Elektra, Avery Fisher Hall, New York

Elektra begins with an explosion and remains, with a few lyric interludes, on that extreme pitch throughout its two hours.

Glyndebourne on Tour — Theatre Royal, Plymouth

Glyndebourne Touring Opera has long been bringing its wares to the further reaches of the southern United Kingdom and its current package of Hansel und Gretel, Carmen and The Magic Flute has been drawing good crowds from Norwich in the east to Plymouth in the south-west.

Tristan und Isolde at the MET

The bad luck of last season’s Tristans seems to be edging into the present one — but the curse now finds the house better prepared for trouble.

Barcelona: Figaro la, Figaro qua

Like Seville’s peripatetic barber, Gran Teatro del Liceu’s new Marriage of Figaro is rather all over the place.

Porgy through a glass lightly

It was, of course, coincidence. When the Chicago Lyric Opera scheduled George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess for the current season, not even the preludes to the 2008 presidential election had begun.

Munich’s Christmas Treasures: Massenet and Handel

Not all of Munich’s holiday delights are to be found at the just-opened annual Christmas Market filling the Marienplatz and environs.

Carmen at the Washington National Opera

From the director’s point of view, there are two ways to approach staging an opera.

The Tales of Hoffmann at Covent Garden

The opening performance of the ROH’s seventh revival of John Schlesinger’s 1980 production of The Tales of Hoffmann was
dedicated to the memory of Richard Hickox.

Debussy’s PellÈas – a fine swansong for Independent Opera in London

PellÈas et MÈlisande in a 200 seat theatre, with just 35 musicians and no pit?

Boris Godunov at ENO

There are two things which, in recent history, English National Opera has consistently done extremely well.