Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | English | Attila Fekete

The acting was patchy and the singing ranged from serviceable to laudable in this dazzling new production at the Budapest Spring Festival.

With a convoluted production and uneven cast, Tamás Pál in the pit and Klára Kolonits as Erzsébet Szilágyi prove to be the highlights of the performance of this Erkel classic.

A warhorse on its own, Kálmán Nádasdy's 79-year-old production works surprisingly well, providing a nice evening's entertainment with a dedicated cast.

Quality singing impresses in Puccini's opera at the Hungarian State Opera, despite a dusty staging.

Although with a promising concept, the Hungarian State Opera’s new production ultimately proved underdirected.

Hungarian State Opera mount a successful première of Thomas Adès's take on Shakespeare, with the show stolen by Laure Meloy's Ariel.

Known for her powerful interpretations of the blockbuster Italian mezzo roles, the great Hungarian diva Ildikó Komlósi dominates the new production of Aida in Budapest.

Hungarian composer Dohnányi's fourth and last opera is a comic delight, especially in the hands of the team at the Budapest Opera. 

Rarely performed, Boito’s Mefistofele is an audacious, spectacular opera, needing an audacious, spectacular staging to do it justice. That’s exactly what it gets in Balázs Kovalik’s production for Hungarian State Opera.

Infernal Dance - Inside the World of Béla Bartók is this year's South Bank Special series. It's quite an endeavour, since Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia will perform many concerts over 11 months, culminating in Duke Bluebeard's Castle in November. It's an important series, since Bartók's place in 20th century music cannot be overestimated.