What made you want to program Charpentier’s Actéon?

There are several reasons, the first being that there’s much to this very old story that’s relevant to a modern audience. Particularly in the way we’re presenting the action, the topics of gender roles, privacy and revenge. Lost & Found has also never ventured into the world of Baroque opera, of which there are many lost pieces!

This opera is based on a tale from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. What is Actéon about?

We see Actéon out with his hounds, sung by the male chorus, and discovering by accident a group of women bathing. Led by the goddess Diana they take their revenge on him for breaching their privacy and coming to their sacred space. Her revenge is to transform him into a deer and he’s destroyed by his own hounds.

We see a conflict between two people who have very different backgrounds and expectations. Ultimately, a crime is committed, and punishment is meted out. Charpentier doesn’t in my view come down on either side, though the grief for Actéon at the end is palpable. Like most opera I’d like to see the audience engage with the story...