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Garsington Opera's new production of Rossini's comic masterpiece is a bawdy hoot, but humour aside it features an ensemble who provide first-class bel canto singing.

Bieito’s Carmen is now a mainstay of ENO's repertoire, but with an excellent central cast led by Sean Panikkar and Justina Gringytė, the production feels entirely fresh. 

Director Purni Morell sandpapers every trace of spikiness from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, leaving the production a victim of its own good intentions.