BambinO: The opera for babies

BambinO is a piece of music theatre aimed at an audience that often gets overlooked in the world of opera – babies.

Following its premiere at the Manchester International Festival, director Phelim McDermott spoke about the aims of the piece.

He said: "We wanted to make sure that in 25 years time, if someone said, 'When did you see your first opera?' they would say, 'Oh - I was six months old.'"

The youngsters watching the performance have reacted in varying ways, according to McDermott, from some being "really engrossed" to others who are "terribly moved and cry".

Composer Lliam Paterson added: "I hope it brings opera to lots of new ears."

Originally from 5 live.