La Voix Humaine review – intimate invitation to a lover’s betrayal
Claire Booth gives an unforgettably intense performance as the abandoned mistress in WNO’s stylish immersive Poulenc/Cocteau staging
4.48 Psychosis review – Venables brings Sarah Kane’s savage text to musical life
Philip Venables proves he’s one of the finest composers around with an intricate score inspired by Kane’s very personal story of clinical depression
The Dark Mirror: Zender’s Winterreise review – Ian Bostridge is impeccable despite prosaic staging
Netia Jones’s direction is uncharacteristically neutral, but the Britten Sinfonia rises to Zender’s pungent scoring to lead us on a powerful musical journey
Stewart Lee’s All Tomorrow’s Parties review – the indie connoisseur’s festival
Despite organisational problems, acts such as the Fall, Roky Erickson, Sleaford Mods and Ex-Easter Island Head made the seaside festival the place to be for fans of the avant garde, esoteric or outsider
Rusalka review – Scottish Opera leave fairytale cruelty to lurk below the surface
With Anne Sophie Duprels as the titular water nymph, backed distinctively by Peter Wedd and Willard White, this stylish production of Dvořák’s dark opera avoids the excesses of some interpretations
Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Monumental review – an almighty revelation
Canadian post-rockers bring their massive drums and sad, soaring crescendos to two Adelaide shows, including a dance piece that polarises audiences
The Magic Flute review – happy return of an exhilaratingly inventive production
Featuring the best sung Pamina in years from Lucy Crowe, this revival of Simon McBurney’s ENO staging is highly engaging
Camille O’Sullivan review – high-energy mischief with flashes of magic
The hypnotic performer hurtles her way through costume changes and an inconsistent set that sometimes overpowers the delicacy of her storytelling
Found and Lost review – the scenery steals the scene
Emily Hall’s intriguing opera installation leads its audience through the rooms and hidden corners of a luxury hotel – which fight with the beautiful music for attention
Pelléas et Mélisande review – Rattle’s moving statement of intent
Preserving the power of Debussy’s symbolist masterpiece with wonderful subtlety, Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars go headstrong into a bright future with the London Symphony Orchestra
Scottish Ensemble review – euphoric club moves to the tune of Bach
The Scottish Ensemble and Andersson Dance team up for an infectious, sonorous dance interpretation of the Goldberg Variations
An Index of Metals review – a soprano and six naked men fall flat
This theatrical staging of Fausto Romitelli’s swansong is so earnest in its quest for profundity that its emotions seem overwrought, even silly
Rudimental review – hyperkinetic spectacle with a formulaic soundtrack
High-kicking and leaping, the multitasking drum’n’bass massive sweep the audience along with sheer vitality despite crescendos-by-numbers
Ariadne auf Naxos review – sound that hits you in the solar plexus
An unquestionably glorious Prima Donna, Karita Mattila takes us with her through Strauss’s extreme emotional landscape
Sweeney Todd review – Mrs Lovett steals murderous mish-mash of a show
The production’s opera singers and conductor shine in WNO’s somewhat uneven take on Sondheim’s musical of deranged vengeance