Of four operas, only one could be called a repertory staple: Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro." Two of the remaining three, Emmanuel Chabrier's "L'Etoile" and Handel's "Agrippina," could qualify as outright rarities, and the third, Benjamin Britten's "The Rape of Lucretia," is hardly at risk of overexposure.

Summer festivals like Glimmerglass often takes risks that regular seasonal companies avoid for fear of driving away patrons. A much larger portion of a festival's audience is made up of people on holiday and in a relaxed and receptive frame of mind.

"People are more adventurous when they go to festivals, more willing to absorb something different," says Glimmerglass general director Esther Nelson, and the company's ready to provide that "something different" from the get-go this summer.

Chabrier's delicious confection, "L'Etoile," which premiered in 1877, opens the 2001 Glimmerglass season tonight, July 5. The plot involves a tangle of disguises and mistaken identities, love at first sight and the benign influence of a lucky star.

"A lot of people are wondering what 'L'Etoile' is," Nelson says with a laugh. "Well, it's an operetta, kind of 'Offenbach-ish,' and it's hilariously funny."

Once upon a time, "L'Etoile," which means "the star" in French, and its composer were hugely successful. Today, his rhapsody "Espana" aside, Chabrier is largely neglected.

"It's hard to believe it these days, but there were times when Mozart's stage works were rarely performed," Nelson observes. "Composers can fade in and out of popularity, so maybe our production of 'L'Etoile' will help bring Chabrier back. I'm not comparing him to Mozart, but there's every reason for Chabrier to resurface."

Comparisons to Mozart could hardly be avoided, not with "Figaro" opening tomorrow, the second night of the festival. "Figaro" and "L'Etoile" will alternate in repertory until "Agrippina" joins the mix July 21.

"'Figaro' is one of those works you just can't kill," Nelson says. "It's so beautiful and so complete. And we have Dean Ely, who's one of the bright new stars on the horizon, coming here to sing the title role."

Casting an opera like "Figaro" is a good place for a company to be innovative, says Nicholas Russell, who oversees casting and rehearsal schedules for the company as its director of artistic administration. Casting is also an area where a company can build a sense of continuity.

"What we've done with Joyce Guyer this season is an example of what I have in mind," Russell says. The acclaimed soprano has sung two Mozart roles at Glimmerglass and now returns for a third. "Having singers come back is a great pleasure and helps give the company a sense of identity. Joyce has sung Susanna [in "Figaro"] at many companies, including the Met, but to invite her to sing her first Countess is innovative, and I think it will be a huge success."

A smaller company like Glimmerglass cannot pay an artist of Guyer's stature anything approaching what she earns at places like the Met, Russell notes, but Glimmerglass can offer her something perhaps more valuable in the long term: Guyer will have an intensive five-week rehearsal period in which to introduce into her working repertoire an opera she probably will sing for the rest of her career.

Glimmerglass will perform "Figaro" a dozen times during the season, and all performances were completely sold out weeks ago. The company admittedly schedules popular works like this and potential hits like "L'Etoile" to offset potential losses on operas like "Agrippina" and, especially, "The Rape of Lucretia."

Glimmerglass seems to have a fairly loyal following for baroque opera, things by Monteverdi and Handel, and has offered one such work each summer for the last several years.

"'Agrippina' is an opera I think you'll really like. It's very dramatic and has such a great story," says Nelson. "We're bringing back Harry Bicket, who conducted Handel's 'Partenope' here in 1998, and we're introducing Lillian Groag as director here. The set is by John Conklin. It just came in, and I saw it, and it was very impressive. It's always like Christmas around here at this time of year. We unpack all the trucks, and out come the new sets."

Handel's first popular triumph when it premiered in 1710, "Agrippina" explores the intrigues between two scheming Roman matrons - Agrippina, wife of the Emperor Claudius and the mother of Nero, and Poppea, Nero's mistress.

It's fascinating to have Handel's witty satire alongside Britten's somber exploration of violence and virtue, "The Rape of Lucretia." The two operas were written more than 200 years apart - "Lucretia" in 1946 - and though they share a single setting, the Eternal City, they represent vastly different world views on the part of their respective composers.

"The 'Rape of Lucretia' is immensely powerful; it's terrific theater," Nelson says. "I don't think it will leave anyone unmoved. The principals are wonderful - world-class performers who are singing at all the major houses - and two of them, Michelle de Young, who has the title role, and Christine Goerke, are former members of our Young American Artists program."

Casting alumni from the Young American Artists program is a special point of pride for Glimmerglass, says artistic administrator Russell. "This season, we've cast in principal roles the largest number of our alumni yet. We have eight alumni returning as guest artists in principal roles this year. And I think that's not only a mark of their career patterns but of the nurturing process our young artists program has. It's a huge pleasure to welcome back so many of our 'babies' who are now in grown-up world."

Ticket sales for "Rape of Lucretia" have not reached the level of those for "Agrippina" or "L'Etoile," but Nelson expects this will change once the production has premiered July 28. "I think this is going to be an instance where once people have read the reviews or heard from their friends, the production is going to sell out."

Britten's opera could prove less successful at the box office than its fellows. Tastes vary, and no one opera appeals to everyone. What's important is that so many different tastes are served by this summer's offerings.

"It's a greatly varied season," says Nelson. "I got so excited months ago when the first visuals came back for the scenery. The productions are so different one from the other; they offer such completely different approaches to this one art form we call 'opera.'"

Peter Wynne writes about classical music for The (Newark) Star-Ledger and produces classical-music programs for public radio station WVIA-FM in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa.