Return ticket: Opera North present Aida at Bridgewater Hall

Leeds-based Opera North makes a long-awaited return to the Bridgewater Hall this June, with, unusually for the venue, a concert staging (not just sung performance) of Verdi’s opera Aida. Including some of the composer’s finest arias, such as Celeste Aida and O Patria Mia, the Egyptian epic tells the story of love versus duty as the doomed lovers Aida and Radamès – a general in the army fighting Aida’s country in a bloody war – are forced to choose between betraying their homelands and betraying their hearts. Last performed by the Company over two decades ago, this production comprises an international cast, with the title role filled by Colombian soprano Alexandra Zabala, while Rafael Volpe takes on the role of the enemy Egyptian general. It also reunites the creative team behind ON’s critically acclaimed Turandot from 2017, including director Annabel Arden, conductor Sir Richard Armstrong and set and costume designer Joanna Parker.

Tue 4 Jun, The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS, Tel: 0161 907 9000, 7.30pm, £14-43.50, bridgewater-hall.co.uk