If 'Rheingold' is a purely mythological spectacular, 'Walküre' marks the beginning of the cycle’s shift in the direction of human drama, and in place of continuous set changes, Mr Tcherniakov devoted his energies to extended scenes examining the passions and madnesses that drive the characters

Those unfamiliar with the Busoni’s Piano Concerto were probably converted, while those who worried that they might go their lives without ever hearing the concerto in a real concert hall must have been close to ecstatic: between Sir Antonio’s vivid conducting and Mr Levit’s herculean feats of pianistic brilliance it was the kind of once-in-a-lifetime performance

'Les Vêpres Siciliennes' allowed Mr Py to present a vast canvas of oppression and resistance.With the addition of several great vocal performances and the taut musical direction of Enrique Mazzola, the production turned Verdi’s most conspicuous attempt to adapt his style to Parisian tastes into an engaging spectacle

Mr Barenboim's reading, full of grand gestures and sudden intrusions, strove for the highest possible levels of drama and had little room for tidy formalities.The music that emerged was full of raw, rough edges, unsanded and unpolished, but burning with fresh heat from the cut.

Staatsoper’s new production of 'La Fanciulla del West' was an unexpected delight.Although it featured three strong principals and a reasonably focussed staging, its persuasive energy came primarily from the eruptions of orchestral emotion.

Deutsche Oper Berlin.Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims.Jan Bosse, director.Elena Tsallagova (Corinna), Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Marchesa Melibea), Siobhan Stagg (Contessa di Folleville), Hulkar Sabirova (Madama Cortese), Gideon Poppe (Cavaliere Belfiore), David Portillo (Il Conte di Libenskof), Mikheil Kiria (Lord Sidney), Davide Luciano (Don Profondo), Philipp Jekal (Barone di Trombonok), Dong-Hwan Lee (Don Alvaro), Sam Roberts-Smith (Don Prudenzio), Juan de Dios Mateos (Zefirino), Alexandra Ionis (Maddalena), Meechot Marrero (Modestina), Davia Bouley (Delia) and Byung Gil Kim (Antonio).

Philharmonie.Georg Friedrich Haas: ein kleines symphonisches Gedicht.Joseph Haydn: Die Schöpfung.Elsa Dreisig, soprano.Mark Padmore, tenor.Florian Boesch, baritone.Rundfunkchor Berlin.Berlin Philharmonic.

Les pêcheurs de perles was the first of Bizet’s operas to be performed and it has come to be regarded as a work of great promise, if not quite a great work.

Catedral de Saint-Etienne.Jean Gilles, Requiem.Antoine Blanchard, Magnificat e Motete 'In Exitu Israel'.Solistas: Anne Magouët, soprano;François-Nicolas Geslot, contratenor;Bruno Boterf, tenor;y Alain Buet, bajo.