1 Der Rosenkavalier
Rebecca Evans sings the role of the Marschallin for the first time in Welsh National Opera’s new production of Richard Strauss’s perennial favourite. Olivia Fuchs directs the staging, which is conducted by WNO’s new music director Tomáš Hanus.
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 4-17 June
2 Gurrelieder
Mark Elder, music director of the Hallé, celebrates his 70th birthday by conducting the combined forces of his orchestra and their Manchester neighbours the BBC Philharmonic in a performance of Schoenberg’s massive, majestic choral work.
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 4 June
3 Nordic Nights
Four nights after presenting the same programme at the Bergen international festival in Norway, the London Sinfonietta bring their showcase of Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish works to London. There are UK premieres from Eivind Buene and Rolf Wallin, as well as a major work by Kaija Saariaho, her violin concerto Graal Théâtre.
St John’s Smith Square, SW1, 6 June
4 Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria
Opera at neoclassical Hampshire pile The Grange is under new management. The first season of what’s now the Grange festival begins with Monteverdi’s late masterpiece; artistic director Michael Chance leads the performance.
The Grange, nr Alresford, 7 June to 2 July
5 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Fifty years after it inaugurated the Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Britten’s Shakespearean opera opens this year’s Aldeburgh festival. The world-class cast is led by Iestyn Davies, Sophie Bevan and Matthew Rose.
Snape Maltings Concert Hall, 9-14 June
