Thomas: Hamlet

The 19th-century made Shakespeare entirely its own. Ambroise Thomas's operatic version of Hamlet focuses on the Prince's tragic love for Ophelia, and there's a startling twist in the tale. But while Shakespearean purists might object, the result is a masterpiece of French Romantic opera: tense, passionate and filled with simply glorious singing. This innovative 2018 staging from Paris could hardly make a more dazzling case, with a dream pairing of Sabine Devieilhe as Ophélie and Stéphane Degout as Hamlet, while Louis Langrée – unsurpassed in this repertoire – directs the period instrument forces of the Orchestre de Champs-Élysées.