For over a century, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci have been performed together, because they are a perfect fit. In fact, they go together so well that the prologue of Pagliacci is often performed before the first scene of Cavalleria Rusticana, to introduce both operas, as is the case here. Both are known for some short arias which are often selected for recitals. And both use traditional operatic techniques, with a defined interchange of expressive melodies and narrative passages. But it is the terse, flowing way used by Mascagni and Leoncavallo  to establish the scene, and the manner in which  both composers clearly define the importance of the dramatic events in what appears to be real time,  that are  the crucial distinguishing features in the composition of these first, iconic examples of verismo.

Samson et Dalila is a representative example of that exoticism which in the 19th century acted as one of the main movements of the French imagination. The only one of his thirteen operas that has remained in the repertoire, Saint-Saëns adheres to an authentic stage tradition that includes titles such as Meyerbeer's L'Africaine, Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles, or Delibes' Lakmé. The well-known biblical plot is used to create a work that is somewhere between an oratorio and a grand-opera. From the former, the structural sense, the importance of the chorus and a certain staticism, evident in Act I. From the latter, the almost grandiloquent tone, the spectacular staging and the importance of the ballet, as well as an enveloping voluptuousness.

Along with the frequent choral interventions, the numbers of Samson, a tenor with heroic tonalities, and especially those of Delilah, one of the most important roles assigned to the mezzo-soprano voice in the history of the genre, such as the beautiful "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix", from Act II, are worth mentioning. In the orientalism that dominates the brilliant setting, Saint-Saëns uses procedures derived from Arab music, often from North Africa, and which are also reflected in the last of his piano concertos, subtitled "Egyptian" in the Suite Algérienne or in Africa, for piano and orchestra.

The starting point for La bohème and its entire creative process up until  the first performance of the opera in Turin’s Teatro Regio on 1 February 1896 is documented in minute detail in the abundant correspondence between Giacomo Puccini, his publisher and mentor Giulio Ricordi, and the librettists Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. The latter began their stormy, yet fruitful, collaboration with this opera and went on to write the librettos for Tosca and Madama Butterfly.

Starting with the book Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger (1882-1861), originally a series of autobiographical stories published in a magazine, the two librettists, closely supervised by Puccini, built an ensemble plot in which four young bohemian artists confront financial difficulties and bad weather with humour and good cheer, finding their way in an effervescent, bustling, wintry Paris.

A love affair between one of them, aspiring poet Rodolfo, and the seamstress Mimi is cut short by her death. We watch the story move from the pleasures and dreams of youth to the solidity of real life, with all its problems.

With his sublime orchestral palette, his mastery of poetic rhythm and his enormous talent for drama, Puccini builds the personalities of the young people with his usual skill, contrasting sparkling anecdotes and fun with deep and heartfelt passions. Their short, conversational phrases are interlaced with others of much greater melodic and dramatic power. The orchestration is expressive and effective, suggesting tiny details such as flickering flames or jingling coins, while setting scenes in an almost cinematic fashion, from the chilly garret to the busy streets of Paris at Christmas time, or the loneliness and deprivation of poverty.

Past moments are evoked like flashes of memory by a masterly use of musical motifs associated with emotions or even objects to which Puccini gives great symbolic significance: Mimi’s candle, the pink bonnet Rodolfo buys for her, Colline’s overcoat, or the muff which warms the heroine’s hands on her deathbed…These moments which come and go in our memory, concealed and then revealed in the everyday affairs which make up our lives, are the narrative thread running through this new production of La bohème, which was broadcast live.

The prestigious British stage director Richard Jones and the set and costume designer Stewart Laing present the opera as a series of scenes from bohemian life, without hiding the backstage work that usually goes on behind the scenes. The audience can see how the sets are changed, how different devices are used to create theatrical effects, and how props are piled up in the wings, like scraps of life crammed into our memory.

From their vantage point, the audience watches the past and present of the characters at the same time, unable to immerse themselves in the cold, bright Paris of the young bohemians because they will always see it depicted on stage. But this ‘play within a play’ device, which blurs real time and theatre time, the auditorium and the stage, drama and metaphor, will bring the audience to a richer interpretation of Puccini’s work, enhanced by viewing it from different angles, with all its images.

The iconic ballet, reimagined. Following its sensational 2016 world premiere and UK tour, Akram Khan’s Giselle returns to London by popular demand, and is performed in Liverpool and Dublin for the first time. One of the greatest romantic ballets of all time, Giselle is the first full length ballet choreographed by Akram Khan.

The classic story of love, betrayal and redemption has been reimagined in this stunning new version, with sets and costumes by Academy-Award winning designer Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), an ‘ominous, gothic’ (The Observer) adaptation of Adolphe Adam’s original score by composer Vincenzo Lamagna and performed by English National Ballet Philharmonic, dramaturgy from Ruth Little and lighting design from Tony Award-winner Mark Henderson.

Fuenteovejuna, Antonio Gades’ greatest creation, is above all extremely beautiful, the final work of his personal and artistic maturity. Its subtle emotional quality does not come from its refined aesthetic or its showmanship, but rather from its great simplicity, as it expresses the essence of the stories it wants to tell. An essence that only a select few, such as Gades in  the world of dance or Peter Brook in that of theatre, have been able to capture and communicate, almost always after a long process accompanied by considerable sacrifice. This piece is based on the comedy of the same name by Lope de Vega, it is very different to the source material that usually inspires Spanish dance and flamenco, including works by this choreographer.

The play was written in 1612 - 1614 based on a historic event previously published in the Crónica de las tres Órdenes Militares by Rades y Andrada. It tells how an entire village in the Alta Andalucía area, Fuenteovejuna, rebelled against the abuses of an aristocrat, the Commander of the Order of Calatrava, Fernán Gómez de Guzmán,  who was eventually executed. When the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand send a magistrate to investigate, not even the worst of tortures force the villagers to point to a ringleader. As one voice, they all declare the whole village to be responsible for killing the ignoble noble and accept their fate as the consequence. This sense of solidarity had an obvious appeal to the political ideas and social aspirations of Antonio Gades, who listened to the suggestion of the writer and flamenco scholar, José Manuel Caballero Bonald, and decided to take the project on. Gades was able to make every voice and every body - the choruses of men and women often act as a single voice and a single body in this work- express their own unique language, just as the characters in the Lope play use the words and verses they are most in tune with. Fuenteovejuna is undoubtedly one of the great ballets of the 20th century.

In recognition of the career of Teresa Berganza, one of the most important voices in the history of opera, last year the Teatro Real hosted a special gala to celebrate her 80th birthday. The evening included works by Mozart and Rossini, featuring iconic performances by the Spanish mezzosoprano, but there was also a place for the traditional Spanish music she loves.

Conductors Sylvain Cambreling and Alejo Pérez led the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Real, they were joined by well-known Spanish singers such as Carlos Álvarez, María Bayo, Annick Massis and José Van Dam, as well as other international prestigious figures including José Bros, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Helene Schneiderman and Sofia Soloviy. All the singers are colleagues and friends of Teresa Berganza, who came to share this very special day with her.

For 20 years the Berliner Philharmoniker have marked their founding in 1882 with a concert – every year at a venue of cultural importance in a different European city. 2011's Europa Konzert takes place at the beautiful Teatro Real of Madrid in Spain. The Berliner Philharmoniker and their musical director Sir Simon Rattle welcome famous flamenco guitarist Cañizares. His virtuosity, his technique, harmony, strength and sensitivity have distinguished Cañizares as a unique artist, considered as one of the great flamenco musicians of the turn of the century.