If Opera was created to offer beautiful musical experiences in diverse spaces. Today, If Opera’s 2025 season is set against the uniquely serene backdrop of Church Farm in Wingfield and invites audiences to immerse themselves in a characteristically dynamic line-up of operatic excellence.
From the courts of a Renaissance tragedy to the heroics of a Baroque battlefield, with a pitstop in the Underworld and an appearance from Radio 2’s Clare Teal, If Opera’s 2025 season stays true to the organisation’s goal to present operas from different repertories within the same programme. Similarly, the programme’s ensemble, complete with familiar faces and exciting new talent, speaks to the company’s commitment to provide stable employment to performers and crew.
Yet this year’s summer of music will have a slightly different backdrop. Church Farm, the home of two of If Opera’s longest-standing patrons, has hosted the organisation’s pre-season launch for the past few years. Now, its secluded and peaceful position in the vale of the Westbury White Horse offers If Opera a remarkable new space to work with. The company’s purpose-built Saddlespan theatre will be constructed within Church Farm’s grounds, and as usual audience seating will surround the main stage, providing an immersive experience and improved acoustics.
If Opera’s 2025 programme promises to enchant first-time visitors and lifelong opera fans alike. Here, we take a closer look at what’s in store.
Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto: 7, 9, 14, 16 August, 7pm
We begin in the shadowy corners of the corrupt royal court with Verdi’s masterpiece Rigoletto, which, since its triumphant premiere in 1851, has remained at the very heart of the operatic repertoire.
The story revolves around Rigoletto, the court jester to the morally corrupt Duke of Mantua, who is tormented by the Duke’s lecherous behaviour and vows to protect his daughter, Gilda. However, the Duke has already set his sights on the innocent girl, and Rigoletto unknowingly facilitates the seduction, with devastating consequences.
Renowned for its powerful arias, including Gilda’s exquisite idealisation of her new lover in Caro nome, and the Duke’s carefree La donna è mobile reflecting on the fickle nature of women, we are offered two deeply contrasting perspectives on love and relationships.
If Opera’s Rigoletto is directed by Nina Brazier and conducted by the highly regarded Oliver Gooch, who illustrates the grand emotional climaxes of Rigoletto’s internal struggle with command and fluidity. The cast of If Opera will be joined by the Bristol Ensemble, delivering the highest calibre of live music with specialist musicians based in the South West.
Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld: 8, 12, 15 August, 7pm
Orpheus in the Underworld features a visit to Hell, but this second production by If Opera in fact moves from the darker side of the opera spectrum seen in Rigoletto to one of celebration and high action and musical energy.
Offenbach’s production scandalized and delighted 19th-century Paris – no one was safe and nothing was sacred as he cut a gleeful swathe through political, musical and moral peccadilloes with a dazzlingly tuneful score that embraced both the Can-Can and the Marseillaise.
Dubbed by Rossini “the Mozart of the Champs Elysées”, Offenbach pokes hilarious fun at po-faced classical opera in general and Gluck in particular as Orpheus is dragged to Hell to rescue an unwilling wife, accompanied by the Gods, in search of Bacchanalian joy.
A dab hand with adapting operatic satire and comedy, ‘national treasure’ (BBC Music Magazine) Simon Butteriss is the director of this outrageously joyous version of Offenbach’s irrepressible masterpiece, which will be conducted by Michael Waldron.
Picnic Prom with Claire Teal: 10 August, 5.30pm
Just as Orpheus wields music to move the gods, award-winning jazz vocalist and long-time Radio 2 and Jazz FM broadcaster Clare Teal harnesses the power of rhythm to create fabulous musical arrangements interspersed with warm and witty storytelling.
Clare, who has lived in Bath for more than a decade, will be providing the If Opera programme with a welcome dose of swing, covering songs by artists as diverse as Sam Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and Radiohead.
To complete this relaxed Sunday afternoon of music, The Bristol Ensemble will be bringing the music of Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton to life in a stunning candlelit concert.
Baroque Double Bill: 17 August, 3pm and 6pm
The magic of music will envelop the entirety of the If Opera’s new grounds this summer, with even Church Farm’s medieval parish church, St Mary’s, being transformed into a place of performance.
If Opera’s Baroque Double Bill features the early Baroque master, Giacomo Carissimi and his oratorio, Historia Jonae in the story of Jonah and the whale. This will be immediately followed by a semi-staging of Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, written for the Venetian carnival season of 1624 and adapted from an episode in Tasso’s epic about the First Crusade. The Christian knight, Tancredi, challenges a Saracen to fight to the death, only to discover his vanquished opponent is the woman he loves.
These performances will be presented on early instruments by ZAREKtrio, providing a blend of relaxed ambience, unique sound, and masterful musicianship in this most intimate of venues.
New to the If Opera experience this year is a fresh restaurant concept: The Cowshed by Homewood, which is a partnership with Homewood Bath. The restaurant offers a Mediterranean-inspired VIP dining experience using locally sourced produce.
For those hoping to get even closer to the magic, If Opera also offers memberships. Members enjoy member pricing and priority bookings along with a range of other benefits designed to give opera-lovers an insight into the If Opera creative process.
If Opera, Church Farm, Wingfield BA14 9LE; ifopera.com