A good orchestra is the engine of opera. Without it, the onstage action can be decorative, provocative, even dazzling - but it won't be going anywhere.

L’elisir d’amore / Rodelinda
GARSINGTON OPERA

Glyndebourne first partnered with the London Philharmonic back in 1964; it has taken until the last decade for other summer opera companies to follow suit. The change has been dramatic: Grange Park performances have come into focus thanks to period specialists the Academy of Ancient Music; Nevill Holt reach new heights in partnership with Opera North; and next season Grange Park will join forces with ENO’s orchestra for its first Ring cycle.

Most striking of all, though, has been the impact at Garsington, where London’s Philharmonia and the English Concert currently share orchestral duties. The season kicked off with Donizetti’s classic rom-com L’elisir d’amore, powered less by Dr Dulcamara’s infamous “love potion” (really just a rustic Bordeaux) and more by the Philharmonia under up-and-comer Chloe Rooke.

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