Salome review – righteous fury and dynamic clarity give Regents Opera its head

Directed with gangsterish overtones by Mark Ravenhill, the tempered musical weight of this lean production of the Strauss classic brings greater focus on the roles’ contrasting dramas

The Turn of the Screw review – gripping and unsettling water-logged staging of Britten’s ghost story

Natalie Abrahami and Michael Levine’s imaginative production is brilliantly creepy and insightful. A first-rate cast of adults and children do not put a foot wrong

Rigoletto review – strong revival of Mears’s violent take, with Elder revelatory in the pit

There is a touch of the Tony Sopranos about George Petean’s Rigoletto, in Oliver Mears’ 2021 staging that evokes a world of privilege, misogyny and abuse. Aida Garifullina is a convincing and elegant Gilda

Imeneo review – Handel in mischievous mood handled with wit and care

Cambridge Handel Opera Company capture the self-referential charm of this mid-career novelty operetta

Pagliacci review – Leoncavallo’s grand guignol staged with insight and commitment

Nineteenth-century verismo becomes 21st-century psychodrama, as English Touring Opera dramatise this tawdry tale of jealousy and violence with a keen eye for the dramatic image

The Gondoliers review – brilliantly barbed Gilbert and Sullivan is a feast for the eyes and ears

Contemporary resonances abound in English Touring Opera’s gloriously choreographed and costumed period production: a masterclass in clarity over chaos, performed with boundless enthusiasm

Siegfried review – invigorating and mesmerising staging, with Schager outstanding as Wagner’s hero

The third opera of Barrie Kosky’s Ring cycle again places the naked ancient earth goddess centre stage in a thoughtful and deft production that boasts an excellent cast and orchestral playing that captures the score’s complex colours

Feshareki/BBC Singers/Goddard review – goddess-inspired soundscape stuck in the great unknown

Shiva Feshareki’s Divine Feminine fails to find its focus despite soprano Emma Tring’s incandescent, fearless performance of Celtic deity Brigid

Lise Davidsen and James Baillieu: Live at the Met album review – electrifying renditions make the momentous intimate

Recorded in New York in 2023, the soprano sings Strauss, Wagner, Grieg and more to thrilling effect, her sincerity and passion matched perfectly on piano

Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny review – big and brash staging for Brecht and Weill’s whisky-soaked dystopia

Jamie Manton’s new production for English National Opera is sparky and substantial. Danielle de Niese brings star quality to tarty Jenny, and the chorus are consistently superb

The Great Wave review – Hokusai opera sounds and looks beautiful but skimps on drama

There are strong performances and much to admire in Dai Fujikura and Harry Ross’s opera about the Japanese artist, but it feels strangely inert

Handel: Sosarme album review – Marco Angioloni makes the case for this little-known work

Doubling as vocalist and conductor, Angiolini is joined by fine singers in this rarely recorded late work. Giacomo Nanni’s sonorous ‘Fra l’ombre e gl’orrori’ is a particular highlight

Così Fan Tutte review – witty circus staging has its tongue firmly in its cheek

Phelim McDermott’s 2014 production addresses the cynicism, cruelty and outdated sexual politics of Mozart’s opera with humour and sass; a strong cast make this an enjoyable evening

Winter Olympics 2026 opening ceremony review – disco-dancing opera masters upstage Mariah Carey

Carey was the big draw at Milan’s San Siro, but she was outweighed by pop-classical artists – and a sizeable dollop of kitsch

Sea Beneath the Skin/Song of the Earth review – sea, sand and ceremony as Mahler’s song cycle makes waves

Samoan choreographer Lemi Ponifasio’s chant-filled music-theatre piece – performed by Theatre of Kiribati and Britten Sinfonia – pushes Mahler into uncharted waters