Voyage to the Moon is described as a pasticcio opera "based on an epic source, Orlando furioso, reframed as a single-set touring production and Baroque extravaganza distilled into a concentrated chamber format". If you think that sounds complicated, it is. The work is a fusion of material from eight Baroque composers using orchestral arrangement to describe a voyage to the moon made by two characters in the search for a cure for madness. It is a fascinating exploration of the nature of love, betrayal, loyalty and friendship.

The performance was hampered by balance problems – a result of the acoustics in Llewellyn Hall, which do not favour chamber music of this kind – with the singers often overwhelmed by the ensemble. This inability to hear the opening solos performed by Emma Matthews and Sally-Anne Russell in all their detail hampered the impact of the first quarter of the performance. The fact that the two male characters, Orlando and Astolfo, were represented by a soprano and a mezzo-soprano was also unusual. I appreciate that castrati performed these arias in the original versions, but the difference in gender and voice quality does alter the way in which the narrative unfolds.

With the entry of Jeremy Kleeman as the Magus, his wonderfully powerful voice infused new energy into the production. Kleeman has a confident stage presence and expressive dramatic style to match the fine quality of his vocal abilities. Emma Matthews, transformed from the earth-bound Orlando into Selena, guardian of the Moon, gave a dazzling performance, and her duets with Astolfo were lively and better articulated than the initial earthly versions.

Throughout the performance the chamber orchestra provided a beautifully nuanced accompaniment, blending the voices of the composers featuring in the score into a convincing whole. There were some pitch discrepancies between cello and harpsichord, but these resolved later in the performance.

A part-staged production of opera always leaves the audiences wishing for more elaborate sets, especially in this case when the costumes were so magnificent and the lighting effects simple but evocative of the celestial realm. The piles of 20th-century instrument travel boxes on wheels, the cluster of music stands and the instrument cases at the front of the stage were just a little too much the products of the present age to match the magic of the ascending sphere of the illuminated moon and the adventures that unfolded on its surface.

Voyage to the Moon contains some truly splendid music and has an engaging storyline that moves along at a good pace for the 21st-century audience. I hope that I might hear it again one day in a smaller auditorium.