Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | George Petean

A bland updating ends up flattening the contrasts and social satire that Verdi’s opera wants to highlight. 

Everything about this production is fresh and wonderful.

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.

As Richard Eyre’s staging reaches its 30th anniversary, a new Violetta arrives on the Royal Opera block in what proves to be one of the best revivals in recent years. 

Adela Zaharia is cast as a Violetta for whom the party never stops in this revival of Tatjana Gürbaca's busy staging at Dutch National Opera. 

In its 25th anniversary season, Richard Eyre's production continues to attract the world's great sopranos to the role of Violetta, the latest being Aleksandra Kurzak. 

A promising cast on paper is scuppered by a banal, monotonous production and uninspired conducting.

This year’s revival of Andreas Homoki's production features excellent principals, choruses, and sublime orchestration under Fabio Luisi’s seasoned baton. The staging takes far fewer accolades.

Outstanding vocal and orchestral performances light up La Scala's season opener, matched to a conservative but visually arresting staging from Davide Livermore.

A trusty and convincing version of the masterpiece, with a cast of well-matched singers.

Musically, a rewarding Forza, but Homoki's staging is best forgotten.

That both the lead and a second key role were ill and couldn’t sing did not bode well, yet this performance of Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera shook up the house nonetheless.

At least the colour-coded characters in Andreas Homoki’s farcical production made it easy to know which team to barrack for.

About halfway through the second act of Verdi's La traviata at the opera's second Met performance of the season, soprano Sonya Yoncheva went from being a really good Violetta to being a great Violetta.

In this staging of Verdi’s  masterpiece, the director reminds us that the ominous epilogue springs from its short prelude.

A lacklustre season opening at Teatro Real proves once again the elusive nature of Verdi's masterpiece.

Verdi's most political opera feels particularly relevant in 2016, and the Opera Australia production convinces, thanks to the outstanding George Petean in the title role and an excellent supporting cast.

Andreas Homoki’s new production of Vincenzo Bellini’s I puritani wows with a quartet of stellar vocalists, but its awkward staging and set design are a distinct disappointment.

Young Russian coloratura soprano Maria Nazarova gets the Oscar. 

Les Chorégies d'Orange present a new production of Verdi's Il trovatore with mixed results.

The Merry Wives of Windsor – relocated to Scotland – sing beautifully, as does their wooer, Falstaff. But it's not clear why they're in Scotland in the first place, or how the rest of the staging fits the opera.

Giuseppe Verdi’s Attila is not an opera that one hears often. Composed during his self-styled “galley period” – before he found his mature musical voice with Rigoletto – Attila has inherent musical and dramaturgical weaknesses. With one foot still firmly rooted in bel canto tradition, the numerous cabalettas can be exhausting, even ridiculous, considering the dramatic nature of the text.

Yesterday I went to see a convoluted story about French revolutionaries, as belted out at top volume to serviceable but hardly creative ballads. No, I didn’t go to the Les misérables movie. I went to see Roberto Alagna in Opera Orchestra of New York’s concert presentation of Umberto Giordano’s Andrea Chénier.

Nach 35 Jahren Pause zeigt die Wiener Staatsoper Luisa Miller aus 1849, also jenes Werk, das den Übergang von Giuseppe Verdis frühen „Galeerenjahren“ zu seiner reifen Schaffensphase markiert und über Stiffelio eine Brücke zur „trilogia popolare“ (Rigoletto, Il trovatore und La traviata) schlägt.

Die Regisseurin Valentina Carrasco deutet die Handlung als Angriffskrieg gegen die Schweiz und begeht dabei schwindelerregende Umdeutungen.

So viel wird selten geküsst! Michael Fabiano, Sonya Yoncheva und George Petean singen einen umwerfenden Andrea Chénier.

Gianandrea Noseda, ein leidenschaftlicher Verdi-Kenner, bringt die unterschiedlichen musikalischen Sphären des Stücks brillant zum Klingen. Die Regisseurin Adele Thomas findet für den schicksalhaften Gang der Handlung ein schlüssiges Symbol. 

Eine Besetzung, die keinerlei Wünsche offen lässt in einer bildgewaltigen Inszenierung – Opernherz was willst du mehr? 

Le baryton apporte une noblesse rare au rôle-titre de l'opéra de Verdi, présenté en conclusion de la saison lyrique à l'Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège.

Un gran último reparto, encabezado por Sondra Radvanovsky, para Un ballo in maschera que abre temporada en el Real y una torpe propuesta escénica.

El estreno de este Il pirata prometía ser el evento vocal de la temporada y, tan solo en cierta medida, ha colmado las esperanzas de disfrutar de otra noche para la historia.

Tatiana Serjan sticht in einer ansonst soliden Macbeth-Inszenierug von Christian Räth hervor.

Elīna Garanča gibt als Santuzza ein beeindruckend gefühlvolles Wiener Rollendebüt.

Die Staatsoper liefert eine solide Premiere von Donizettis Belcanto-Oper; die große Sensation bleibt aber aus.

In einer morbiden Inszenierung von Antú Romero Nunes ist Verdis Les Vêpres siciliennes in München erstmals im franzöischen Original zu sehen.

Zwei kurzfristige Umbesetzungen und ein blasses Regiekonzept: Statt feuriger Saisoneröffnung mit Glamourfaktor loderte lediglich ein guter Repertoireabend. 

Die Bayerische Staatsoper inszeniert Verdis Un ballo in maschera in stummfilmhafter Eleganz und setzt dabei insbesondere auf ausdrucksstarke Stimmen.