Opera & Ballet

Collected opera and ballet reviews

Valencia’s Carmen is musically rewarding but boringly staged

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SpainSpain Bizet, Carmen: Soloists, Escola Coral Veus Juntes (chorus mistresses – Marta Mármol, Roser Gabaldó), Escolania de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats (chorus master – Luis Garrido), Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana (chorus master – Jordi Blanch), Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana / Michele Spotti (conductor). Palau de Les Arts, Valencia, 7.10.2026. (JMI)

Charles Castronovo (Don José) and Vasilisa Berzhenskaya (Carmen) © M. Lorenzo y M. Ponce

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Fairground thrills and emotional truth in the Met’s Coney Island Così fan tutte

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United StatesUnited States The Met: Live in HD – Mozart, Così fan tutte: Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera / Nimrod David Pfeffer (conductor). Broadcast live (directed by Gary Halvorson) from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, 3.10.2026, and viewed at Everyman Winchester, 6.10.2026. (DH) ****

Federica Lombardi (Fiordiligi) and Samantha Hankey (Dorabella) © Marty Sohl/Met Opera

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Offenbach’s long lost, neglected opera Barkouf fully justifies its revival by Opera Rara

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom Offenbach, Barkouf (concert performance): Soloists, Chorus of English National Opera, RNCM Opera Chorus, The Hallé / Paul Daniel (conductor). Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 4.10.2026. (PH)

Opera Rara performance of Offenbach’s Barkouf at Bridgewater Hall © David Hughes

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(P)review of ENB’s The Sleeping Beauty film: ideal viewing for those new to ballet

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United KingdomUnited Kingdom English National Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty: Soloists, Dancers of English National Ballet, English National Ballet Philharmonic / Maria Seletskaja (conductor). Filmed (directed by Ross MacGibbon) at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 28 June 2025 and available in UK cinemas from 13.9.2026. (JPr) ***

Anna Nevzorova (Aurora) and Davi Ramos (Prince Désiré) © Annabel Moeller

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