– Glyndebourne, Lewes

About this event

Annabel Arden’s production of Rossini’s classic comedy, originally premiered at Glyndebourne in 2016, returns for the 2026 Autumn Season. The staging is highly theatrical, focusing on playfulness, light, and movement. Arden draws inspiration from the Spanish tradition of the grotesque and the marvellous, creating a synthesis that underlines the work's bubbling comedy and sense of almost improbable fantasy. The production utilizes a fairly minimal set in terms of furnishings and objects on stage, relying instead on the energy of the singers and dynamic choreography to maintain the drama's momentum. Costumes are not tied to a specific historical time or place; rather, they are designed to capture the essential spirit, age, and social position of each character without resorting to facile caricature.

Cast & creative

• 

  Rosina

  Hongni Wu
• 

  Figaro

  Lluís Calvet i Pey
• 

  The Count of Almaviva

  Anle Gou
• 

  Doctor Bartolo

  Fabio Capitanucci
• 

  Berta

  Ailish Tynan
• 

  Don Basilio

  Cumhur Görgün
• 

  Conductor

  Chloe Rooke
• 

  Stage director

  Annabel Arden
• 

  Movement Director

  Toby Sedgwick
• 

  Lighting designer

  James Farncombe
• 

  Chorus Director

  Aidan Oliver
• 

  Set designer

  Joanna Parker
• 

  Designer

  Joanna Parker
• R

  Orchestra Leader

  Richard Milone
• G

  Composer

  Gioachino Rossini
• C

  Librettist

  Cesare Sterbini