Performer: Alfred Eschwé

When is The Nutcracker not The Nutcracker? When's it's mashed together with Tchaikovsky's Iolanta to represent the blind princess’ inner world in a dark interpretation. 

It took a whole act to warm up the audience, but at the end, San Carlo's production of Lehár’s frothy operetta proved convincing

Marco Arturo Marelli’s extravagant art deco production is one of the most successful productions available at the Volksoper. It's an appropriate and lighthearted choice to celebrate 25 years of Ildikó Raimondi.

A night in the cheerful undemanding: lovers of Strauss, Venice and period costumed slapstick will get their money’s worth. Oh how lovely to behold are not only the charming women in this operetta, but also Hinrich Horstkotte's costumes.

Under the headline “Why Lortzing?”, the evening’s programme lists 20 reasons by Lortzing biographer Jürgen Lodemann why this composer should not be forgotten, including the fact that Lortzing’s operas were the most-performed in Germany for about 150 years.

A ring of invisibility found in a giant fish. A voyeuristic king. A fisherman’s burning house and unfaithful wife. Alexander Zemlinsky’s Der König Kandaules is an exceptionally strange opera. Based on André Gide’s 1899 play of the same title, it is a heady mix of sex, violence, and remarkably beautiful music.