Venue: Riverside Studios: Studio 3, Hammersmith, London

“I’m an old man, but I’m profoundly optimistic about nothing.”Francis Bacon said no end of fascinating things, about painting, art, life, everything really. So listening to his thoughts, especially when guided along by an interviewer as expert as Melvyn Bragg, was always going to make for an entertaining evening.

Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival is an amazing opportunity for emerging opera companies and performers, giving valuable time and attention to bold and strange new works.