While most opera lovers were taking a break from sprouts and stuffing with Radio 3's Tannhäuser on Xmas day, the BBC sprung the cruel trick of sticking some opera on telly at the same time.
BBC4's Best of European Opera 2010 is an hour-long patchwork of extracts from productions all over Europe, grouted with the balmy tones of the inevitable Katie Derham. I'm not convinced they're really the 'best' - 'cheap' and 'available' is more like it - and some of them are from 2009. But it's a decent enough survey of what's going on in the rest of the operatic world, and proof that generally speaking continental productions are far more adventurous and alive than their British equivalent.
The exception that proves the rule is Birmingham Opera Company's Othello. Although only a few minutes are shown, it really gives a feel of this brave, immersive community opera, shown in a disused city centre warehouse in 2009.
The contrast with the next extract, the Royal Opera House's uber-traditional Simon Boccanegra (with Plácido Domingo) is telling.
We also get Diana Damrau singing Martern aller Arten in Christof Loy's Die Entführung from the Liceu, a bit of Willy Decker's Moses und Aron from the 2009 Ruhrtriennale, some of Gisle Kverndokk's new work for Oslo opera house, Around the World in 80 Days, Baltic Opera of Gdansk's Ariadne auf Naxos set in an asylum and José van Dam's final performance from La Monnaie in the title role of Don Quichotte and Martin Kusej's Der fliegende Holländer for Netherlands Opera.
Then it's back down to earth again with more Plácido Domingo, this time in the TV-special on location Rigoletto from Mantua.
The good news is that it's still available for a few more days on the iPlayer and will be re-broadcast on 2 January at 7pm.
