Grand Opera House, Belfast Thurs 7.15pm, Sat 28th 7.15pm £12.25-£39.75 048-90241919

Scottish Opera has been one of the most troubled of British opera companies. But its new production of Verdi's La traviata, a co-production with Welsh National Opera and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, has been winning critical plaudits. The Guardianpraised director David McVicar for bringing his "trademark sumptuous period style to the work while keeping superfluous gimmicky details to a minimum".

The cast for the Belfast performances on Thursday and the following Saturday is headed by Carmen Giannattasio as Violetta and Federico Lepre as Alfredo, and the conductor is Emmanuel Joel-Hornak. There’s also a free, one-hour taster version on Friday 27th at 6pm, and a pre-performance talk on Saturday 28th, also at 6pm.