Theatre Gerald Barry’s take on Alice in Wonderland proves that opera is still alive and awake Alice’s Adventures Under Ground has vitality, inventiveness and – as Barry likes to insist – tunes coming out of its ears. By Simon Callow
Culture The road not taken: Simon Callow on the allure of the priesthood – the smells, the bells, the Latin By Simon Callow
Theatre Joyous and devastating: Melly Still’s Rusalka caps a season of supernatural tales at Glyndebourne By Simon Callow
Kát’a Kabanova at the Royal Opera House reminds us of what it is to be human This production reminds one that opera can be the supremely expressive performing art. By Simon Callow
Too many Tchaikovskys: The Queen of Spades at the Royal Opera House leaves you cold It is inconceivable that anyone unfamiliar with the work could have the slightest idea what is going on. By Simon Callow
The night that changed my life: Simon Callow on his first opera It was 1965; I was a 16-year-old schoolboy besotted by classical music but only, so far, on record. By Simon Callow
Through seven works in seven cities, how Europe bared its soul through opera The V&A's exhibition is not only a celebration, but a cause for celebration. By Simon Callow
Returning to Prague, a brush with Nazi history and the rise of Czech populism My week in Prague sent me back to the past, from shooting Amadeus to my own Catholic upbringing. By Simon Callow