Watching a “top-notch” opera is a “unique thrill”, said Nicholas Kenyon in The Telegraph. The “unforgettable mix of words, music, action and spectacle” can be spellbinding. And, despite intense funding pressures, it’s still possible to get tickets for world-renowned shows around the UK at “affordable prices”. Here are the best operas to look out for in 2025.
Peter Grimes
Benjamin Britten’s iconic opera follows a tormented fisherman, Peter Grimes, who finds himself ostracised by his community following the mysterious disappearance of his apprentice. British tenors hoping to bag the title role in the “ferocious drama” must “form an orderly queue”, said Neil Fisher in The Times. Next to take a “stab” at the part is “charismatic” Nicky Spence, who stars in Melly Still’s Welsh National Opera production, alongside a “high-calibre cast” including Sarah Connolly and Sally Matthews.
5 –11 April, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, then touring until 7 June; wno.org.uk
The Merry Widow
Franz Lehár’s “melody-rich, fun-filled operetta” about a wealthy young widow on her quest for love is a “classic of its Viennese genre”, said Kenyon in The Telegraph. This new co-production from Scottish Opera and Opera Holland Park transports the drama to “glitzy 1950s Manhattan” and stars Paula Sides as “merry widow” Hanna and Alex Otterburn as “eligible bachelor” Danilo. Directed by “operetta specialist” John Savournin, it’s set to be a real treat.
30 April – 4 May, Theatre Royal Glasgow, then touring until 28 June, scottishopera.org.uk
Carmen
Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera scandalised its first audiences in Paris but nowadays “Carmen” is “ever popular”, said Laura Wybrow in Radio Times. Set in a remote Spanish town, the tale follows Don José, a naïve police officer who is seduced by the fiery and “free-spirited” Carmen and soon abandons his stable career for a life of danger. Featuring some of the “most recognisable melodies in all of classical music”, Damiano Michieletto’s staging at the Royal Opera House is not to be missed.
9 April – 3 July, Royal Opera House, London, rbo.org.uk
Wahnfried
Israeli composer Avner Dorman’s opera about Richard Wagner’s “toxic family” is coming to Gloucestershire this summer, said Fisher in The Times. Starting with the death of the German composer and spanning 40 years of history, the “much praised” production explores how Wagner’s music became associated with Nazism and the fascinating question of who controls the narrative of an artist’s work after they’re gone.
27 May – 14 June, Longborough Festival, Gloucestershire, lfo.org.uk
The Mikado
Opera della Luna is returning to The Lowry with its “most vibrant, zany and popular production ever”, said Wolf McFarlane in Manchester Wire. The British touring theatre troupe has taken Gilbert and Sullivan’s celebrated operetta and transported the action to the “sequin-studded world of modern high-fashion houses”. Expect “soaring vocals”, madcap humour, and glamorous costumes inspired by Versace and Jean-Paul Gaultier.
8 –10 May, The Lowry, Manchester, thelowry.com
Owen Wingrave
Britten’s “timelessly prescient” opera “brings new dimensions” to Henry James’ “captivating” short story, said McFarlane in Manchester Wire. A powerful tale of “courage, family, self-determination and the inescapable cycle of history”, the action follows a young man who defies his family’s rigid military traditions and embraces pacifism. This new staging, directed by Orpha Phelan, rounds off a “stunning spring season” for the Royal Northern College of Music.
30 March – 5 April, Royal Northern College of Music Theatre, Manchester, rncm.ac.uk