Glyndebourne hits 90 with Bizet’s sultry crowd-pleaser. Elsewhere, a starry farewell to a much loved maestro, and the fight to save Welsh National Opera

Singers including Jonas Kaufmann joined newer vocal stars such as Aigul Akhmetshina to honour the much loved music director on an evening that ended with the royal seal of approval

In the hands of two great conductors, high drama and outstanding playing converge in Strauss’s unyielding tragedy and Janáček’s dark masterpiece

Antonio Pappano brings out every detail of Strauss’s technicolour score but Christof Loy’s static production, boasting star leads, offers few insights

Fazil Say’s theatrical ‘1001 Nights in the Harem’ was terrific fun, played with exhilarating precision by the LSO and soloist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Rachmaninov of drama and power ended a concert full of colour

Wheezing harmonicas and tinkling music boxes enliven Hannah Kendall’s elemental new work, while Alice Sara Ott gave a barnstorming account of Liszt’s Totentanz in a programme masterfully led by the London Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor designate

With the figure of earth goddess Erda present throughout, the message – of the despoliation of the natural world – is clear. There’s no weak link in a uniformly strong cast, and in the pit Pappano has the measure of Wagner’s grandeur and intimacy

Gods! Dragons! Horned helmets! Swords! Valkyries! The 15-hour apocalyptic epic is about to explode onto the Royal Opera stage. But what’s the best way to tackle ‘the ultimate opera’?