Royal Opera House calls for release of Georgian bass singer jailed over democracy protests
Casting director urges Keir Starmer to intervene in case of Paata Burchuladze, 71, jailed for seven years after singing at anti-regime demonstrations
‘When I heard it, I nearly fell off my chair’: behind the scenes at Angel’s Bone, ENO’s audacious Manchester debut
After years of upheaval, English National Opera is staging its first new opera in its northern base: the Pulitzer-winning Angel’s Bone, about two angels brutally exploited by human traffickers. We talk to its creators
Shakespeare’s Sisters review: brilliantly unexpected songs and prose give voice to the voiceless
Combining words devised for Shakespeare’s female characters with music from composers old and new this was a Bardic treat with teeth
The pet I’ll never forget: Crispin, the big-headed canary
A tiny bird with a giant ego, Crispin was a remarkable singer – especially if you told him how talented, intelligent and gracious he was
Darkness Visible: Âme x Lawrence Power review – violist and guests reimagine the concert for the digital age
This ambitious and imaginative concert experience blended live and filmed performance. Not all its experiments felt successful, but at its best this was mesmerising
Helen Charlston: A Poet’s Love album review – original and absorbing
Schumann’s Dichterliebe is at the heart of this disc from the mezzo-soprano and pianist Sholto Kynoch; Heloise Werner’s new work Knight’s Dream is a rich and intriguing companion piece
Arcadi Volodos: Schubert piano sonata D850, Schumann Kinderszenen op15 – playfulness, longing and elegance
The pianist binds Schubert’s D850 with Schumann’s Kinderszenen with playing of warmth and crystalline technique
Shostakovich’s First at 100 – how prodigious genius sounded before Stalin set about silencing it
The composer himself never matched the joy, optimism and boldness of his first teenage symphony, as the chill of Stalinism settled on his music
Peter Grimes review – beauty and terror in Warner’s topical staging
As the tormented fisherman, Allan Clayton currently has few rivals. He is matched by a superb cast in this gripping revival of Britten’s opera
Galilee String Quartet review – Palestinian ensemble improvise their signature east-west blend
The four siblings start with Webern before ditching traditional instruments for mics, voices, percussion and oud
Tales of Love and Loss review – hauntings, tragicomedy and tweezer-sharp wit in Royal Opera triple bill
The Jette Parker Artists ran the full spectrum from sombre lyricism to frenzied satire via divorce drama in works by Elizabeth Maconchy, Charlotte Bray and Elena Langer
Gabriela Montero review – radiant renderings of postcard Spain with an excursion into the Beatles
The Venezuelan pianist was mercurial and dazzling in this Spanish-themed recital including Chopin, Scarlatti and Albéniz adding improvisational mastery with a Purcellian take on Here Comes the Sun
Papillons review – rich and strange collaboration exemplifies the spirit of Multitudes festival
Works by Kaija Saariaho, Imogen Holst and Chaines were woven into Manchester Collective’s concert that blended music with dance, theatre and multimedia, with cellist Laura van der Heijden at its heart
Morales: L’Homme Armé masses and Magnificat Secundi Toni album review – choral sounds of 16th-century Rome
Aiming to perform Renaissance music as it was originally heard, De Profundis find richness and precision in the Spanish composer’s finely wrought settings
Beethoven: The Sonatas for Piano and Cello album review – Watkins and Bax have a shared impulse to deliver eloquence
Cellist Watkins’ career-long immersion in the composer pays dividends in his pairing with Alessio Bax’s unfussy virtuosity