Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

A random assortment of disassociated ballets performed with variable success - from the sublime to the nondescript. 

The Royal Opera Orchestra produce a revelatory reading of Shostakovich’s eclectic score; a fine performance from Eva-Maria Westbroek and excellent acting from the whole cast light up the drama and farce.

Yet another revival of MacMillan's signature ballet.  Enlivened by tremendous performances, not least in the title role, and still a classic. But, how long will that pertain?   

The Royal Opera's revival of Phyllida Lloyd's production is marked by two outstanding Verdian singers and a superb rendering of the score from Pappano and the ROH Orchestra.

Two outstanding world premières honour the centenary of a great composer 

Johan Reuter is gripping in Krzysztof Warlikowski's powerful vision of the universal, timeless horrors of prison, but visual clutter distracts from Janáček’s music.

Interesting ideas and a brilliant orchestral performance aren't enough to overcome a visually dull staging, predictable choreography and a lack of chemistry between the protagonists.

A strongly cast revival of The Winter's Tale by The Royal Ballet confirms one of Shakespeare's "problem plays" as perhaps being best suited to dance. 

Peter Wright's evergreen production continues to delight led by a defining performance by Marianela Nuñez in the title role .

The ninth revival of Jonathan Kent’s production features a great Act 1 and enjoyable Covent Garden role debuts for the three top singers, but misses the mark on the set pieces.

Henrik Nánási balances the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House to perfection, setting the stage for a memorable title role performance from Byström and a powerful Jochanaan from Michael Volle.

After its Christmas break, Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci return to the Royal Opera in Daminano Michieletto's arresting production. 

The father-daughter exchanges between Dmitri Platanias's jester and Sofia Fomina's Gilda prove the highlights of an evening which doesn't always catch fire.

Sir Peter Wright's enchanting vision of The Nutcracker continues to delight 

Even stronger than first time round, Michieletto's impressive staging is complemented by an outstanding double role debut from Hymel and a heartbreaking Santuzza from Elīna Garanča.

Marianela Núñez was in her element as the huntress in Ashton's charming ballet. 

Lengthy but full of melodic invention, Semiramide finally made her triumphant return to the Royal Opera in David Alden's fine new production.

Issues that cropped up in the first run of Mitchell's production have been ironed out. In the hands of a strong cast, a chilling interpretation of Donizetti's masterpiece.

A pleasing finale to a remarkable nationwide celebration of a great British choreographer.  

Two complex works of genius, showing different aspects of the suffering of women, bring together The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet to honour Sir Kenneth MacMIllan 

A fine start to this unique collaboration between the five major ballet companies in the UK to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the passing of one of Britain's greatest choreographers 

A mural depicting Etna erupting is the only hint of Sicily in Stefan Herheim’s opulent staging, returning to Covent Garden for the first time since the Royal Opera’s Verdi bicentenary celebrations in 2013. 

As with Carroll’s original fantasy novel, Wheeldon’s wonderful ballet matures and pleases, yet more, at each revisit.   

In Thomas Guthrie’s revival of Sir David McVicar’s sober 2003 production of Mozart’s Singspiel, it was the pantomime elements of the show which registered strongly.

After his affectionate treatment of La fanciulla del West for ENO and his devastating Suor Angelica for the Royal Opera, Richard Jones’ new La bohème is disappointingly bland.

An icy female ruler, three chaotic cabinet ministers, questionable hand-holding - it could only be Puccini's last opera in a revivial of Serban's gorgeous 1984 production.

A strange evening: superb Mozart playing from Rousset, plenty of fine singing, staging and costumes that one certainly isn’t going to forget. But what’s the point of it all?

After all the speculation, Jonas Kaufmann made his role debut as Otello at The Royal Opera – an impressive, if not unqualified, success. 

Two years ago, Russian soprano Ekaterina Bakanova was thrust into her Royal Opera debut, stepping in at short notice as Violetta. Her triumph was enough for the powers that be to offer her a run of five performances this month.

This Ashton programme at the Royal Ballet displays all the hallmarks of the Ashton style; lightness, musicality and a beautiful quality of stillness.

This was meant to be Pretty Yende's night, but it was Armenian tenor Liparit Avetisyan who stole hearts as country bumpkin Nemorino. 

Virtuosity commanded the stage in the first half, drama and mood in the second, with Liam Scarlett’s new ballet a fitting tribute to the retiring Zenaida Yanowsky

Has Health and Safety finally caught up with the Spanish Inquisition? A flameless auto-da-fé and some low-key individual performances meant this revival took time to hit its stride. 

A career defining performance by Edward Watson, well supported by a memorable cast

Luis Buñuel's derision at the sense of entitlement of over-privileged, self-righteous prigs shines through a high quality operatic adaptation.

The Royal Ballet’s 50th anniversary revival of Balanchine’s abstract ballet Jewels is a showpiece displaying a company of dancers in celebratory form. 

Ermonela Jaho sure likes to put herself (and us) through the emotional wringer on Covent Garden's stage. This time, London finally got to see her as another tragic Puccini heroine: Madama Butterfly.

A world premiere that gives yet more credence to the burgeoning reputation of Crystal Pite for creating absorbing mass movement of considerable beauty 

Holten's masonic lodge setting of Meistersinger gets a lot right but is occasionally uneven; Terfel and Hughes Jones are constantly good to listen to.

Gerald Finley's velvet baritone lights up this revival of David McVicar's production of Cilea's murder story

An outstanding Azucena and solid vocal and orchestral performances more than make up for David Bösch's unappealing staging.

Richard Eyre's uncomplicated production remains as watchable as ever; Joyce El-Khoury makes a promising Covent Garden debut.

The Royal Opera's first revival of George Benjamin's medieval shocker is characterised by stellar singing performances, notably from Barbara Hannigan and Iestyn Davies.

A return of the company's signature work found The Royal Ballet fielding an excellent cast led by Sarah Lamb and Vadim Muntagirov. 

Renée Fleming has decided the time is right to bow out gracefully from the operatic stage, choosing her signature role to bid the fondest of farewells to London.

The Marx Brothers famously sent up Verdi's middle period masterpiece in A Night at the Opera and if Bösch doesn't exactly send up Trovatore's corrosive cocktail of infanticide, jealousy and vengeance, he undermines it with his staging.

If there is only one Nutcracker with which to herald the Christmas season, let it always be this one.    

Kent's staging brings out the sleaze in Puccini's first big hit; Sondra Radvanovsky thrills in the title role; the musical performance improves through the evening.

When an enormous black gondola creaks and shudders its way across the stage in the “Giulietta' act of the Royal Opera's Tales of Hoffmann, it acts as a metaphor for John Schlesinger's venerable production.

I arrived at the Royal Opera House in the usual way, settled into my seat, and – could you believe it – the opera was gone!