Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Nancy Fabiola Herrera

In the climax of the season at Bridgewater Hall, the BBC Philharmonic bid a fond farewell to Juanjo Mena in an evening that blew off your sombrero. 

It's a rare treat to hear Spanish opera in London; Josep Pons and the BBC SO made a worthy case for hearing Falla’s El amor brujo and Granados’ Goyescas more often.

Monstyrska dominates as Abigaille, Domingo brings his unique baritenor style to the title role, Thaddeus Strassberger creates a riot of colour and antiquarian style.

The gambling tables and neon lights of Las Vegas might not be the images which immediately enter your head when you think of Verdi’s Rigoletto, but bold art is often created and progressed by the pushing of boundaries and by challenging audiences to reimagine the familiar.

Elijah Moshinsky’s 15-year old production of Verdi’s Nabucco has returned to the Met, ostensibly as a vehicle for Placido Domingo.

The Met revived Jurgen Flimm's modern production of Salome, with Patricia Racette making a successfu last minute role debut in the title role.

Dmytro Popov and Nancy Fabiola Herrera star in a traditional production of Carmen at the Sydney Opera House.

Verdi’s Rigoletto is possessed of a truly tragic plot. A physically disabled jester keeps his innocent daughter locked up except for weekly church visits, a situation which she only lightly resists. Rigoletto believes a curse is to blame for his daughter being killed, although she only dies as a substitute for the man Rigoletto himself has arranged to be assassinated.

A mid-19th-century Italian opera with the sound of the human voice front-and-center, and seemingly dependent on the trappings of the theater.

La sorprendente nueva versión de La Tempranica del Teatro de la Zarzuela peca de pretenciosa en un estreno desdibujado por la obligación de dividir el programa que también incluía La Vida Breve de Falla.

El compositor Miquel Ortega sale victorioso de esta adaptación, sometiéndose al teatro y a la genialidad de Lorca.

El director musical de La Zarzuela, Óliver Díaz, destaca con su excelente trabajo en una producción de la obra de Usandizaga oscura pero sin magia.  

Espectáculo honesto y coherente que supo superar las dificultades intrínsecas del Don Carlo, con bastantes luces y algunas pocas sombras pero defendiendo un modelo de representación distinto al de los grandes teatros de ópera