A gripping Return of Ulysses from Opera Collective Ireland and the Akadamie für Alte Musik

Rain cannot wash away the charm of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Lismore Castle, a visually clever, if uneven, outdoor staging with moments of real enchantment.

Olena Tokar's assured coloratura made an immediate success of the waltz with her convincingly adolescent appearance, rhythmic verve and stylish phrasing.

A wonderful ful-filled caper by the Irish National Opera of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with Erraught as Susanna and Miskelly as Cherubino really impressing. 

Grange Park’s Samson et Dalila doesn’t hit the bull’s eye, but it’s well worth the visit for a decent all-round staging of an unfamiliar work, an excellent rendering of its sumptuous score and for a thrilling piece of singing by Carl Tanner.

Andrés Salado dirige La traviata con buen equilibrio y riqueza orquestal, producción de la Fundació Òpera Catalunya en la que destacó Tina Gorina, por su naturalidad y dominio de la voz.

Laurent Pelly y Gustavo Gimeno dirigen una encantadora producción de La novia vendida en la que todos los intérpretes extrajeron la mejor esencia de la música de Smetana.