OperaWire names top 2025 performances worldwide

OperaWire released its annual staff picks for 2025’s best opera performances, spotlighting productions from Tanglewood to Bergamo that included Sir Bryn Terfel’s acclaimed Scarpia in “Tosca” and inventive stagings at Italy’s Donizetti Opera Festivaloperawire.

The Metropolitan Opera’s “Andrea Chénier” emerged as a favorite among multiple critics, with soprano Sonya Yoncheva and tenor Piotr Beczała reuniting under conductor Daniele Rustioni in what critic David Salazar called a performance showcasing Beczała “at the peak of his powers”operawire.

Other highlights included La Monnaie’s seven-hour reimagining of Monteverdi operas titled “I Grotteschi,” Teatro alla Scala’s revival of Gassmann’s “L’Opera Seria,” and Virginia Opera’s world premiere of “Loving v. Virginia,” based on the landmark Supreme Court caseoperawire.

OperaWire Unveils Year’s Top Opera Performances

As 2025 draws to a close, OperaWire has released its annual staff selections for the year’s most memorable opera performances, highlighting productions that captivated audiences from Tanglewood to Bergamo. The compilation, published this week, features standout performances from major opera houses worldwide, with particular acclaim for stagings at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and specialized festivals.operawire

Met Opera’s Andrea Chénier Takes Center Stage

The Metropolitan Opera’s production of Umberto Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” emerged as a favorite among multiple critics, with the company broadcasting a live performance to cinemas today. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva and tenor Piotr Beczała starred in their Met role debuts, reuniting after their celebrated partnership in Giordano’s “Fedora”. According to OperaWire’s David Salazar, who saw the production twice, the performances showcased Beczała “at the peak of his powers,” particularly notable after witnessing the tenor struggle in previous outings. Conductor Daniele Rustioni led Nicolas Joël’s production, which opened in late November.interlochenpublicradio

Francisco Salazar also singled out Richard Strauss productions as year highlights, including “Arabella” at the Met, where Louise Alder made a celebrated debut alongside Rachel Willis-Sørensen. The Observer noted that Willis-Sørensen delivered “the finest performance of her thus-far uneven Met career” in Otto Schenk’s traditional production.metopera

Summer at Tanglewood and European Festivals

Sir Bryn Terfel’s portrayal of Scarpia in Puccini’s “Tosca” at Tanglewood in July drew widespread praise. Andris Nelsons conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Kristine Opolais in the title role and Seok Jong Baek as Cavaradossi. Matt Costello of OperaWire called it “a perfect ‘Tosca,'” noting the production’s ability to mesh orchestra, staging, and vocal performances at the festival’s outdoor venue.operawire

At Italy’s Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo, Stefania Bonfadelli’s staging of the double bill “Il Campanello” and “Deux hommes et une femme” impressed critics with its inventive unification of two disparate works. Bernardo Gaitan praised Bonfadelli for creating “a single, cohesive theatrical universe” from Italian buffa and French opéra-comique, supported by young artists from Bottega Donizetti.gbopera

Teatro alla Scala’s revival of Florian Leopold Gassmann’s “L’Opera Seria” offered what Vincent Lombarto called a “triumphantly brought back to life” production. Christophe Rousset conducted Laurent Pelly’s staging, which mixed “refreshingly modern situations of pathos and humor” within an 18th-century setting.thecharles

La Monnaie in Brussels presented Rafael R. Villalobos’ reimagining of Monteverdi’s three extant operas as “I Grotteschi,” a seven-hour production performed over two days. Alan Nielsen deemed it the standout of his year, praising Leonardo García-Alarcón’s musical direction and the production’s ambitious scope.operawire

Virginia Opera’s world premiere of Damien Geter’s “Loving v. Virginia,” based on the landmark Supreme Court case, received recognition for its emotional depth. The opera, with a libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo and directed by Denyce Graves, featured soprano Flora Hawk and baritone Jonathan Michie.operagene