Mozart's opera Idomeneo contains few, if any, jokes. So what does madcap American director Peter Sellars do? He adds jokes of his own.

In this new production, the jokes are the costumes and the set.

We open with two Muslim women weeping and wailing in front of some body bags, presumably containing the remains of their loved ones.

Then, on come men in combat trousers leading white-overalled prisoners chained at hand and foot.

So where are we? It could be post-9/11 Guantanamo Bay or, perhaps, we are in post-conflict Iraq. Either way, we are in modern dress for this piece based on Greek myth - and I don't think their women wore trouser suits.

As to the set, it took me a long while to fathom what it was and I still find it difficult to believe.

To my eyes, the set resembled for all the world the most intimate parts of a woman's body.

And, after waiting three hours for the monster to stir from the abyss, what appears but a fairly amorous guy who seduces rather than abducts one of our heroines to the depth.

All this is enacted on a dark, blood-red set for Acts One and Two and a dark blue set for Act Three The set is so dark at times you really have no idea what is going on and it is difficult to establish any relationship with the characters.

Be warned (and this is Mozart's fault), after three-and-a-half hours, you have to endure a 20-minute ballet suite, beautifully danced but to no apparent narrative effect.

Having moaned so much, you might think there is nothing good in this show at all but you would be wrong. The music making and singing is excellent throughout and my advice is to ignore the set and just enjoy the sound.

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment in one of the smoothest performances I have ever heard.

Rattle, on summer leave from his day job of running the Berlin Orchestra, is a masterly Mozart maestro. To watch him conduct is an education. He is highly expressive in his moves and signals clearly just what he wants from his orchestra.

As is usual with Glyndebourne, it has come up trumps with the casting. Philip Langridge returns to sing the title role of the king wrapped in battle with Neptune.

Magdalena Kozena is commanding as his queen and two other sopranos Christiane Oelze and Anna Schwanewilems as Ilia and Electra all do superb work.

In the role of Neptune is the New Zealand Samoan Jonathan Lemalu, a bass with star quality.

The chorus executes its role superbly and has to cope with a lot of hand movements reminiscent of Peter Sellar's hand choreography for Theodora.

This is an opera that deserves to be seen, just concentrate on the music and the singers.

For tickets and further information, call 01273 813813.