Fair warning – you’ll notice that two countries dominate this weekend’s choices and among those, one opera crops up a bit. It’s a weekend with solid offerings all around, but our choices are filled with tremendous star power that was simply too potent to turn away from.

Falstaff – Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, UK

Verdi’s final masterpiece gets a performance on Friday night in a showcase that received rave reviews. The cast includes Bryn Terfel alongside Ana María Martinez and Simon Keenlyside in a production that OperaWire noted, “the production fuses theatre and music to create a fine spectacle the audience are subjected to listen to.”

Giulio Cesare – Glyndebourne Festival, UK

Handel’s masterpiece gets a showcase on Friday and Sunday at the festival in the famed production by David McVicar. Sarah Connolly and Joélle Harvey star.

La Dolce Vita – Waldebühne, Germany

Perhaps not an opera, but Jonas Kaufmann is a must-buy ticket anywhere he goes and anything he does. He brings his tribute to Italy to his native country in a concert that will also feature mezzo Anita Rachvelishvili, and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin under the musical direction of Jochen Rieder. The concert takes place on Saturday July 13, 2018.

Tosca – Bayerische Staatsoper, Germany

Angela Gheorghiu takes on her signature role in Puccini’s monumental work. Joseph Calleja sings Cavaradossi and Thomas Hampson is the villainous Scarpia. Germany’s theater brings back Luc Bondy’s controversial production.

Tosca – Teatro di San Carlo, Italy

It was impossible to pick between these two productions of “Tosca” because the cast in Italy is just so good. Ainhoa Arteta takes on the title role opposite Brian Jagde and Roberto Frontali. The work is part of the San Carlo festival, which takes place during the summer season.