The Ginastera's Violin Concerto, which enjoyed a high-profile première under Leonard Bernstein in 1963, Roman Simovic and the committed support of the orchestra suggested a work that is ready for wider rediscovery

Whatever you were expecting, this probably wasn’t it.Dmitri Tcherniakov’s productions for the Staatsoper Berlin over the past decade have made a point of pushing operatic texts outside their comfort zones in ways that open up new avenues of meaning while retaining the emotional essence of the original

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.

The memorable second night of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s three-day residency at the Barbican did not just surpass any putative expectations, it transcended them.Coinciding with its 'Borders and Boundaries' season, the Barbican’s celebration of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this was fittingly a concert without limits: an unconventional and exciting pairing of this sublime orchestra, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, with jazz legend Herbie Hancock and his quartet

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).

Staatsoper Unter den Linden.Verdi: Falstaff.Mario Martone, director.Michael Volle (Sir John Falstaff), Alfredo Daza (Ford), Francesco Demuro (Fenton), Jürgen Sacher (Dr Caius), Stephan Rügamer (Bardolfo), Jan Martiník (Pistola), Barbara Frittoli (Alice Ford), Nadine Sierra (Nannetta), Daniela Barcellona (Quickly), Katharina Kammerloher (Meg Page).