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Frederic Wake-Walker sticks to a vapid pop-parody that demeans the intellectual message of Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos.

Diego Fasolis leads a period performance of Mozart’s early masterpiece with a strong cast and a clever production.

Opera Atelier's return to the earliest part of the repertoire with Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria showcases their strengths in a relatively restrained production anchored by a strong ensemble cast.

The Temple of Opera has opened its doors to operetta. For the first time the Teatro alla Scala is staging Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus.

At La Scala, Milan a disappointing tribute to Giorgio Strehler's historic staging of The Marriage of Figaro by young English director Frederic Wake-Walker. 

Mehta's refusal to treat these as episodic statements gave the playing its polish. The music unravelled in a spun-out yarn.

Director Ole Anders Tandberg's production of Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse expertly balances the line between irreverent humour and human tragedy.

Les Arts Florissants' performance of Handel's oratorio Theodora presents true characters with an intense inner life.

Opera Atelier’s latest production mixes traditional-specific touches the company is known for, and more high-concept inclusions. The results are mixed — but the singing is spectacular.

New York is again lucky to host William Christie and Les Arts Florissants at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Their visits are always special, and it’s not just because the unique nature of their repertory – Baroque opera, usually French, which is neglected by most of New York’s major companies – nor the virtuosic ease with which they embody this otherwise-foreign idiom.

Opera Atelier has made its reputation as a producer of 17th- and 18th-century operas for more than a quarter of a century, based at the elegant Elgin Theatre in Toronto since 2000. This year it has made a leap into another era and another century with a gorgeous production of Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz.

One of the most sophisticated offerings in the 2012 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence is a new production of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s David et Jonathas.

Le metteur en scène polonais est à la tête d'une production de l'opéra de Strauss qui fera date, avec une distribution de rêve (dont Véronique Gens en Maréchale) et un orchestre au diapason.

La propuesta semiescenificada de Idomeneo, a cargo de René Jacobs y Benoît de Leersnyder, aún con elementos positivos, quedó en una lectura más elegante que dramática.

Una noche de música, risas, champán y, sobre todo, excelente interpretación a cargo de Marc Minkowski y Les Musciens du Louvre.

Le metteur en scène nippon situe l'opera seria de Mozart dans un Japon stéréotypé, entre ère d'Edo et Seconde Guerre mondiale. L'interprétation musicale est plus heureuse.

Robert Carsen und sein Team befreien Jules Massenets Werther von jedem Opernstaub und inszenieren konsequent modern. Das Balthasar-Neumann-Orchester unter der Leitung von Thomas Hengelbrock vereint intensive Klangrede mit romantischer Klangfülle.

Raphaël Pichon leitet eine musikalisch fantastische Aufführung. Leider schleicht sich aufgrund der Inszenierung jedoch die eine oder andere langweilige Minute ein.

À la Philharmonie, Julia Lezhneva triomphe dans ce bijou de la jeunesse de Haendel... jusqu'à faire de l'ombre à ses partenaires ?

Avant-dernière œuvre d’Haendel et seul de ses oratorios fondé sur un sujet chrétien, Theodora apparaît également comme le testament musical d’un musicien au crépuscule de sa vie. Cette nouvelle production retranscrit avec justesse son esprit tout en en modernisant la lettre.