Intérprete: Ed Ballard

Ola Mafaalani's staging is a feast for the eyes with creative and edgy lighting, a clever and expressive use of colour and a stunning visual display, but not everything comes off successfully. 

A great return appearance for English Touring Opera's Puccini double bill opening its spring tour at the Hackney Empire.

“If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it.” There was certainly plenty of Shakespeare-inspired music on the bill for the London Philharmonic Orchestra's celebration of The Bard. 

A superbly-sung title role from Ed Ballard is the best part of this otherwise patchy, well-sung but ultimately unmoving Werther from English Touring Opera. 

Luke Styles' all-male Macbeth for Glyndebourne, with a libretto lifted straight from Shakespeare by Ted Huffman, explores the bloody tragedy afresh – with a defiantly cool ending. 

Does the devil get the best tunes? Nick Shadow steals the show in the Royal Academy's production of The Rake's Progress.