Performer: Andrea Battistoni

Dutch National Opera’s powerhouse cast and incandescent chorus deliver a musical triumph in Robert Carsen’s Cav/Pag revival, even as its voyeuristic staging leaves bitter ethical questions around gendered violence unresolved.

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.

Splendid performances by Yonghoon Lee and Karah Son breathe life into Harry Kupfer’s 20-year-old production.

John Bell's reworking brings Tosca to 1943 Nazi-ruled Rome, featuring gorgeous sets and Carmen Giannatassio's striking Opera Australia debut in the title role.

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.