Jean-Paul Fouchécourt

L'heure espagnole

Reiner Moritz

Sophie Koch, Yann Beuron

Carmen

Jonathan Haswell

Anna Caterina Antonacci, Jonas Kaufmann

Jonas Kaufmann and Anna Caterina Antonacci bring rare erotic intensity to the drama of Don José and Carmen in this darkly passionate reading of one of the most popular operas. Kaufmann uses his burnished tenor and smouldering good looks to portray the man undone by Carmen's love. As the object of his desire, Antonacci gives a physical and compelling performance.

L'Incoronazione di Poppea

Klaus-Michael Grüber, Vincent Bataillon

Marc Minkowski, Mireille Delunsch

Experience Claudio Monteverdi's three-act opera in the environment it was meant to be seen with this release of a filmed performance captured live during a 2000 production staged at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in France. Mireille Delunsch, Anne Sofie Von Otter, and Sylvie Brunet star, and conductor Marc Minkowski leads the Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble. Klaus Michael Grüber directs for stage.

La vie parisienne

François Roussillon, Laurent Pelly

Jean-Sébastien Bou, Marc Callahan

Live performance from Opéra National de Lyon.

Royal Opera House: Carmen

Barrie Kosky, Pati Marr

Anna Goryachova, Francesco Meli

This ever-popular opera is given a fresh point of view in Barrie Kosky’s highly physical production, originally created for Frankfurt Opera. The Australian director is one of the world’s most sought-after opera directors, whose Royal Opera debut with Shostakovich’s The Nose in 2016 was greeted with delight. For Carmen he has devised a far-from-traditional version, incorporating music written by Bizet for the score but not usually heard, and giving a new voice to the opera’s endlessly fascinating central character.

The Marriage of Figaro - ROH

David McVicar

Christian Gerhaher, Joélle Harvey

A count has designs on his personal valet's fiancée and is determined to stop their wedding taking place. Meanwhile, the countess tries to regain her husband's love by any means necessary. Mozart's great comic opera is a tale of intrigue, misunderstanding and forgiveness. Christian Gerhaher plays the clever Figaro and Simon Keenlyside his aristocratic master in this revival of David McVicar's much-loved production at the Royal Opera House.