Die Meistersinger review – some fine solo turns but Wagner’s score is done few favours

The ambitious Saffron Opera Group’s concert performance of Wagner’s opera had lost its leading man, but the orchestra proved more of a problem

Sky in a Small Cage review – beauty and bafflement in opera inspired by Sufi mystic Rumi

Rolf Hind’s opera about the 13th-century poet is mostly hard to follow, but countertenor James Hall and baritone Yannis François come into their own when the drama is clearer

Albert Herring review – Britten’s postwar comic opera sits surprisingly well in the 21st century

Impressive debuts, thoughtful characterisations and an Albert who was easy to root for helped Scottish Opera’s production feel remarkably timely

The week in classical: The Marriage of Figaro; Proms 53, 54, 55 & 56 – review

Notable cameos and young new leads light up David McVicar’s latest Mozart revival. At the Proms, a moving tribute to conductor Andrew Davis and streamlined perfection from the Berlin Phil

The Marriage of Figaro review – revival sparkles with young cast

David McVicar’s detailed staging of Mozart’s comedy opens Covent Garden’s new season, with conductor Julia Jones bringing energy and drive and Ying Fang, making her house debut, as an exquisite Susanna

Huw Montague Rendall: Contemplation album review – young opera star justifies the buzz

The debut album from the British baritone lives up to the hype, showcasing his velvet and nuanced singing with room to spare

Die Fledermaus review – Strauss’s perennial classic is slickly realigned

Dramatic narration replaces the spoken dialogue but with strong vocal performances and music that fizzes along, the operetta retains an authentic Viennese feel

The week in classical: Prom 37: Britten’s War Requiem; The Turn of the Screw – review

Britten’s explosive work is a rallying cry at the Proms, while a twilit production of his chamber opera feels properly ghostly

Der Vampyr review – feminist reboot has plenty of blood, camp and tears

Gothic Opera’s production ramps up the silly in its screamy, cloak-sweeping homage to Marschner’s 1828 original, with a magnificent Gráinne Gillis as the Vampire Master

The Rape of Lucretia review – British Youth Opera goes subterranean for a rip-roaring Britten

Director Talia Stern transforms an idealised tale of sexual violence in Rome into a shatteringly visceral, thoroughly contemporary show, led by a tender yet searing Alexandria Moon

The week in classical: Carmen; Yuja Wang; Leonore Piano Trio; Tristan und Isolde – review

Paris’s Opéra-Comique joins forces with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in louche yet explosive Bizet; Yuja Wang thrills with eight encores; and Stuart Skelton leads a classic Wagner revival

Prom 25: BBC Philharmonic/Storgårds review – the best new work of the season?

The centrepiece of a programme of Schumann, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky was Hans Abrahamsen’s seamlessly inventive Horn Concerto, played immaculately by Stefan Dohr

Carmen review: magnetic performances ramp up the showstoppers

Andreas Homoki’s clever ideas don’t quite survive the leap to Scotland but the singing is rich and the acting full of swagger

Aigul Akhmetshina: Aigul album review – mezzo from Bashkortostan is an insouciant star

Her debut solo recording perfectly showcases the glowing expansiveness, swagger and breathtaking poise of Akhmetshina’s arresting voice

Acis and Galatea review – a hectic take on Handel’s perfectly formed confection

The pared down City of London Sinfonia are exquisite and the main singers splendid – although the overworked ensemble hop around, draining the work of sincerity