Performer: Julien Dran

Having all but faded from memory, the Swiss composer’s hybrid work takes the audience by surprise. Yet the musical direction and the cast do it justice – in stark contrast to the flat staging.

Krzysztof Warlikowski’s new Paris staging of Verdi's epic Don Carlos is cold and glassy, but the vocal performances at the Bastille more than compensate.

Despite its failings, La Monnaie turn Gaspare Spontini's 1805 La vestale into a fascinating evening's opera.

Les Chorégies d'Orange present a new production of Verdi's Il trovatore with mixed results.

From Otello's opening thunderstorm, Myung Whun Chung and the Orchestre Philharmonique de France leave us gasping, while Alagna turns in a magnetic performance in the title role.

Capitalising on their success with Verdi’s opera Rigoletto during the Aix-en-Provence Festival in the summer, the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Gianandrea Noseda chose to open the 2013/14 season last night with the same work.