‘The role of Blanche de la Force will now be performed by Sally Matthews,’ Glyndebourne said, ‘we look forward to working with Danielle on future projects.’ Sally Matthews, 46, is widely regarded as one of the foremost lyric sopranos of her generation. She made her debut at the Royal Opera House in 2001.
Commenting on the role, Matthews told Tatler: ‘Having sung Blanche in the Carmelites in Munich, Amsterdam, Vienna and London; when they asked me to sing it at Glyndebourne with the dream team of Barrie Kosky and Robin Ticciati at the helm it was an offer I couldn’t refuse… it wasn’t easy as I booked elsewhere but we’ve made it work thankfully’.
Danielle de Niese is married to the Glyndebourne festival chairman, Gus Christie
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
De Niese, 43, is most famous for her roles in Mozart and Handel, whose arias are on two of her albums. She made her operatic debut when she was only 15 at the Los Angeles Opera, and was the youngest ever singer to participate in the Young Artists Studio at the Metropolitan Opera in 1998, aged 19.
During the winter season 2022, the talented star carried out a festival of shows that was the operatic equivalent of Leeds, Reading and Glastonbury for a pop superstar: the classical La bohème at the Royal Opera House; the first ever immersive Handel’s Messiah at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane; and It’s a Wonderful Life.
On 6 January, Glyndebourne announced that due to funding cuts, it would be unable to tour in 2023, after the Arts Council England (ACE) Funding for Glyndenbourne was ‘half the amount that was received during the previous NPO funding period’.
Richard Davidson-Houston, Managing Director of Glyndebourne, said: ‘The latest funding settlement from Arts Council England is devastating for many in the opera sector, which was targeted with significant cuts. It risks undermining the delicate ecosystem in which we operate.’
