Chances are that the word "zarzuela" sounds like Greek to you, which is fair enough since it's a Spanish form of operetta that's never been performed in Mumbai. But that's set to change this evening, with The Neemrana Music Foundation joining hands with the Spanish embassy to stage El Trust de los Tenorios — or The Syndicate of Seducers — at the Royal Opera House.

Composed by the legendary Jose Serrano in 1910, the piece is a comedy, as most zarzuelas are. That's because they were originally performed during the interval of a traditional opera, to provide the audience with light relief. "But by the time Serrano wrote The Syndicate of Seducers, zarzuelas had been accepted as an art form in their own right," says Roc Fargas i Castells, the conductor who's helming the music for the production in Mumbai.