MID Wales Opera presents The Bartered Bride.

This classic operatic tale has been tinkered with ever so slightly, giving it a more accessible and heart-warming feeling, making it fun for family audiences.

Young love emerges triumphant, but only after a flow of adventures including a crooked marriage-broker, a wicked stepmother and her simple-minded son, an extrovert ringmaster, a beautiful can-can dancer, a performing bear and two whip-cracking and knife-throwing circus performers.

As with all great operas, it is full of contrasts of mood, with a feeling for tragedy never far away, and with some deeply moving arias and ensembles among the humour and vitality.

For this new production, Mid Wales Opera welcomes back award-winning director Stephen Medcalf, fresh from the triumph of his first production for Milan's La Scala opera house.

With a lively team of singers from the major national opera companies, circus performers and dancers, Semtana's heart-warming masterpiece promises to be one of the company's most original and memorable productions.

Mid Wales Opera will be at Brecon's Theatr Brycheiniog this Saturday at 7.30pm (01874 611622), Hereford Courtyard on Sunday at 7.30pm (0870 1122330) and at Ludlow Assembly Rooms on October 20 and 21 (01584 878141).

Audiences will be keen to see some exciting young Welsh singers. Camilla Roberts won the Welsh Singers Competition and represented Wales in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, while Vanessa Woodfine won the Towyn Roberts Scholarship from the National Eisteddfod.