Performer: Stuart Haycock

Three outstanding debuts and a warm and funny ensemble shine in David McVicar's naturalistic Marriage of Figaro. 

ETO's production of Mozart's nuptial comedy, being performed in towns across the country, lacks depth but has some terrific singing with a particularly fine Susanna from Rachel Redmond.

Verdi's most political opera feels particularly relevant in 2016, and the Opera Australia production convinces, thanks to the outstanding George Petean in the title role and an excellent supporting cast.

It has been Salieri’s tragedy to have largely been overlooked by history, but The Chimney Sweep shows his mastery of musical stagecraft. It was given a spirited and musically satisfying performance by Pinchgut Opera.

English Touring Opera's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute launches in Hackney, balanced more towards fun than profundity, with some stunning coups de théâtre.

When the Baroque movement in art ended, the backlash was severe. The very adjective became an insult: the cold, clear, rarefied eye of 18th-century Neoclassicism found its opulence stifling, its luxury oppressive, and its profusion of ornament, ugly.