Many companies will celebrate Verdi’s birthday this weekend. There will also be a number of baroque selections and two intriguing new productions of rarely performed works. Here are our recommendations for this weekend.

Giovanna d’Arco – La Monnaie, Belgium

In celebration of Verdi’s birthday, the Belgium theater presents a concert performance of Verdi’s popular early work. Salome Jicia takes on the title role alongside Francesco Meli and Dimitri Platanias. Giulio Carella conducts.

Les Indes Galantes – Opera National de Paris, France

Rameau’s masterwork gets a new production by Clément Cogitore. Leonardo García Alarcón conducts the production that stars Sabine Devieilhe, Florian Sempey, Jodie Devos, Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Julie Fuchs, Mathias Vidal, Alexandre Duhamel, and Stanislas de Barbeyrac.

Káťa Kabanová – Berlin State Opera, Germany

Fernand Cortez – Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Italy

Jean-Luc Tingaud conducts Cecilia Ligorio’s production of Spontini’s rarely performed work which stars Dario Schmunck in the title role. The production is also set to star Luca Lombardo, Alexia Voulgaridou, David Ferri Durà, Gianluca Margheri, and André Courville.

The production is using the critical edition by Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini of Jesi edited by Federico Agostinelli.

Nabucco/ La Traviata – Opernhaus Zurich, Switzerland

The Switzerland house celebrates Verdi’s birthday with two Verdi masterpieces. The first will be “La Traviata” with Kristina Mkhitaryan in the title role, Liparit Avetisyan as Alfredo, and George Petean as Germont.

Fabio Luisi conducts David Hermann’s production. On Sunday Oksana Dyka stars in the role of Abigaille with Veronica Simeoni, Plácido Domingo, Otar Jorjikia, and Vitalij Kowaljow

Griselda – Irish National Opera, Ireland

Katie Bray, Jorge Navarro Colorado, Emma Morwood, Sinéad O’Kelly, Russell Harcourt, and  Raphaela Mangan star Vivaldi’s rarely performed opera.

Peter Whelan conducts the productions which is directed by Tom Cree.

Rigoletto – Welsh National Opera, Wales

Mark S. Doss and Marina Monzó star in Verdi’s masterwork. The two star alongside a cast of rising stars including David Junghoon Kim, James Platt, and Emma Carrington.

Alexander Joel conducts the production by James Macdonald.