Performer: Holly Pigott

Erlanger's fractured and clichéd opera isn't helped by confused direction, although soprano Andreea Soare is nothing short of magnificent as the heroine. 

As the Governess Alison Rose was the ideal suffering soprano, her eyes an imbroglio of psychological disturbances.

There are brilliant visual touches in Aylin Bozok’s stylish concept for Bury Court Opera and the monochrome aesthetic is clearly realised.

Figaro rules the roost on the main stage this autumn, but buried in the Nibelheim of the Linbury Studio, Rossini'ss early comedy La scala di seta receives its first ever production by the Royal Opera.