This is a great chance to discover the talents of the Jette Parker Young Artists in their popular annual Meet the Young Artists week. It is also an occasion to celebrate the wit, originality and verve of composer William Walton on the 25th anniversary of his death.

Façade was heard in its earliest version in 1923 with the poet of its extraordinary texts, Edith Sitwell, as the narrator. Short and highly contrasted numbers bring together off-beat musical style and verbal rhythm and imagery – the ‘Popular Song’ and ‘Polka’ have become particular well-known favourites. Chekhov’s comedy The Bear – ‘a tragedy masquerading as a farce’ – provides the story for Walton’s similarly extrovert opera of the same name. A comic battle of wills and sexes follows when an attractive widow is visited by a local landowner in severe cash-flow difficulties. The recognition of just how close hate is to love, however, brings about a surprise ending.

Learn more about London operas within the West End.