From grand opera on a small scale to Victorian melodrama to a neglected 20th century gem, there are a variety of offerings from the opera world this week.

With excellent performances by Polish-born Mieczyslaw Weinberg, Polish novelist Zofia Posmysz and the production team itself, David Nice was full of praise in his opera review of 'The Passenger' by the English National Opera. Nice claimed that the voice of Michelle Breedt is the finest he had ever heard at ENO as the strength of the performances carry the production.

Mid Wales Opera's production of Puccini's 'Madam Butterfly' at The Roses Theatre, Tewksbury exemplified both the pluses and the minuses of opera delivered by small touring companies such as this one. This grand opera lends itself well to the limitations that come with it with its need for just one set among other things. A nuanced and moving piece is achieved by the production team as it easily overcomes the staging difficulties it's faced with.

The staging and theatricals of Gounod's Victorian melodrama 'Faust' at the Royal Opera House were kept wonderfully simple by David McVicar, which added to the success of the production as it retained maximum potency. Igor Toronyi-Lalic found himself unexpectedly moved to tears by the production.

The production is set in the French Second Empire, with three exciting male leads enlivening the first two acts. Vittorio Grigolo plays the ageing Faust, Ren Pap is the dark devious Mephistopheles and Dmitri Hvorostovsky's plays the silky Valentin. Toronyi-Lalic was so impressed with Grigolo he thought he even outshone the pitch-perfect Angela Gheorghiu as Marguerite who unusually floundered slightly here.

Together, the team raised this piece from the realms of soap opera into something with significant depth and thought and conductor Evelino Pid made the audience feel like they were watching a Moulin Rouge cabaret.