforts to make its work accessible to a broad audience.
Stephen Langridge, artistic director of Glyndebourne, said: ‘Last summer’s digital festival highlighted the huge appetite for Glyndebourne opera all around the world. Glyndebourne Encore is a response to that audience demand and will offer the chance to watch our productions in full whenever you choose. But that’s not all. Every month we’ll be delving deep into an individual opera to offer revealing insights and interviews to help people get the most out of every opera.’
Sarah Hopwood, managing director of Glyndebourne, added: ‘Twenty years ago Glyndebourne made the farsighted decision to take control of its own destiny by investing in filming its productions. The collection of recordings that we have built since then is a fantastic asset that helps us reach new audiences, give wider exposure to our artists and generate new income. Subscriptions to Glyndebourne Encore will help us maintain our status as a financially-independent charity and will be reinvested in filming future productions so that audiences can continue to enjoy the latest Glyndebourne operas well into the future.’
Among the Glyndebourne productions that will be available on the platform from launch are Giulio Cesare, Saul, Billy Budd, Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte, Vanessa, Rusalka, Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro – with more added from Glyndebourne’s catalogue throughout the year.
Glyndebourne Encore launches on December 1st and can be accessed via any web browser, Android / iOS mobile phones and tablets, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. An annual subscription costs £79.99, or £59.99 for Glyndebourne Members.