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Also in London: English National Opera’s Jenůfa is played as a gripping modern drama at the Coliseum
It can be scary to move out of your cultural comfort zone
Also in London: the Royal Ballet showcases four new works on its main stage
Also reviewed: panache in the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s Bach ‘Christmas Oratorio’
Plus: Rambert’s ‘Death Trap’ at Sadler’s Wells is too heavy on the words
The piece is performed alongside ‘The Cellist’, portraying the life of Jacqueline du Pré
Also in London: cultured sound of the Bayerisches Staatsorchester at the Barbican
Director Barrie Kosky and conductor Antonio Pappano have produced a vivid, compelling show on the London stage
He is taking on the Everest of opera just as he leaves Covent Garden after 22 years
Two productions of Massenet’s opera showcase the flawed hero
Adele Thomas’s London production fills the stage with leaping creatures but makes way for the central characters
Christian Gerhaher is exceptional as the downtrodden title character in Deborah Warner’s new production in London
Plus — Abomination: A DUP Opera at the Queen Elizabeth Hall portrays hypocrisy and human complexity
‘Secret Things’ was an edgy world premiere set to an Anna Clyne string quartet
Her kaleidoscopic work has drawn on Emily Dickinson and London parks and has now inspired a new dance at the Royal Opera House
Plus: Tannhäuser at the Royal Opera House with a stand-in lead but no standout ideas
Brian Irvine and Netia Jones have created an intense piece but make some questionable choices
Lost Dog’s dance production at the Linbury Theatre is surprisingly funny and steamy
Plus: the London Philharmonic Orchestra plays up a whirlwind at the Royal Festival Hall
The soprano is outstanding in this new production of Handel’s opera
The choreographer has expanded ‘Flight Pattern’ into a whole-evening programme for the Royal Opera House
Plus, Britten Sinfonia showcases three new concertos at St Giles Cripplegate
Hypnotic account of the Nirvana singer’s death premieres at the Royal Opera House. Plus: English Touring Opera takes Handel on the road
‘Last Days’, the Royal Opera’s world premiere, draws on the life of the late Nirvana frontman
Orchestral playing of the highest quality distinguishes this new production of Verdi’s opera
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