Blessed be Welsh National Opera for nudging our wintry climes with glowing Sicilian warmth.

It's there in the company's fine production of Berlioz's Beatrice and Benedict (based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing), first seen in 1994 and forever welcomed back for its meteorological atmosphere as for its many other qualities.

The glow comes courtesy of designers Howard Harrison and Michael Yeargan and the whole production by Elijah Moshinsky is again faithfully revived.

Berlioz ignored the detailed complications of Shakespeare's plot and supplied his own lyrics for the vocal numbers, leaving Beatrice and Benedict to fight on until they renounce their mutual hostility.

He also invented the role of Somarone, the tipsy choirmaster, whom Donald Maxwell turns into a topical 'ham' role, as it were, this time with snide references to insurance-advertising tenors and to composer Philip Glass. He's a hoot and a scene-stealer.

It's always ladies' night in this opera. Neither Sara Fulgoni in the title role nor Laura Mitchell as Hero disappoint in their big scenes. Anna Burford plays Ursula affectingly. Robin Tritschler (Benedict), Gary Griffiths (Claudio), Piotr Lempa (Don Pedro) and Michael Clifton-Thompson (Leonato) are the trailing menfolk.

The production was designed for the smaller confines of Cardiff's New Theatre and for touring, and on the more capacious WMC stage it often seems unnecessarily cramped. Also, some of the spoken dialogue is lost in the bigger auditorium.

But it still oozes charm, buoyed by the WNO orchestra under Michael Hofstetter and its lusty chorus.