Nicola Porpora as opera composer

With a penchant for Baroque music in historical livery, Collegium Musicum Riga are part of a small but distinctive Early music scene in Latvia, initiating collaborations with others across the Baltic states.

A leading composer and conductor of opera in Germany, Manfred Gurlitt’s Jewish ancestry led to his music being banned. Emigrating to Japan, Gurlitt became a pioneer of opera and Western classical music in Japan, a legacy still felt today.

Giulio Prandi, conductor of Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri, and violinist and concertmaster Gabriele Pro talk about crossing borders, adopting shared sensibilities, and the challenges facing historically informed musicians in Italy today.

A group of younger Croatian musicians, including new ensemble Gli Schiavoni, are determined to recover the historical music of Croatia, despite a devastating series of earthquakes and armed conflicts.

Brett Dean, Heather Betts and Lotte Betts-Dean sit down to discuss their work on Of One Blood, a new opera dramatising the lives of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots – affairs of the family all round.

The Royal College of Music offers an enviable nurturing ground for the next generation of operatic talent. Audrey Hyland, head of the Vocal and Opera faculty, talks about what makes the department special.