Performer: Angela Gheorghiu

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

Lavish sets and costumes, plus high musical quality, make Tosca at the Vienna State Opera a fine example of grand opera. 

It’s more than a little surprising that Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur is first gracing the stage of the Staatsoper in 2014, 112 years after its première.It is, therefore, disappointing that this co-production with Covent Garden is not more successful, despite its many excellent qualities.

The Bulgarian capital is truly at the meeting point of world cultures, and the Sofia Philharmonic offers a heady mix of the world’s best classical soloists, as well as homegrown talent.