Performer: Brandon Jovanovich

La Scala presents a new production of Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece, with an excellent cast led by tenor Brandon Jovanovich.

Making her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, the wife of Met GM Peter Gelb crushes any talk of nepotism at the downbeat. 

A strong cast and a masterclass in Wagnerian conducting from Jakub Hrůša complement David Alden’s disturbing staging.

The Norwegian soprano is acclaimed at the Met in Richard Strauss' mash-up of commedia dell'arte and tragic opera. 

Daniel Barenboim conducts an underwhelming cast in the Staatsoper's new Samson et Dalila, and Argentinian director Damián Szifron's operatic debut is stale and cliché-ridden. 

Exceptional singing, an auspicious conducting debut and a staging that is both sophisticated and emotionally involving make this production an unequivocal winner.