Buying theatre or gig tickets – never mind the opera – is expensive enough. So here’s a thought; opt for the cheaper seats and, if you do feel you’re too far way from the action on stage ...

Eschenbach led the orchestra ably, giving plenty of boisterous oomph to the crazy galop sections of the scherzo and the wild paroxysms of the finale, introduced by Salerno-Sonnenberg’s almost ...