Trip the Light fantastic with Stockhausen's ambitious opera

The maestro tells Andrew Stewart about his passion for Slavic culture – and Putin

"It was beyond my wildest dreams to have my work performed at the Proms last week – I only started composing music nine year's ago. It was very emotional."

Opera, but not as you know it. Crammed into three long (Thur to Sun) weekends, the sixth Tête à Tête Opera Festival is an orgy of experimental new works and works-in-progress, offering more than 70 performances of 40 pieces by dozens of composers.

As they prepare for a historic week of Proms, Daniel Barenboim and the leader of his orchestra, his son Michael, talk about discipline and dynasties

Opera aims sky high with 150 performers and four helicopters

As a vital part of the London 2012 Festival, the pressure's on the Proms this year – and, writes Jessica Duchen, they deliver on their own terms

It's tough to make it as a conductor – so when 20 young stars were asked to perform for the great Bernard Haitink, the pressure was on.  reports

As the orchestra returns to Britain, Matthew Bell sees how music continues to change lives in Caracas ... and in south London too

David McVicar tells Louise Flind about the huge challenge of staging Les Troyens

Launched by Benjamin Britten in 1948, the Aldeburgh Festival opens its 65th season this Friday with a 60th birthday tribute to former artistic director and current artist in residence, Oliver Knussen, whose marvellous Maurice Sendak-inspired operas, Where the Wild Things Are and Higglety Pigglety Pop!, are given two performances in a new multimedia staging by Netia Jones.

The daring new opera featuring British terrorists planning an attack is being staged next month.

It is about to happen all over the UK. It brings existing celebrations like the Proms together with one-off spectaculars on the Thames and in Edinburgh, and street dance everywhere, in a programme of 12,000 events. Jessica Duchen selects the best

A BBC film will shed light on the enigma of Frederick Delius

Tickets to Glyndebourne aren't cheap but the festival is continuing to attract visitors, despite the recession, with a seductive, world-class programme that plays it safe. But can the good times last? Jessica Duchen reports