Elīna Garanča [Deutsche Grammophon]

WAGNER can be a long sit, with what Rossini (and subsequently Oscar Wilde) called good moments but bad quarter-hours. But not every Wagner opera makes the massive claims on time and attention that, say, the Ring Cycle does. His Flying Dutchman is comparatively short and sharp, packing big drama (and the requirement for an onstage ship) into just over two hours of music. In other words, manageable. And though I’m not sure how the limited stage facilities at Opera Holland Park will deal with the ship, Dutchman is its choice for opening the new 2025 summer season there, running May 27-June 14.

OHP is always a good bet for trying out something like a “country-house opera” experience without the bother of getting to a country house, organising a picnic, and dressing up. It’s informal, unpretentious, easily reached by Overground to Kensington Olympia. And though you won’t see shows of Glyndebourne or Garsington standard, they can be impressive. Sometimes magical.

The season continues with a revival of Jonathan Dove’s operatic venture into Harry Potter territory, albeit scientific as opposed to supernatural: a piece called Itch that didn’t do it for me last time round but was generally well-received and fun for children. Running June 3-13. Details: operahollandpark.com

• For something more conventionally grand, the Royal Opera revives its lavishly good-looking David McVicar production of Gounod’s Faust, May 23-June 10. It will no doubt be as entertaining as before, all-singing/dancing, with a strong cast. rbo.org.uk

Meanwhile, the celebrated Latvian mezzo Elīna Garanča has a recital at Wigmore Hall, May 23, including songs by Strauss, Duparc and repertoire from her homeland. Glamour guaranteed. wigmore-hall.org.uk

Leading British singers Alice Coote and David Butt Philip deliver the muscular heft of Mahler’s heavyweight orchestral song cycle Das Lied von der Erde with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Mark Elder, May 23 at the Barbican. barbican.org.uk

And for those of us who don’t often get up to Leeds to see Opera North shows, the company brings a semi-staging of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra down to a London for a one night stand at the Festival Hall, May 24. southbankcentre.co.uk

• Every now and again a young performer emerges with some out-of-the-ordinary gift that puts him or her in a league of their own. The violinist Johan Dalene is an example. And he’s at Cadogan Hall, May 29, playing the piece that brought him to world attention, Nielsen’s undervalued but entrancing Violin Concerto. He’s with the RPO and unmissable. cadoganhall.com

Another artist in that standout category is the classical guitarist Sean Shibe, who has now taken to playing electric instruments and does so in a wide-ranging concert at Wigmore Hall, May 29, featuring music by Boulez and the compelling Canadian contemporary composer Cassandra Miller. wigmore-hall.org.uk

• Meanwhile, Islington Sinfonia – the new name for what used to be the Highbury Players – have a concert of Strauss and Beethoven at St Mary’s, Islington, May 24. wegottickets.com

And the City Music Foundation’s excellent series of lunchtime concerts in otherwise very private livery premises continues May 28 with a chance to nose around Painters’ Hall (9 Little Trinity Lane, EC4V 2AD) – where the pianist Edward Picton-Turberville will prove himself not just a splendid name but a versatile composer/performer, playing his own music and (we’re promised) singing too. citymusicfoundation.org