Performer: Daniele Callegari

The New National Theatre in Tokyo revives its traditionalist Rigoletto, featuring Vladimir Stoyanov as the cursed court jester, Eri Nakamura as Gilda and Lawrence Brownlee debuting as the Duke of Mantua.

Four superstars deliver dramatic moments in this revival of Sir David McVicar’s Goya-inspired staging of Verdi’s melodrama. 

Nadine Sierra's thrilling Violetta deserves better than Michael Mayer's superficial production revived at the Metropolitan Opera.

The combination of a strong, spirited cast and a first-rate orchestral performance led by Daniele Callegari rendered the opera a moving experience in spite of drab staging and latent, unexplored tensions.

While Bellini’s two-act opera Norma underscores the religious wars between the ancient Druids and Romans, it also highlights an emotive personal conflict that is veiled in deceit and cultural discrepancy.