Performer: Dinah Ehm

Adam Benzwi conducts a punchy band and a strong theatre cast in the Berliner Ensemble's bold fresh, enjoyable version of Weill and Brecht's classic. 

There’s no doubt that Mélisande endeavours to escape past troubles when she first appears in Barrie Kosky’s production of Debussy’s opera, yet Nadja Mchantaf is no reticent, wispy maiden. Every vocal and physical gesture – always precise and penetrating – displays an atypically forthright quest for vitality, something that Arkel’s chauvinistic world does not readily offer.

Introspected and atmospheric, this late romantic opera appeals to the psychotherapists within us.