By Isaac Zamet

25 April 2024

Famous for black tie and ballgown picnics in gorgeous gardens, this year as the opera festival and celebrated fixture on the social season marks its 90th anniversary, Tatler has an audience with its chatelaine

DANIELLE DE NIESE ON THE DIGITAL COVER OF THE JUNE ISSUE OF TATLER IN DOLCE AND GABBANA ALTA MODA

Danielle de Niese positively shimmers on the cover of the June issue of Tatler. In gushing folds of Dolce and Gabbana Alta Moda, she is every inch the diva.

This month’s issue hails Danielle the queen of the scene, as the power-woman at the centre of Glyndebourne, the beautiful Sussex country house where she lives with her husband, Gus Christie. While Gus runs the festival, Danni, a woman with limitless energy, is the jewel in its crown. It is she who is the performer at the very heart of the festival this year as it celebrates its 90th anniversary. She will star as Hanna in Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow, following in the footsteps of the famous Lily Elsie, who played the role in the first production at Daly’s Theatre in 1907, and also appeared on the cover of Tatler.

BACKSTAGE AT GLYNDEBOURNE, DANIELLE IS THE EPITOME OF ELEGANCE IN A DRESS FROM STÉPHANE ROLLAND HAUTE COUTURE Luc Braquet

 

DANIELLE IN THE ORGAN ROOM, WHERE THE FIRST MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AT GLYNDEBOURNE TOOK PLACE IN THE 1920S AFTER JOHN CHRISTIE – HER MUSIC-LOVING GRANDFATHER-IN-LAW – INHERITED THE ESTATE. SHE IS PICTURED WEARING A HOUSE OF SHELDONHALL DRESS, MICHAEL KORS SHIRT AND VAN CLEEF & ARPELS NECKLACE, BRACELET AND RING Luc Braquet

 

Gus’ grandparents John Christie and the soprano Audrey Mildmay were the co-founders of the Glyndebourne festival, inspired to build the remarkable opera house on the land of their stunning country house. The 300-set auditorium became an extension of their home, and each year they invited musicians and opera stars from across the world to perform.

And just like John and Audrey, it was love (and opera) that brought Danielle and Gus to the helm of the festival. Gus first spotted Danielle in her debut at the New York Met. Two years later they shared their first kiss and two years after that were married.

DANIELLE TAKES TO THE STAGE IN DOLCE AND GABBANA ALTA MODA AND JEWELLERY FROM VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Luc Braquet

Speaking to Clive Aslet, Danielle offers a glimpse into how it feels to host the creative teams for the festival at her home, saying, ‘That’s the wonderful thing about Glyndebourne – it was founded by the Christie family and it’s still intimate.’ Beyond her family life and the house, she shares wide ranging insights about her journey to stardom, revealing how she first discovered she had a ‘special’ talent as a child, her down-to-earth upbringing, and the moment her career took off after her mesmerising performance in Giulio Cesare in 2005.

What is it like to run an opera festival which, like Ascot and Wimbledon, is a must of the English social season and a house party all summer? This year, Tatler was invited inside to find out more about this dazzling dynasty and the opera diva at the heart of the scene.

Pick up the June issue of Tatler to discover more. On sale 2 May