If it hadn’t been for a series of devastating earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, between 2010 and 2012, Haydn Rawstron would probably never have invented narropera.

But when the earthquakes left the city with no theatres and concert halls, the former Oxford organ scholar and his wife, the internationally-acclaimed German soprano Dorothee Jansen, started putting on themed concerts at their Glyndebourne-esque home just outside Christchurch to provide the locals with some much-needed light relief.

“We’d already been doing something related to the prototype for what became narropera with a couple of concert programmes that I’d devised,” explains Haydn.

“One was 300 years of Italian opera, called From Caccini to Puccini, in which we did fourteen arias and I would say a few words between each aria showing how the development of Italian opera had evolved over three centuries.

“The other was the nine German arias of Handel to Enlightenment texts written by one single Enlightenment poet, Barthold Heinrich Brockes. They were unique in the 18th century and are very beautiful pieces.”

From these early concerts came the idea of applying the same framework to an opera. A trio of performers - singer, violinist and organist/narrator - tell the story of the opera and put it into social and historical context through a fusion of narrative and song, all in the space of 90 minutes. And so narropera was born.

The new format was launched in Queenstown, New Zealand, in 2013, and was hugely successful.

One reason for this success, Haydn feels, is that it makes opera accessible for anyone who feels intimidated by the idea of sitting through a full-length opera.

“It really does level the playing field,” he says. “People can come and enjoy it, and I’ve heard many comment that they then want to go and see the real thing. When I hear that I smile inwardly, because that’s precisely why this bridge is so important.”

Now local audiences can see what it’s all about as the ’narropera’ version of The Marriage of Figaro comes to Dorchester Abbey for a single performance.

“I suggested we start with The Marriage of Figaro because it actually has ten arias that Mozart wrote for the soprano voice, for five different characters,” Haydn says. “Since we have a soprano voice to do all this, I thought that’s great, Mozart’s done it for me - I don’t have to decide which arias!

“Only seven of those ten arias are done in modern performances. There are three arias which the opera-going public won’t know. So there’s an academic interest as well.

“Although the arias are in Italian, I translate them immediately before they’re sung, so the audience understands the broad story, understands what causes an aria and understands what’s being sung in the aria and how it takes the story further.”

For Haydn, performing in Dorchester Abbey will also bring back happy memories. “When I was organ scholar at Christ Church Cathedral, there was a ceremony to open the Abbey after it had been closed for renovation. The Queen Mother was there and we had a very good time. When I look back, I feel it’s the best performance I ever gave as an organist! I really felt so good after that performance, and Dorchester Abbey remained for me, sentimentally, a very lovely place.”

The Narropera Trio: The Marriage of Figaro

Dorchester Abbey

June 4, 7.30pm

Tickets: 01865 305305 or www.ticketsoxford.com