Mozart's libretto has taken five months to translate

Bastien und Bastienna will be performed at the Narrow Boat in Skipton by the Skipton Building Society Camerata.

The 15 players and singers will be conducted by Ben Crick, 26, who has translated Mozart's original libretto.

Money raised by the performance on Sunday 18 September will go to the appeal to restore the Grand Theatre in Leeds, the home of Opera North.

Bigger works

The opera was written by Mozart when he was 12 and, according to Mr Crick, is probably the composer's most overlooked opera.

"People tend always to perform the bigger works such as The Magic Flute or Don Giovanni instead," he said.

"The story is a pastoral romance which I have translated to make it more relevant and accessible to a modern audience."

The performance has come about after Mr Crick, a Narrow Boat regular, mentioned his translation of the 50-minute work to pub manager Ian Reid who is also an opera-lover.

"Mozart would have approved of the idea," Mr Crick continued, "as the Magic Flute was originally performed in a theatre of ill-repute which pretty well amounted to a brothel serving beer."