Performer: Andrea Battistoni

Tosca is back for another run, more dimly lit than ever, but illuminated by French baritone Ludovic Tézier as a Scarpia oozing with sinister charm and ironic humour. 

Adela Zaharia is cast as a Violetta for whom the party never stops in this revival of Tatjana Gürbaca's busy staging at Dutch National Opera. 

Andrea Battistoni conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic in Tchaikovsky's three Shakespeare-inspired works in a single programme. In between, cellist Haruma Sato excels in the original version of the Rococo Variations.

With concerts featuring Myung-whun Chung at the piano, Pinchas Zukerman leading from the podium, and inventive programming from Chief Conductor Andrea Battistoni, the Tokyo Philharmonic’s 2025 season straddles many divides.

In Tokyo, a fleet of youthful soloists complement a range of big repertoire works – Rite of Spring, Turangalîla-Symphonie, Macbeth, Boléro – full of sex and violence and all things sensual.