Paul Gay / Recenzie

Opera Holland Park, London; Dorset Opera, Bryanston school, Blandford Forum A star-studded gathering of female opera talent provided the most harmonious of rallying cries. And a Massenet first in deepest Dorset

With the world première of Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida at Covent Garden, Mascagni’s rarity Isabeau at Holland Park and Verdi’s neglected Alzira redeemed by the Buxton Festival, this has proved a jamboree month for trainspotting opera buffs. Fans of the French romantic repertory can now thrill to the novelty of the first ever British staging of Massenet’s Le Cid – presented by the wonderful Dorset Opera, a summer camp accommodated in the idyllic grounds of Bryanston School, with a reputation for distinguished work created by students collaborating (albeit in limited rehearsal time) with first-rate professional soloists.