L’heure espagnole/The Bear review – Scottish opera pairs Ravel with Walton in pacy pantomimic staging
Jacopo Spirei’s double-bill of Ravel’s L’heure espagnole and Walton’s The Bear is huge fun, with baritone Daniel Barrett particularly impressive
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District review – semi-staged Shostakovich is vivid and claustrophobic
With Nicky Spence and Amanda Majeski the striking leads, the nastiness in Shostakovich’s ‘tragic satire’ was disturbing and powerful in an impressive Proms performance
Book of Mountains and Seas review – puppets and percussion, Mandarin and a monkish chorus
Visually arresting moments in lanterns and silk, and Huang Ruo’s haunting soundscapes, bring to life ancient Chinese creation myths in Basil Twist’s production
Orpheus and Eurydice review – acrobatic Gluck is haunting, dizzying and gasp-inducing
Iestyn Davies is outstanding as the tortured Orpheus in Yaron Lifschitz’s stark and imaginative staging
La Clemenza di Tito review – Emelyanychev and SCO spark magic with enthralling Mozart
With a luxury cast bringing anguish, believability and vocal perfection to Mozart’s opera of love and divided loyalty, this concert performance was flawless
Káťa Kabanová review – furtive groping and a wing-bloodied angel stalk flawed staging of Janáček’s opera
Robin Ticciati conducts the London Philharmonic in this finely sung but inconsistent revival of Damiano Michieletto’s 2021 production
Lucia di Lammermoor review – Jennifer France is a delight in touching and convincing Donizetti staging
The unforced warmth of France’s heroine wins the audience’s sympathy from the outset in Cecilia Stinton’s thoughtful new staging of the bel canto bloodbath
Julieth Lozano Rolong – Alma: Ibero-American Songs album review – Colombian soprano’s captivating debut
Supported beautifully by pianist João Araújo, and with songs by composers from seven countries, this recording offers a wealth of colour from a hugely promising performer
Salome review – a frankly astonishing concert performance
Asmik Grigorian heads one of the finest casts you could hope to hear, and every flicker of detail and colour in Strauss’s score hits home, as Antonio Pappano’s first season with the LSO climaxes in remarkable style
Carmen review – feminist take on opera’s notorious femme fatale has swagger and style
Maximalist design, gorgeous music and grim reality come together in a smart, seductive and spectacular production from Opera Australia
Le Nozze di Figaro review – astute period staging of Mozart’s masterpiece is as poignant as it is funny
Glyndebourne, SussexMariame Clément allows the story of the predatory Count to resonate across the centuries in this exhilaratingly well performed and eye-catching production
Pelléas et Mélisande review – Longborough’s staging is accomplished and atmospheric
Anthony Negus is attentive to the subtleties of Debussy’s translucent score, and, matched by Jenny Ogilvie’s darkly mysterious production, this makes for one of the most successful shows Longborough festival has ever mounted
Les Indes Galantes review – popping, leaps and whoops in immersive and spellbinding Rameau
Director Bintou Dembélé infuses this potentially problematic colonial tale with an irresistible blend of pop culture and inclusivity for an imaginative first staging in the UK
Semele review – Pretty Yende is a spirited but sketchy heroine in inconsistent Handel staging
Alice Coote’s vengeful Juno steals the show in Oliver Mears’ bleak and occasionally fussy production
Bantock: The Seal Woman album review – Celtic folk opera that never quite gets its head above water
Granville Bantock’s story of a Selkie emerging from the sea is a century-old curio whose beauty has faded over the years