Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Jeremy Kleeman

Heard side by side, these two Stabat Maters, neither of which is a typical example of its kind, make for an evening of striking contrasts under conductor Valentina Peleggi. 

A powerful work by brave innovators is a legacy for the departing Opera Australia Artistic Director. 

The approach of Christmas in Australia always bring a veritable flood of Messiahs of varying quality, but the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra's offering, while using modern instruments, could otherwise hardly have been bettered.

A single performance of Rossini's Cinderella story in Launceston, Tasmania was an unmitigated delight, with a sparkling cast of international performers.

Pinchgut Opera's L'incoronazione di Poppea is a glorious feast of singing, acting and playing but the production is brutal, taking Monteverdi's vision of corruption in high places to excessive lengths.

The problematic nature of Britten's Rape of Lucretia is well-known: Sydney Chamber Opera's production attempts to navigate it via gender inversion. 

There are Australian accents and idioms aplenty in this exciting new State Opera of South Australia opera being premiered in Adelaide.

A new pastiche opera, Voyage to the Moon offers a collection of Baroque arias and ensembles woven into a retelling of the Orlando story. 

Once you've seen Victorian Opera’s new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, it's unlikely you'll ever get it out of your head. It’s Melbourne’s current “anti-musical”, quietly intoxicating the audience with infectious force.