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Opera North's Aida, directed by Annabel Arden and conducted by Sir Richard Armstrong in Leeds Town Hall, is a welcome radical interpretation in the spirit of the times. 

Foroni's forgotten gem, Margherita makes a welcome return at Wexford Festival Opera. A superlative cast, a charming production and glorious music make this a must-see event in this year's festival.

The revival of Calixto Bieito's Carmen in Oslo proves a bumpy ride, with uneven singing and orchestral playing, saved by Katarina Bradić's captivating portrayal of the title heroine.

The Welsh National Opera took to the Hippodrome stage for the Bristol leg of their UK tour ofCarmen. This was a revival of Welsh National Opera’s production in the late 1990s, co-produced with Scottish Opera.

Otello is usually considered to be Verdi’s most mature opera. It was one of the last ones he wrote, the result of a plot by his publisher Riccordi and the conductor Franco Faccio to draw him out of early retirement. The result is a work which combines all the aspects of Verdi’s earlier operatic style with Wagner’s concept of Gesamtkunstwerk.

In der italienischen vieraktigen Version erklingt Giuseppe Verdis Oper vielversprechend zur Saisoneröffnung.