Une princesse inconnue: Isouard's Cendrillon from Bampton Classical Opera

Wet English summer weather may have driven Bampton's pacy revival of Salieri's wickedly funny La scuola de' gelosi indoors, but rain could not dampen the sheer fun ahead. 

Two little-known 18th-century operas are given inventive new productions featuring some promising young singers.

This small, fun, fast-paced comedy, probably the UK première of Salieri's neglected fairytale, makes for a glorious garden opera evening at Bampton (and touring). 

A beautiful evening of rare and royal music by Gluck, in the year of his 300th anniversary, and even an even rarer setting of Orfeo by Bertoni: it was just a pity we couldn't follow all the words, as well as all the notes, at St John's Smith Square.

Bampton Classical Opera is a company dedicated to performing rarely-performed 18th-century operas, and every summer they stage a new production with a cast of young and upcoming singers at their base in Bampton in Oxfordshire. This year’s production was a double-bill of French opéras comiques by Philidor and Grétry, which they brought to London’s St John’s Smith Square last week.

Wet English summer weather may have driven Bampton's pacy revival of Salieri's wickedly funny La scuola de' gelosi indoors, but rain could not dampen the sheer fun ahead.