Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Carlos Álvarez

A mixed bag of performances at Covent Garden, but with an outstanding Butterfly who brings ample rewards to an evening where the emotional temperature eventually soars.    

Oliver Mears’ first production since becoming Director of Opera also heralds the start of a new Royal Opera season, with a full house finally returning after the long Covid hiatus.

The American must be one of the few tenors to tackle both Rossini and Verdi's Moor with success. 

An impressively cast revival for Verdi's one-time neglected masterpiece at Covent Garden.

Saint-Saëns' exotic dip into the Bible is given a cool update in Alexandra Liedtke's new production at the Wiener Staatsoper.

Renzetti's traditional rendition does not reveal yet unprecedented details of a score that is the summation of Verdi's mastery and his last work – his third based on Shakespeare.

A dark minimalist inspiration for Vincent Boussard’s co-production of the Boston version of Un ballo in maschera, returning to the Gran Teatre del Liceu after 16 years.

A beautiful production by Alvis Hermanis of Madama Butterfly to open La Scala's new season, but it was Riccardo Chailly's presentation of Puccini's original 1904 score which caught the ear. 

At La Scala, Milan a disappointing tribute to Giorgio Strehler's historic staging of The Marriage of Figaro by young English director Frederic Wake-Walker. 

Verdi's take on the Joan of Arc story may be thin on drama, but outstanding playing from Riccardo Chailly and the La Scala orchestra and top notch singing from Netrebko, Meli and Álvarez make this a wonderful Verdian evening.

An unsympathetic production of La traviata fails to impress at the Staatsoper.