Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Rebecca Howell

Robert Carsen’s staging of Handel's oratorio arrives, via Salzburg, in the city where Handel composed it in 1707. 

A tiny stage and five musicians prove no obstacle to Irish National Opera’s lively, witty Bartered Bride, where sharp casting and clever direction turn modest means into genuine delight.

Strong performances by chorus, orchestra and the father-daughter pairing of Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Anna Pirozzi make this Covent Garden revival well worth the visit.

A superb orchestral performance from Paul Agnew and The English Concert lights up a breezy and fun staging of Rameau's ballet bouffon.

Robert Carsen's Aida focusses on the brutality of war, with powerful lead performances from Angel Blue, SeokJong Baek and Elīna Garanča, plus strong orchestral colours from Sir Mark Elder.

This is an Aida for the 21st century, with many pertinent things to say about oppression.

A new, insightful production by Robert Carsen gives life to Handel’s early oratorio at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, with a magnificent cast led by Cecilia Bartoli.