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A mixed Manon Lescaut at Opera Holland Park
Opera Holland Park updates Puccini's setting to the 1960s in a production that does not completely work, but benefits from the strong performance of Elizabeth Llewellyn as its leading lady.
A girl next door: La bohème at Dorset Opera Festival
It's not easy to imagine a freezing Parisian attic when you're in the middle of the rolling Dorset countryside in a baking summer, but Dorset Opera's excellent production of Puccini's La bohème is atmospheric enough to do so.
Verismo with a capital V: Zazà at Opera Holland Park
A convincing outing for Leoncavallo's rarely performed tale of adultery, populated by characters who are flesh and blood and are immediately recognisable today.
Eccentric circles: a youthful take from BYO
British Youth Opera revives a forgotten operatic entertainment from the 1960s with flair and professionalism.
Gambling and Gothic: The Queen of Spades
Tchaikovsky's High Gothic opera about gambling obsessions is worth seeing for a first class staging, albeit with a mixed musical performance.
High octane verismo: L'amore dei tre re
In Opera Holland Park's latest foray into obscure verismo, an excellent orchestral performance and high quality singing fails to translate into a compelling drama.