Classical Preview: Intimate venue for operatic phone call

Making the call she knows full well could be the last time she will hear her lover's voice, she faces crossed lines and wrong numbers as she desperately tries to keep him talking, moving from words of happiness to bitterness.

It is the scenario for Poulenc's opera La voix humaine, a work that he rather perversely scored for large orchestra, though for much of the opera it remains silent as Elle chatters away to the unseen recipient.

It is a domestic scene often lost on the vastness of an opera stage, Ryedale Festival having the good sense to present it in the intimate surroundings of the Helmsley Arts Centre.

The solo part is sung by Yorkshire-born Claire Booth, a young soprano whose early career has been encouraged by Opera North and with whom she made her important stage debut in Britten's Peter Grimes.

Regularly described as one of the most talented and versatile singers of her generation, Claire is now in the premiere league of the international circuit and recently performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra the first work written for her, Requiem for Sue, by Oliver Knussen.

La voix humaine is performed in the alternative version with piano accompaniment, played here by Christopher Glynn and this year's programme is a sign of just how far Ryedale Festival has come since it was launched nearly three decades ago.

The event was the brainchild of four musician friends, Geoffrey and June Emerson and Peter and Alex White, who had the idea of launching a small series of concerts in Helmsley, a town often overlooked when it came to concert organisers.

That was 1981 and from small acorns big oak trees grow. Over the intervening years the festival, now funded by Ryedale District Council, has a much broader appeal, with concerts no longer confined just to Helmsley.

York Minister, Ampleforth Abbey and Castle Howard have all rung to the sound of the festival musician, but while it has undoubtedly grown in size, organisers have worked hard to ensure the event retains its community feel.

This year an adaptation of Simon Armitage's Homer's Odyssey will be the focus of the community opera and the internationally renowned Fitzwilliam Quartet will allow visitors into rehearsals, talking to the audience about their work as they tune up.

Ryedale Festival Opera, Helmsley Arts Centre, Jul 29, 8pm. 01751 476777. The Festival runs from today to Aug 1 and for a full programme of events visit www.ryedalefestival.co.uk