We had fine weather today for our first stage and piano rehearsals at Bampton. Inevitably things ran a little late - the stage has to be built, and the set put up, and it's always quite difficult to pull all the strings simultaneously to make sure everything and everyone is in place. Poor mobile reception doesn't help. The director held his breath to see whether the revolving set would actually revolve, but needn't have worried as we got through the rehearsals with remarkably little snagging, and singers' anxieties seemed to be allayed. Indeed we all feel rather pleased with a set which works well in different permutations for the four scenes of the opera. There's still a fair amount of painting to be done, but we have technical time built into the schedule and should get there in time.