Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | The Tsar's Bride

Cardiff Castle hosted an entertaining bout of medieval jousting yesterday afternoon, but in the evening all eyes and ears turned to the vocal jousting in St David’s Hall.

Rimsky-Korsakov's opera remain rarities outside Russia, but the Bolshoi Opera made The Tsar’s Bride the anchor of this year's Hong Kong Arts Festival programme. 

Hearing Russian opera performed by the forces of the Bolshoi makes for a special experience for New York audiences. 

The message in Paul Curran's new production of Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride is a simple one: violent and powerful men are the same in every era. And, of course, no good can result from the violence. If the opera's title made you expect a happy and light-hearted occasion, think again: it's definitely not that sort of Royal Wedding.

Warum Rimsky-Korsakows Oper nicht längst zum Kernrepertoire gehört, fragt man sich bei dieser glanzvolle Wiederaufnahme.