FOR five days lavish baroque opera will take over the Malvern Theatres. The English Touring Opera company are not only staging works by Cavalli, Carissimi, Purcell, Monteverdi and Handel, there will also be free events in the foyer and an exhibition of costumes, talks and discussions, as well as the chance to be serenaded by ETO singers while you enjoy a meal at the in-house restaurant.

From Tuesday, November 21 to Saturday 25, theatregoers can totally immerse themselves in baroque opera - from a 17th century English translation of Cavalli's erotic comedy Erismena to a one-off production of Monteverdi's Orfeo, featuring local choir The Priory Singers as part of the chorus.

The company will also perform Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Carissimi's Jephte.

On Tuesday there will be a dinner recital in the 70-seater Vineyard Restaurant, on Wednesday Chris Hall will give a talk on Purcell and Carissimi, on Thursday conductor Robert Howarth will lead a panel discussion on baroque opera and, on Friday, Cavalli's Erismena will be opened with a spectacular promenade performance in the theatre foyer. Youngsters from the theatre's dance and performing arts classes will join ETO singers in celebrating the Venetian carnival.

General director James Conway explained why the company is staging five operas instead of its usual two: "The ETO has built up a strong reputation for Handel over the past few years, and I was keen to extend this to other baroque repertoire.

"It's something we can do full justice to with our orchestra of 18 period instrumentalists."

Call the box office for details of performances and ticket prices on 01684 892277.