Imagine compressing 400 years' worth of music into a single night. As daunting a prospect as that might sound, Brendan Wheatley remains unfazed – but then the Swansea-based singer has long been on a mission to demystify opera.

"There are a lot of preconceived ideas about opera, which put people's barriers up – mainly that it is for posh people," he said.

"Its origins might have been like that, but it's no longer the case these days.

"It's cheaper to watch an opera than it is to see a football match in the top division – and there, you only get the band at half-time."

He talks with such zeal about his love for opera – a subject which could split any room down the middle – that it's difficult not to feel swayed.

Since 1989, he has run Opera Box with his partner, Bridgett Gill, which has seen them stage operas at open-air events across Britain.

This week, his company's premiering The History Of Opera (Abridged) – which will range across four centuries of this art form.

The evening will see Brendan – with Bridgett and the New Zealand soprano Carla Ebbs – sing extracts from operas, alongside giving snippets of information about the composers and their work.

"If people who are musicologists are thinking about coming along, then it's not really for them," said Brendan.

"It's informative entertainment – with the emphasis on entertainment."

Despite its status today, opera is a comparatively recent establishment in Britain – The Royal Opera was founded in 1946 as the Covent Garden Opera Company, before its name change in the late 60s.

The night will examine such historical quirks, alongside looking from the early days of opera – including the work of the composer often seen as the "father" of the art-form, Monteverdi – through to modern-day composers such as the late Alun Hoddinott.

"It's interesting for people to know how composers worked," Brendan said.

"If you go through the history of opera, you can see how some of them looked back for inspiration.

"Mozart, who pushed the envelope in his career, looked back to previous works in his final opera which is why it was not particularly successful.

"And some of Benjamin Britten's operas have echoes of Purcell.

"Hopefully, it will introduce people to opera and, for those who already are into it, help them understand it a bit more."