guests walk at the terrace of new Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. ©AP Harry Eyres May 17, 2013

Harry Eyres: The essence of artistry

The communication of the deepest and strongest emotions requires both technique and ‘duende’

Costume for a Fury in 'Hippolyte et Aricie' engraved by René Gaillard (c1710-90) ©Bridgeman Art Library From THEATRE & DANCE May 17, 2013

French baroque, back on a roll

Why 18th-century composer Jean-Philippe Rameau is making a belated debut at Glyndebourne this summer

Steven Page as The Pirate King (centre) in 'The Pirates of Penzance' May 17, 2013

The Pirates of Penzance, Theatre Royal, Glasgow

A show designed to appeal to the widest possible constituency

Singers with the Macau Chinese Orchestra at the Macau Arts Festival May 16, 2013

Macau Chinese Orchestra, Macau

An eclectic programme reflected the territory’s many influences

May 16, 2013

Albert Herring, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds

Opera North’s production captures the nuances of Britten’s opera

From left, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding perform at Hagia Eirene, Istanbul ©Getty May 15, 2013

International Jazz Day, Istanbul

Herbie Hancock was one of 40 stars at this Unesco event

May 15, 2013

Woodkid, Roundhouse, London

The French-born singer demonstrated his penchant for melodrama

May 15, 2013

Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music, St John’s Smith Square, London

This event highlighted 17th-century English music’s sophistication

From left, Ross Ramgobin, Lisandro Abadie, Yosemeh Adjei and Bettina Fritsche ©Alciro Theodoro da Silva May 14, 2013

Siroe, Deutsches Theater, Göttingen, Germany

Handel’s 1728 opera gets a superlative Regietheater updating

From WORLD May 13, 2013

France takes to cultural barricades

Hollande moves to protect art, films and music industries

May 13, 2013

Joshua Redman & Christian McBride, Wigmore Hall, London

The saxophonist and bassist duetted with clarity, control and fine detail

May 13, 2013

A Civil War Symphony, Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, New York

Fusing poignant music with potent images, this event was a revelation

May 13, 2013

Wozzeck, Coliseum, London

Although the staging is poorly focused, this is a production of outstanding musical quality

May 13, 2013

A Scream and an Outrage, Barbican, London

Nico Muhly’s festival of new music began with three premieres

May 13, 2013

Sympho/Ascending Darkness, Church of the Ascension, New York – review

This unusual event was predicted to ‘transport the audience into an altered state of awareness’ – with mixed results

May 12, 2013

Britten: The Canticles, Theatre Royal, Brighton

Though musically excellent, these staged performances of Britten’s Canticles detracted from the imaginative thrust of the poetry

May 10, 2013

The Knife, Roundhouse, London

The Swedish electronic duo’s rollercoaster show ended on a high, with silhouetted figures dancing to pulsing electropop

May 8, 2013

Angel Haze, Scala, London

The rapper impressed with her powerful and authentic expressions of rage

May 8, 2013

La Gioconda, Paris Opera (Bastille)

Ponchielli’s opera requires six excellent singers – a tough task – but this production almost carried it off

May 8, 2013

Angela Hewitt, Royal Festival Hall, London

The pianist’s eloquent exposition of The Art of Fugue, the result of a lifetime’s immersion in Bach’s music, could hardly be bettered