THIRTY YEARS OF BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA shall take up residence in this picturesque

Soon we were being asked “what are you doing next?” and there was clearly some expectation of continuing. Although Gilly and I still did not anticipate a life sentence, our positive experience in 1993 encouraged us to think further. We realised we would now have to venture out alone as some on the WOAA committee did not relish long-term involvement. Fortunately most helpers stayed with us and Trevor continued as a significant source of help.

What to perform now that Gilly had accomplished her Galatean ambition? We realised that the modest demands of eighteenthcentury music made it more to our taste and budget than larger, later operas. We wanted to ensure that we would attract audiences, and felt that if we offered standard ‘canonic’ repertory like La Traviata or Carmen, which are widely available elsewhere, why would people come to Bampton instead? And so –gradually, although not consistently

– we found ourselves seeking out more obscure repertory, mostly from the period c1740-c1810.

Our next choice was a Mozart comic double-bill and arose from the discovery of an appealing CD of L’oca del Cairo in the Philips Complete Mozart Edition. This virtually unknown work dates from Mozart’s maturity, 1783-4, two years before his great opera buffa, Le nozze di Figaro. L’oca del Cairo (The Cairo Goose) was intended to be a three-act opera, but Mozart despaired of the weak and pretentious libretto and so discarded the project, not even quite completing the first act. What survives however is music of great inventiveness, including a wonderful extended finale scene for seven soloists and chorus which anticipates the amazing achievement of Figaro.

As the work was incomplete and unpublished, we needed to use the orchestration and edition made by

Erik Smith, as recorded on the CD: we tracked down Erik in London, and he became an enthusiastic ally. The one act only lasts about 45 minutes and needed a performance partner: we found an ideal one in Mozart’s short and delightful singspiel (that is, a spoken play with music), Der Schauspieldirektor - The Impresario, a comedy about the trials of an opera manager dealing with the rival charms of a fading soprano Madame Goldentrill and the rising young diva Ms Warblewell.

Many aspects of our enterprise now began to evolve. The most alarming shock came early when we discovered that the Dudleys were selling the Deanery - we anxiously waited to learn if a new owner might be persuaded into hosting our production. In January Mrs Dudley telephoned to say that they had a buyer – a London couple “with a daughter who plays the piano” and an “unusual” name – Ferstendik. That news was remarkable as said daughter, Joanna, was in my A level