Glyndebourne is to become the first British opera house to present world-class opera in mainstream cinemas.

It has signed a deal with Odeon cinemas to bring its productions to big screens around the country from this autumn. Instead of paying up to £185 for a ticket to Tristan and Isolde or Così fan tutte in East Sussex, the public will be able to see these productions in London, Harrogate, Manchester and other cities for £7.50.

The ground-breaking initiative will extend Glyndebourne productions to new audiences with the latest high-definition imagery and Dolby digital sound. The company’s new season is already 94 per cent sold out weeks before it begins, with a waiting list of 500.

Once again, Glyndebourne is setting an example for other companies. While the Royal Opera House and English National Opera have struggled to raise funds to renovate their buildings, refurbishment of the Sussex house was on time and on budget. About £34 million was raised without any public subsidy.

Whereas other companies are continually begging for more public funds, Glyndebourne does not receive a penny from the public purse and is financially stable. Five years ago, it became the first British opera house to produce its own DVDs, in partnership with Opus Arte and the BBC.

David Pickard, general director of Glyndebourne, said yesterday: “While it is well known that our box office is regularly at 95 per cent capacity, we have continually looked for ways in which to share the quality of our artistic standards with a broader audience. The combination of these standards, coupled with the reach, distribution and expertise of Odeon cinemas, is the perfect solution and we are thrilled that Glyndebourne operas will be available in local cinemas.”

Mr Pickard said he was particularly pleased that the operas would be shown in mainstream cinemas, rather than small arthouse ones.

Initially, three productions – Tristan and Isolde, Così fan tutte and a third yet to be decided – will be screened in ten cities. If they prove popular, the initiative will be extended. “This is an experiment for both sides,” Mr Pickard said. “No one has tried to do this before.”

The Tristan will be a revival of the critically acclaimed 2003 production. It is due to be staged at the end of August, and will be in cinemas in September.

The cost was “next to nothing”, Mr Pickard said, and any profits would be shared between the artists and the company. “I don’t think any of us is going to get wealthy from £7.50 tickets, but that isn’t the point. “We’re saying to the world, ‘We’re proud of what we do at Glyndebourne’.”

Asked what sort of audiences were expected, he said: “We genuinely have no idea. We hope it’s not just opera lovers but film lovers. If faced with a choice between Pirates III and Così, we hope they might choose Così.”

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