Find articles | Dominic Lowe

With an excellent cast and superb musicianship from the pit, Bruno Ravella's new production of Rossini's beloved comedy knocks it out of the park for Grange Park Opera.

Launching that most ambitious of endeavours, a Ring cycle, Grange Park Opera’s production of Das Rheingold proves a real achievement, led by the superb Alberich of David Stout.

While this revival is imperfect, the Cherubino of Svetlina Stoyanova proves a marvel to hear.

Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber survey composers from Beethoven to Berg in a varied and deeply moving recital. 

A thoughtful production from Martin Lloyd-Evans and magnificent playing from Matthew Kofi Walden and the City of London Sinfonia make the case for why Puccini's under-appreciated work is actually so sophisticated. 

Mariame Clément’s production of Rossini's meta comedy is tightly revived with some excellent singing. Come for the writing tips, stay for the cured meats.

With Aigul Akhmetshina and Seokjong Baek in the title roles, there are reasons to be optimistic, but The Royal Opera’s revival of Richard Jones’ production is a mixed bag.

Divorced from Cavalleria rusticana, English Touring Opera’s contemporary take on Leoncavallo’s masterpiece ticks all the boxes.

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

Mozart's teenage comedy is more complicated then Figaro but is easy on the ear, with many opportunities for a young cast to shine.

Smetana in Prague is never likely to be less than a delight, and the National Theatre assembles a fine cast for a revival of Alice Nellis' production of his greatest opera.

A revival of Robert Carsen's production at the Janáček Festival Preview benefits from an excellent cast and exemplary playing from the house ensemble.

A Mozart's of symphonies – his last – under conductor Robin Ticciati is capped with a fine Jupiter, but is let down by the performances of its two predecessors.

Stepping in for Sir Donald Runnicles at very short notice, Lawrences Renes conducts the Philharmonia in a sleek and vivid reading of Bruckner's magisterial Eighth Symphony. 

English National Opera's revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular production is a blend of spectacle with some first-class singing, with Lucy Crowe emphasising her Mozartian credentials. 

It's not Christmas without Handel's Messiah, and in the delightful Smith Square Hall, the oratorio is given a staging by Wild Arts which may not completely convince, but moves nonetheless.

Presenting a work like Carmen is a punchy move by a conservatoire. The Royal Academy of Music's production has conceptual weaknesses, but features some good singing. 

Pleas for more Respighi operas are answered as the students of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama give the UK premiere of Lucrezia, paired with Ethel Smyth's Der Wald.

L'elisir d'amore may not immediately bring Skegness or Romney to mind, but ETO's new production works quite well there... just look out for the seagulls!

Opportunities to hear Paliashvili's Abesalom da Eteri in the West are rare, so it proves a treat to hear what is deemed to be the greatest of Georgian operas in the beautiful opera house in Tbilisi.

Despite the disruption, the musicians of the MSO under Chief Conductor Jaime Martín continue their interesting programme of Sutherland, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky.

Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in a programme that blends two modern works with Beethoven's Ninth.

Before a searing performance of Shostakovich's Thirteenth from Ryan Bancroft and his Welsh forces, Benjamin Grosvenor delivers a terrific performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major. 

A programme heavily skewed to the balletic saw the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Josep Pons dispatch difficult passages with ease.

It's the casting that makes this Cenerentola a joy to watch, with fine performances from Patrick Kabongo and Polina Anikina in the lead roles. 

Poniatowski is now a mere footnote in musical history, but in his day was a composer of serious repute, as shown in this concert performance at the Rossini in Wildbad festival.

Mariame Clément is a popular director at Glyndebourne, and her new production of Figaro shows her trademark approach to hardhitting comedy.

Despite some excellent music-making, John Savournin's production is hindered by a laboured New York relocation. 

An exciting programme of Berlioz and Szymanowski makes for a delectable concert under Sir Antonio Pappano with violinist Lisa Batiashvili. 

Aigul Akhmetshina is on the verge of becoming the definitive Carmen; in this first revival of Michieletto's 2024 production at Covent Garden, she delivers the standout performance. 

Part of this year's London Handel Festival, Apollo e Dafne and The Choice of Hercules are transported to the stage in a captivating production that blends music and dance.

All the hallmarks of a Muti performance are on display as the maestro returns to conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra in a magnificent reading of Verdi's Requiem. 

Opera Rara's Donizetti Song Project has grown into a rewarding endeavour as demonstrated in its latest Donizetti & Friends recital featuring Michael Spyres and Marie-Nicole Lemieux. 

ENO's revival features a striking performance from Mary Bevan as bride-to-be Susanna, but elements of the staging continue to raise eyebrows. 

It's not without flaws, but the latest revival of Richard Jones' beautiful production of Puccini's beloved Parisian tale has drama aplenty.

A concert performance of Puccini's take on operetta sees a superlative reading of the score from Sir Antonio Pappano, and a sensational Magda from Carolina López Moreno.

A unique, but at times frustrating performance of Brahms’ First Piano Concerto demonstrates Víkingur Ólafsson's qualities, but it's in Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin that the LPO really comes alive. 

A rewarding visit from this Japanese orchestra under principal conductor Sebastian Weigle featured a fine Rachmaninov Second Symphony and a vivid, gusty Beethoven Violin Concerto from soloist Christian Tetzlaff.

A revival of Mariame Clément's production of Rossini's less-loved comic gem provides the sense of Italian sun to warm the body and belly laughs to warm the soul.

This revival of Kratzer’s production forces the audience to confront where personal responsibility starts and stops for acting under a tyrannical regime, while bringing Beethoven’s only opera to life – with a few twists.

Olivia Fuchs' production of Rimsky-Korsakov's charming fable for ETO begins its tour in Hackney and is worth travelling to see. Catch this thoughtful production in a town near you.

Sir Jonathan Miller’s production of Puccini’s classic remains powerful, but ENO’s latest revival underwhelms at the Coliseum. 

Magnificent conducting from Robin Ticciati and fine singers make Glyndebourne's latest revival of Lehnhoff’s production musically rewarding, but cerebral philosophical elevation overpowers the earthy reality of lust and love.

Joining OHP's 2019 production of Wolf-Ferrari's charming domestic comedy, a blazing new production of Pagliacci delivers everything that one could want from Leoncavallo's infamous opera. 

Is Puccini's second opera unloved and unlovable? Opera Holland Park makes a commendable attempt to revive Edgar, but struggles to overcome its many flaws.

Glyndebourne's new production of Lehár's greatest work is interpreted with his customary flair and fun by Cal McCrystal. 

Deftly conducted by Charlotte Corderoy, Cecilia Stinton's new production of Rossini's immortal comedy brims with fun.

The leafy parks and cobbled streets of Riga’s old town are far removed from the intense heat of the little village in the Basque Country in which Donizetti set his L'elisir d'amore, but a new production at the Latvian National Opera captures much of the spirit of the work, adroitly balancing comedy with the joys and pain of love.

With typical spirit, the students at the Royal Academy of Music did an excellent job in bringing Martinů’s Comedy on the Bridge and Alexandre bis to life – two lesser-known pre-war surrealist gems.

The first of three concerts in a Mendelssohn cycle sees Sir András Schiff and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment tackle the composer's First and Fourth Symphonies, preceded by the Piano Concerto no. 1.