Antarctica is the story of John and his fellow explorers who get stuck on Antarctica and attempt to save themselves. Their journey is both physical and a spiritual one. John escapes his past but when fate catches up with him, he is forced to confront himself.

Live performance from the Opéra de Lyon, July 1 2012. Controversial production by Olivier Py.

This ever-popular opera is given a fresh point of view in Barrie Kosky’s highly physical production, originally created for Frankfurt Opera. The Australian director is one of the world’s most sought-after opera directors, whose Royal Opera debut with Shostakovich’s The Nose in 2016 was greeted with delight. For Carmen he has devised a far-from-traditional version, incorporating music written by Bizet for the score but not usually heard, and giving a new voice to the opera’s endlessly fascinating central character.

A staging of Jules Massenet's opera "Manon" stage by Olivier Py. Recorded at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

“Manon is like any person who, strolling down the street one day, glances up at a second-story window and catches a glimpse of a different life,” explains Vincent Huguet about his staging of Massenet’s Manon, “a life that she suddenly desires ardently … and will do anything to have.” In his update of Prévost’s famous novel, Huguet demonstrates, with empathy and acuity, that Manon’s tale could really be anyone’s.