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Feldman and Beckett: Words and Music review – hypnotic absurdism at Sheffield Chamber Music festival

This fascinating and bold concert featured the works of the ‘word man’ and the ‘note man’, and their absurdist radio play Words and Music

Gabriela Montero review – radiant renderings of postcard Spain with an excursion into the Beatles

The Venezuelan pianist was mercurial and dazzling in this Spanish-themed recital including Chopin, Scarlatti and Albéniz adding improvisational mastery with a Purcellian take on Here Comes the Sun

Papillons review – rich and strange collaboration exemplifies the spirit of Multitudes festival

Works by Kaija Saariaho, Imogen Holst and Chaines were woven into Manchester Collective’s concert that blended music with dance, theatre and multimedia, with cellist Laura van der Heijden at its heart

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

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

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

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

Blackhaine: And Now I Know What Love Is review – avant garde dance that grabs hold of your senses

The convulsing figures in Tom Heyes’ choreography, paired with intense sound and a guttural MC, are caught in a mesmerising struggle for human connection

Innocence review – monumental achievement shows how essential opera can be

Adelaide festival Finnish opera of staggering depth by Kaija Saariaho and directed by Simon Stone, set in the aftermath of a school shooting

The week in classical: La bohème; London Contemporary Music festival – review

Ukrainian soprano Olga Kulchynska is an unforgettable Mimì in Richard Jones’s ever sumptuous Puccini production. And mischief rules at this year’s LCMF

Laurie Anderson: Ark: United States V review – a long and winding bid to make sense of America

Contemplating a world of catastrophe and collapse, the veteran artist’s new three-hour show, though much too long and diffuse, has moments of poignancy – and joy

Suor Angelica review – Puccini’s maternal tragedy gets a haunting modern update

A Magdalene laundry in 1960s Ireland is the setting for ENO’s semi-staged production, which conveys quiet anger and deep sadness

The week in classical: Eugene Onegin; Cavalleria rusticana; The Acts of Brízida Vaz/You Can’t Kill the Spirit– review

An experimental staging of Tchaikovsky’s opera brings fresh ideas and a few misses, ambitious community opera thrives in south London and a Cornish company goes nuclear

My Fair Lady review – comedy and chemistry light up Opera North’s musical-theatre triumph

Katie Bird is an irresistible Eliza Doolittle in this inspired show, which takes its interrogation of social mobility seriously but with a sparkling lightness of touch

Fifteen hours of Wagner: Opera Australia’s Ring Cycle brings big spectacle – and a world first – to Brisbane

The high-tech production took 27 semitrailers to load in – and while tickets aren’t cheap, the marathon pays off

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  • St Vincent review – majestic orchestral transformations of jagged art-pop
  • BBCNOW/Bancroft review – conductor takes final bow in imaginative programme of vivid colours and emotions
  • Krishna review – the mystery of John Tavener’s ‘mystic pantomime’ is why it has been staged
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  • Mike D review – ex-Beastie Boy’s first UK gig in two decades, in a Tyneside bingo hall, is uproarious fun
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  • Take That review – stadium redux of Circus tour has maximal razzle-dazzle
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  • Violet Grohl: Be Sweet to Me review – alt-rock arriviste aces the part
  • Dvořák: Symphony No 9 album review – Shani brings a natural freshness to a familiar work
  • La Traviata review – gripping and genuinely moving staging opens Garsington’s summer season
  • Colin Matthews: Seascapes album review – the songs teem with detail
  • Iceage: For Love of Grace & the Hereafter review – Danish punks ace sixth stellar album on the trot
  • La Fanciulla del West review – insightful staging reveals the power of Puccini’s maverick masterpiece
  • 125th anniversary gala concert review – back to 1901 as Wigmore celebrates birthday playing to its strengths
  • Sugar review – Bob Mould’s reunited band still in a sweet spot between noise and melody
  • Paul McCartney: The Boys of Dungeon Lane review – at 83, his gift for melody still astounds

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