Performer: Shaun Dixon

WNO's excellent revival of John Copley's 2011 staging of Die Fledermaus is a delight. 

La bohème staged as Tudorbethan drama? Opera Holland Park's quirky tribute to Shakespeare400 is a lot of fun. 

The sole complete opera contribution to Wagner’s anniversary in Auckland this year came in the form of New Zealand Opera’s production of Der fliegende Holländer. This was the first staged performance of a Wagner opera in Auckland for over 20 years (though we’ve had a few in concert), and it is a pleasure to report that New Zealand Opera welcomed the master back with a fascinating performance.

A note in the programme honestly records the trepidation Opéra de Baugé felt in taking on Verdi’s Aida, a tougher prospect than the other operas with which it’s in rep, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus.