When first performed in 1911, Richard Strauss’ comic opera Der Rosenkavalier shocked audiences when the curtain opened on a boudoir scene with the lovers lying abed in what was obviously a post-coital state. Cheryl Barker is luminous in the role of the Marschallin, who has taken on a much young lover in Octavian. As she gazes into her mirror at the end of Act 1, her extended solo ranges over the transience of youth and pleasure, the relentless passage of time and the inevitability of Octavian leaving her for a younger, prettier woman. Catherine Carby is convincingly boyish in the role of Octavian. When the boorish Baron Ochs (Manfred Hemm) asks the Marschallin to choose a young man to present a silver rose to his betrothed, the beautiful young Sophie (Emma Pearson), the Marschallin nominates Octavian to undertake the task. Is there any need to describe the rest of the plot? One of the great things about comedy is that no matter how confused and chaotic the story becomes, you can be sure that the threads of the narrative will be disentangled by the end and truth and love will triumph. Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier is no exception.

Until Oct 30, Sydney Opera House, $95-270, 9318 8200, opera-australia.org.au

Gilbert & Sullivan is a cash cow for Opera Australia, which knows audiences will flock to see anything written by this Victorian librettist and composer. You can almost hear the feet tapping away as Peter Carroll sings, at breakneck speed, one of the most popular patter songs ever written, I am the very model of a modern Major-General. The hero, Frederic, sung by Matthew Robinson, has just finished serving his apprenticeship with a band of soft-hearted pirates and falls in love with Mabel (Rosemarie Harris), the daughter of the Major-General. When Frederic discovers he was born on 29 February (which occurs only in leap years), he realises he must serve the pirates for another 63 years until he reaches his 21st birthday. The pirate king is sung by Anthony Warlow, who swaggers around the stage with disarming dexterity, and Suzanne Johnston brings pathos to the role of the old woman Ruth. Todd Keys replaced an indisposed Richard Alexander in the role of the Sergeant of Police and delighted the audience with his rendition of A policeman’s lot is not a happy one. This is a sparkling production guaranteed to please. Take the children. They’ll love it.

Until Nov 6, Sydney Opera House, $67-165, 9318 8200, opera-australia.org.au

As director of Le Nozze di Figaro, Neil Armfield draws out the great comic potential of what is perhaps Mozart’s loveliest opera. The young cast sings with clear enjoyment of the antics of the noble characters and their cunning servants, who conspire to bring their master, Count Almaviva, down a peg or two. It is a decisive moment when Figaro, the Count’s steward, played with great sexual charisma by Teddy Tahu Rhodes, learns that the Count regrets his renunciation of the droit de seigneur — the right of the master to take the virginity of young servant women in his employ on the night of their wedding. What follows is a complex plot full of intricate stratagems, deceptions, lies and hypocrisy in which all the characters take part, without exception. Even Figaro’s betrothed, Susanna, played with warmth and intelligence by Taryn Fiebig, says, “I see no harm in lying, you have to play the game.” Sian Pendry was an especially endearing Cherubino, Rachelle Durkin elicited great sympathy for her sad situation as the Countess, and Peter Coleman-Wright as the Count was a sympathetic bounder. Conductor Patrick Summers kept up the pace and never let a moment flag in this wonderful opera buffo, perhaps the best example of the tradition.

Until Oct 23, Sydney Opera House, $95-270, 9318 8200, opera-australia.org.au

Photo © Jeff Busby

OA’s A Little Night Music is a knockout, with Sigrid Thornton and Anthony Warlow leading a stellar cast in Stephen Sondheim’s glorious work. Based on Bergman’s film, Smiles of a Summer Night, and reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, the opera explores sexual love and fidelity as it is played out among several individuals whose lives intersect in uppercrust Swedish society in the late 19th century. Thornton plays Désirée Armfeldt, a mature actress about to discard one lover in favour of Fredrik (Anthony Warlow), a former paramour whom she still loves. Both lovers are married, and this complicates the scenario when their wives become involved in the romantic farce. The drama erupts when they are all thrown together at the estate of Désirée’s mother, and under the extended mid-summer twilight, the tensions are resolved and peace, love and harmony are restored. Although not a singer, Thornton gives us a deeply moving and original interpretation of the work’s signature tune Send in the clowns, and Warlow is predictably magnificent as the aging lawyer. Staging and costumes are visually stunning, and the orchestra under the baton of Stuart Maunder gives full play to the subtlety of Sondheim’s score. Not to be missed.

Until Jul 15, Sydney Opera House, $67-165, 9318 8200, opera-australia.org.au

Opera is littered with the corpses and ruined reputations of much maligned women. Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata — the fallen woman — is no exception, although Russian soprano Elvira Fatykhova’s manifest robustness and good health gives the lie to the consumption Violetta is supposed to be dying from. Although Verdi was sympathetic to his heroines, it was beyond the social mores of the day to allow them to live happily ever after, so they had to be knocked off in the final act. Reprising the role she performed so well three years ago, Fatykhova is a magnificent Violetta, easily mastering both the coloratura bravado of the first act and the long lyrical passages of the other two acts with great vocal precision and passion. She and Jonathan Summers as Alfredo’s father sing a moving and superbly balanced duet that left no one in doubt about the sincerity of her passion or the concern of Alfredo’s father for his family. Under the baton of Philippe Auguin, the orchestra gives full rein to the emotions inherent in the score, while Aldi Di Toro as Violetta’s lover Alfredo is a sympathetic if somewhat naïve figure. The supporting cast are excellent but the show belongs to Elvira Fatykhova.

Until Mar 29, Sydney Opera House. $95-270, 9318 8200 or opera-australia.org.au

If, sometimes, you get a little weary of seeing the same old (but gorgeous) period sets on the opera stage, then this production of Tosca is a must-see for you. The direction is innovative and exciting, although for die-hard traditionalists, it has proven to be too much of a departure from the norm. As specified by Puccini, Tosca is usually set within the confines of a church, a palace and a castle in Rome. But director Christopher Alden, from the UK’s Opera North, sets the scene in contemporary Italy under the leadership of prime minister Berlusconi and places the entire action in the vestry of a church. The vestry serves as the scene for the studio of Tosca’s lover, the artist Cavaradossi, and it witnesses her rape by the odious police chief Scarpia, and his subsequent murder by Tosca. American soprano Takesha Meshé Kizart is a glorious Tosca, and should not disappoint patrons who were expecting Cheryl Barker in the role. John Wegner as the abhorrent Scarpia somehow manages to hit all the right notes while gorging on a take-away pizza, and Rosario La Spina gives us a emotionally charged performance as Cavaradossi. Would Puccini have approved? I think so.

Until Mar 27, Sydney Opera House, $42-307, 9318 8200 or opera-australia.org.au

Amelia Farrugia is aptly cast as Manon, the vivacious prostitute heroine of Jules Massenet’s eponymous opera, which premiered in 1884 and subsequently became a perennial of the western operatic repertoire. Sent by her family to a life in a convent at a tender age, Manon meets the dashing Chevalier Des Grieux on the way. They fall in love at first sight and run off together, and from that moment we know no good can come of this union. Derived from a story written in 1731 by the Abbé Prévost, Massenet’s work captured public imagination when it burst onto the stage in the late 19th century, coming second in popularity only to Carmen at the Paris Opera-Comique in 1884. Although Manon has not retained its status, Massenet’s score still has the power to charm, and French conductor Emmanuel Plasson sensitively evokes the emotional nuances of this late romantic work. Kanen Breen oozes a lewd charm as Guillot de Morfontaine, who tries to seduce the innocent young Manon, and Julian Gavin is an appealing Chevalier Des Grieux. If you are not familiar with Massenet’s work, don’t let that deter you from seeing a fine performance by Amelia Farrugia. You’ll not regret it.

Until Feb 13, Sydney Opera House, $93-250, 9318 8200 or opera-australia.org.au

Mozart’s comic opera Così Fan Tutte is given new life in Jim Sharman’s direction of a tale of love tested, betrayed and then restored, similar to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. When two young officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, swear their fiancés Dorabella and Fiordiligi will always remain faithful, their cynical friend Alfonso sets out to prove the opposite. The two young men disguise themselves as foreigners under Alfonso’s direction, and eventually succeed in seducing their unsuspecting partners. Needless to say, after some uncomfortable moments, the young men are reconciled to their fiancés and it ends happily for all concerned. The director of Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Picture Show is no stranger to opera, having directed Voss and Death in Venice. Sharman searched around for his cast, crew and conductor and put together an ensemble that brings a fresh approach to Cosi. Rachelle Durkin is a delightful Fiordiligi, bringing to her character an appealing urgency and pathos, while Sian Pendry is quite the feisty Dorabella. Henry Choo and Shane Lowrencev give their young men an endearing naivete while Tiffany Speight steals the show as the maidservant Despina. Young Australian conductor Simon Hewett, fresh from the Paris Opera Orchestra, accepted Sharman’s invitation and returned to Australia for the season to lead the orchestra through this musical delight.

Until Oct 29, Sydney Opera House, $93-250, 9318 8200 or opera-australia.org.au

Anthony Warlow reprises his role as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner of Titipu, alongside a stellar cast in The Mikado this year’s Gilbert and Sullivan offering from Opera Australia. It’s not surprising that this operetta is the favourite in the Gilbert & Sullivan repertoire, with such memorable songs as A wandering minstrel I and Three Little Maids and, of course, The List Song, which traditionally is changed with each production to suit the mood and foibles of the times. The versatile Anthony Warlow’s Ko-Ko transforms the role of Lord High Executioner into a prancing, tumbling jester whose high jinx and infectious gaiety belie the dread import of his title. Taryn Fiebig, who gave us such a wonderful Eliza in My Fair Lady earlier this year, is a spirited and flirtatious Yum-Yum, while Kanen Breen carries off the role of Nanki-Poo with musical élan. Warwick Fyfe provided much hilarity in his part as Pooh-Bah, the Lord High of Everything Else, and Richard Alexander sung the Mikado in suitably stentorian tones. The stage was beautifully decorated á la Japonaise, while the male costumes combine the traditional and modern so well they could be Armani’s upcoming season’s bathrobes. Excitement and mischief abounded as conductor Brian Castle-Onions’ ponytail bobbed up and down in time with his baton while the audience tapped its collective foot.

Until Oct 31, Sydney Opera House, $93-250, 9318 8200 or opera-australia.org.au

With five librettists working on Manon Lescaut, it is not surprising that the story of Puccini’s heroine stretches credibility, beginning as she is about to enter a convent in Paris and ending with her death in the Louisiana desert in the arms of her long-suffering lover Des Grieux. In between, she swans around the luxurious quarters of the “powdered Pluto,” Geronte, the rich nobleman for whom she has deserted Des Grieux. Then when she has it off with Des Grieux, Geronte has her arrested as an immoral woman and she is packed off to jail and sentenced to banishment in America.

Although lacking the signature arias of Puccini’s later works, Manon is nonetheless musically rich, with Cheryl Barker triumphant in her role as the virgin/whore. Singing while dying of thirst is no mean feat. Teddy Tahu Rhodes proves he can sing lyric baritone as Manon’s libertine brother, and Jorge Lopez-Yanez is as passionate a Puccini lover as you could get, his heart-rending lament in Act three as Manon languishes in jail sure to moisten the driest eye. Conductor Alexander Polianichko coaxes great expressiveness from the orchestra, while Roger Kirk has great fun with the costumes in Act two.

Until Aug 13, Sydney Opera House, $93-250, 9318 8200 or opera-australia.org.au

© Branco Gaica