As is customary as we approach the end of summer, I have pulled together a list of top operatic tips for the upcoming season.  As was the case last year, my operagoing habits have certainly changed.  These days, I find myself just as interested in ‘where’ a show is taking place as much as the ‘what’ in terms of repertoire and casting.  With that in mind, I’ve pulled together a list of shows over the next season that look particularly interesting – or at the very least intriguing and inspire me to discover more.

And here are my Hot Operatic Tips for 2025 – 26.

Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Théâtre national de l’Opéra-Comique.  September 2025.

I must admit that one is always rather nervous in recommending a show in the French Republic, given how much they like to go en grève.  But this Hoffmann promises to be well worth the risk.  First of all, there’s the opportunity to see it at the intimately-sized Opéra Comique, where the first version of Offenbach’s score saw the world.  Secondly, there’s the opportunity to hear the incredibly versatile Michael Spyres in the title role, a singer whose repertoire and ambition seem unlimited and who has an excellent reputation in the French repertoire.  Amina Edris takes on the roles of Hoffmann’s ladies, while Héloïse Mas sings Nicklausse/La Muse and Jean-Sébastien Bou the villains.  Pierre Dumoussaud conducts Lotte de Beer’s staging, which I have no doubt will give ample reason for discussion. 

Götterdämmerung, Teatro Comunale di Bologna.  October 2025.

And so we come to the end of the Bologna Ring, which started back in June 2024.  The playing of the Comunale orchestra throughout the cycle has been absolutely superb, they play Wagner’s music with such cantabile beauty and poetry, and Oksana Lyniv’s conducting has been equally revelatory, both balletic yet also able to pack a considerable punch in the big moments.  The casting invites many familiar singers back from the previous instalments, not least the glorious Ewa Vesin as Brünnhilde, who sang her role in Walküre with such healthy tone and a fabulous bel canto technique, joined by the fabulous Sonja Šarić as Gutrune.  I’m also particularly looking forward to hearing the Comunale Chorus in Act 2 – over the past few years they have emerged to be the finest opera chorus in the Italian Republic currently.  This really does promise to be an unmissable close to what has been a notable cycle. 

Aida, Opéra de Monte-Carlo.  November 2025

Monte-Carlo is one of the few European theatres I have yet to have the pleasure of visiting.  This Aida promises to be an excellent reason to make the trip, since it presents the great Marie-Nicole Lemieux’s prise de rôle as Amneris.  With the magnificent Anna Pirozzi in the title role and the remarkable Arsen Soghomonyan as Radamès, the house has assembled a mouthwatering cast around our Québécoise diva.  The production will take place, not at the classic Opéra itself, but in the modern Grimaldi Forum, where the theatre has imported Davide Livermore’s production from Rome, Italy.  The musical direction has been confided to Massimo Zanetti. 

Caterina Cornaro, Festival Donizetti Opera.  November – December 2025.

November for opera lovers can only me one thing – the Festival Donizetti Opera in Donizetti’s own home town of Bergamo.  This year, the highlight of the festival promises to be this new production of Caterina Cornaro, using the new critical edition by Eleonora Di Cintio and published by Ricordi.  This coproduction with the Teatro Real, Madrid, reunites many familiar faces from previous editions of the festival, including Carmela Remigio, Enea Scala and Vito Priante.  As is customary, the musical direction is in the hands of Riccardo Frizza, while former festival director, Francesco Micheli, returns to lead the stage direction. 

Lucrezia Borgia, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.  November 2025.

I’ll come straight out and admit that I’m absolutely obsessed with this piece, and so it gives me great delight that there will be several productions of Lucrezia Borgia in the 2025 – 26 season, with others in Seville and Mannheim.  But it’s this one, in Florence, that most certainly piqued my interest.  Jessica Pratt is very much the go-to diva for Italian bel canto these days, stepping into the daunting shoes of her compatriot, Dame Sutherland.  Pratt is a regular collaborator with conductor Giampaolo Bisanti, here leading Andrea Bernard’s staging, which I saw in Bergamo six years ago, just before the world changed.  The Maggio has also assembled a terrific cast including Mirco Palazzi as Alfonso I and René Barbera as Gennaro, alongside some familiar names from previous visits to this glorious city. 

Ruslan and Lyudmila, Staatsoper Hamburg.  November – December 2025.

I can’t recall ever having had the opportunity to see Ruslan and Lyudmila before in the theatre, other than of course the celebrated overture in concert.  This new production, by Alexandra Szemerédy and Magdolna Parditka is an excellent opportunity to see Glinka’s fantasy opera.  As is often the case here, the Staatsoper has cast the evening from strength, with Ilia Kazakov and Barno Ismatullaeva in the title roles, and singers such as Alexander Roslavets, Natalia Tanasii and Nicky Spence throughout the case.  Azim Karimov conducts. 

Nabucco, Teatro San Carlo.  January 2026. 

This Nabucco at the Teatro San Carlo features a role debut that both excites and intrigues: that of Marina Rebeka as Abigaille.  Her facility with bel canto and experience of the Verdian style should make for a stimulating take on this most challenging of roles.  Around her, the San Carlo has assembled a terrific cast, with Ludovic Tézier in the title role, Michele Pertusi as Zaccaria and Piero Pretti as Ismaele.  Just getting to hear this work in this historic venue, with an orchestra and chorus who live and breathe this music will be a treat, particularly with Riccardo Frizza leading from the pit.  The staging, imported from Zurich, is the work of Andreas Homoki. 

Morgonstjärnan, Finnish National Opera.  January – February 2026.

I’m intrigued by this world premiere in Helsinki in January, based on the novel by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated into Finland’s other official language, Swedish, with a libretto by Gunilla Hemming, with music by Sebastian Fagerlund.  Particularly, since the house has engaged some of the leading Nordic opera singers, with a cast featuring Johan Reuter, Helena Juntunen and Tommi Hakala.  This is very much a labour of love for the house with the musical direction confided to Hannu Lintu and the stage direction to Thomas de Mallet Burgess, the Music Director and Artistic Director of the house respectively.

Tristan und Isolde, Teatro Carlo Felice.  February 2026. 

This is definitely a bit of a wild card in this selection.  I’ve yet to have the pleasure of visiting the Teatro Carlo Felice and the city of Genova, but, after a number of attempts, this Tristan may well be the reason I’ve been waiting for.  Italian orchestras are hard to beat in Wagner, they give it a lyricism and beauty that others find hard to match.  With an Italian conductor, Donato Renzetti, known for his work in bel canto at the helm, I’m certainly interested in seeing the results.  Tilman Unger and Marjorie Owens are due to take on the mammoth title roles, with none other than bel canto specialist Daniela Barcellona as Brangäne.  The results certainly promise to be unique in this new production by Laurence Dale. 

Macbeth, Teatro Regio Torino.  February – March 2026.

Making his return to the pit of the Teatro Regio for this new production of Macbeth is the legendary Riccardo Muti, with the stage direction confided to Chiara Muti.  Luca Micheletti is a phenomenon – a superb singer with a doctorate in renaissance theatre, who also enjoys a parallel career as stage actor and director.  He’s already proven himself to be an exceptional Verdian following his Jago in Piacenza and Renato with Muti, also in Turin, in previous seasons.  His lady will be Lidia Fridman.  She can be an inconsistent singer, but when she’s on form, she really does bring it – and then some.  Together with Ildebrando d’Arcangelo as Banco and Giovanni Sala as Macduff, this promises to be a very hot ticket. 

Il trovatore, Staatsoper Hamburg.  March – April 2026.

At first glance this is a repertory revival at the Staatsoper Hamburg.  At closer glance, it’s a very exciting one.  Eleonora Buratto, surely the finest Italian soprano before the public today, making her postponed role debut as Leonora, alongside the formidable Clémentine Margaine, whose Azucena when I saw it in Parma was absolutely thrilling.  Furthermore, this revival of Alex Eales’ staging is also notable for bel canto specialist, Enea Scala, taking on the beefy role of Manrico.  With Boris Pinkhasovich as Luna and Matteo Beltrami conducting, Hamburg audiences are in for an Italian treat. 

Pelléas et Mélisande, Teatro alla Scala.  April – May 2026. 

Following his withdrawal from the Brussels Ring, it’s pleasing to see Romeo Castellucci back at work with this new production of Pelléas et Mélisande at the Scala, conducted by the outstanding French maestro, Maxime Pascal.  Taking on the role of Golaud is Simon Keenlyside, once one of the greatest exponents of the title role, now ceding his place to the next generation in Swiss tenor Bernard Richter.  While Richter and Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Geneviève are the only Francophone singers in the cast, Sara Blanch should give us a captivating account of Mélisande, while John Relyea brings his significant experience to the role of Arkel.

Agrippina, Opéra Orchestre Normandie-Rouen.  June 2026.

Rouen is one of those smaller houses that deserves to be on every discerning opera traveller’s itinerary.  The casting is always thoughtful and the repertoire interesting.  Of course, as a French theatre, one runs the risk of industrial action, but it’s most definitely a house worth visiting.  Next June, the great Anna Bonitatibus reprises her acclaimed Agrippina alongside a terrific cast, including Jake Arditti as Nerone, Lauranne Oliva as Poppea and Paul-Antoine Benos-Djian as Ottone.  David Bates conducts Robert Carsen’s staging, imported from Vienna.

Turandot, Palau de les Arts.  June 2026.

Around a decade ago, I saw a musically thrilling Turandot at the Palau de les Arts in València, which really confirmed the excellence of the house forces.  Indeed, I maintain that that orchestra is one of the top three opera orchestras in the world, while the chorus is absolutely exceptional.  What better work to show them at their best than Puccini’s final opera, in which the chorus has such a prominent contribution.  This time around, they’ve imported Àlex Ollé‘s staging from the Liceu, with the intriguing casting of Ekaterina Semenchuk in the title role and the ageless Gregory Kunde as Calaf.  Rising German soprano, Carolina López Moreno, who has received significant acclaim takes on the role of Liù, while Jan Antem, Pablo García-López and Mikeldi Atxalanadabaso take on Ping, Pang and Pong respectively.  The only reservation I have is the presence of Mark Elder in the pit, a conductor who has a tendency to suck the life out of a piece, as his Elektra in Naples last year proved.

Die Walküre, Bayerische Staatsoper.  Jun – July 2026. 

The new Munich Ring began spectacularly with a Rheingold last year that was exceptional in every way – and indeed was one of my top shows of 2024.  Expectations are high for this next chapter in Tobias Kratzer’s production under Vladimir Jurowski’s musical direction. Joachim Bäckström was a wonderful Siegmund in Helsinki, and he reprises the role here, while his Sieglinde there, Miina-Liisa Värelä, moves up to Brünnhilde.  Nicholas Brownlee returns to Wotan, while Ekaterina Gubanova returns to Fricka.  Irene Roberts, who has received acclaim in the Wagnerian repertoire, takes on Sieglinde, while Ain Anger brings considerable experience to the role of Hunding.  The only downside is that the run is so short, with only five performances within a limited couple of weeks. It’s not uncommon for the house to reprise productions from the Opernfestspiele after the summer – let’s hope that this is the case here, since I predict the demand for tickets will be immense.

These are my hot tips for the upcoming season. What are you looking forward to?