Ariadne Auf Naxos, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

When a raggle-taggle bunch of entertainers arrived at a country house to put on a show, they are caught up in another, altogether more high-minded affair. The two productions are fused, with hilarious, results in Richard Strauss's opera Ariadne Auf Naxos.

Katharina Thoma's 2013 production of Ariadne delighted audiences and critics alike with its exuberant costume and set designs and spirited pace, and it's back, with a new cast. The Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen makes her UK debut in the title role. New, too, to the Sussex opera house are American artists the tenor AJ Glueckert as Bacchus, mezzo-soprano Angela Brower as Composer and soprano Erin Morley as Zerbinetta.

Distinguished British baritone Thomas Allen returns as Music Master.

Also making his Glyndebourne debut is Vienna's Cornelius Meister, here conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra's annual summer residency at Glyndebourne is an important strand in its performing year, and underpins the sense of drama the players famously bring to orchestral works.

Packed with the composer's distinctive soaring melodies and enriched by his densely textured orchestrations, Ariadne is a luscious feast, and carries a heart-warming message about the value of all the arts.

Ariadne Auf Naxos is sung in German with English surtitles

Public booking online opens at 6pm, 5 March. Click here for information and booking.