Los Angeles police chief “The Duke” (maybe his mom worshipped John Wayne) seems to have little to do as he sits behind a very clear desk. “One must be free to love,” he sings. Plenty of gun-toting underlings are in attendance to ensure that the Duke (Marco Panuccio) is not distracted by any police work, leaving him time to engage in a spot of rough rogering in his office — he doesn’t even bother to close the blinds. This precisely demonstrates his telling proclamation: “Passion ends all discretion”.

Daniel Slater has chosen this contemporary setting for his production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, which was first seen at Grange Park’s Nevill Holt outpost last year. One or two details haven’t quite been followed through — for instance, would Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda really have to flee as far as Verona in order to escape the Duke’s clutches, as the English surtitles suggest? But in general, Slater’s concept works very well, aided by Angela Davies’s chilling, antiseptic sets.

Musically, excellent conductor Toby Purser keeps the score neat, clean, and transparent: there’s none of the lush, self-indulgent wallowing that sometimes overcooks Verdi performances. I’ve never heard the English Chamber Orchestra play better — the poignant woodwind writing, in particular, shines through.

The cast builds on this firm orchestral foundation. Damiano Salerno’s Rigoletto is a jester who has nothing left to laugh at as his world collapses around him. Even though he’s the originator of much malicious gossip himself, you have to feel sorry for him as his bent colleagues turn on him, and kidnap Gilda, assuming she is his lover, not his daughter.

Laura Mitchell, in an impressively sung and acted performance, portrays a sheltered Gilda who has to learn about the nastier side of human nature all too quickly. With strong characterisations in the more minor roles as well, this excellent production is sharply to the point.

Further performances are tonight, and on June 19, 21 and 24 and July 1. Ticket availability: 01962 73 73 66.