Performer: Prague National Theatre Orchestra

Alice Nellis' staging of Purcell's masterpiece is both historically faithful and innovatively modern. With Collegium 1704 providing the early music chops, it's a rare treat.

An ambitious effort to honor hometown hero Otakar Ostrčil sags under its own weight at the Prague National Theatre. 

Aribert Reimann's Lear takes no prisoners in a disturbing portrayal of a world gone awry, but Barbora Horáková's scattergun direction adds to the confusion.