Performer: Doris Soffel

The Baden-Baden Easter Festival offers a memorable production of Pique Dame with excellent musical performances convincing in Leiser and Caurier's updating of the plot.

Based on Theodor Fontane's novel Oceane von Parceval, Detlev Glanert's eleventh opera is given its world premiere at Deutsche Oper.

With so little of worth happening onstage, this performance requires a unanimously strong set of performances from the main cast.

With superb singing from Harteros, Salsi and Kaufmann, this production makes a strong case for Andrea Chénier’s continued presence in the repertoire.

In an elegant new production by Ivo van Hove, Malin Byström portrays a graceful, erotic Salome and the RCO play with sensuous lyricism under Daniele Gatti.

Anja Harteros shines in Umberto Giordano’s verismo opera, with a top class sound that trumps even Jonas Kaufmann’s comeback.