The hot ticket at this year's festival is director Deborah Warner's powerful modern-day take on Beethoven's Fidelio, above. Peter Hall does double duty with a revival of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream and a new production of Verdi's Otello. Glyndebourne, England; through Aug. 26 www.glyndebourne.com

The English National Opera presents Verdi's Rigoletto, directed by Jonathan Miller, on Aug. 16, 18, 20, while on Aug. 31, Lorin Maazel directs the Philharmonia Orchestra in Mahler's 5th. San Sebastian, Spain. www. quincenamusical.com

Two world premieres: Rolf Urs Ringger's Luci di Prometéo is performed by the NHK Symphony of Tokyo and the Swiss Chamber Chorus on Aug. 23. And violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter performs André Previn's Tango, Song and Dance on Aug. 26. Lucerne, Switzerland. www.lucernefestival.ch

Rico Saccani and the National Opera of Hungary perform Aida on Aug. 1 and 4, while the Helikon Opera offers Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk on Aug. 10 and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin on Aug. 11. Santander, Spain.

This summer's productions include the world premiere of a choral work by Patrick Gowers, as well as Elgar's The Apostles and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Aug. 18-25. Gloucester, England. www.3choirs.org



Jazz fills this medieval village in southwest France Aug. 2-15. Joining Marciac regular Wynton Marsalis are Diana Krall and the Afro-Cuban All Stars. Marciac, France. www.marciac.com

NME calls the two-city line-up "an embarrassment of riches." After three days (Aug. 24-26), concertgoers will have heard acts including Eminem, Travis and Marilyn Manson. Reading and Leeds, England. www.meanfiddler.com/readingfestival



Revivals of plays by Tom Stoppard (On the Razzle), David Storey (In Celebration) and David Hare (The Secret Rapture) run throughout the summer, but a highlight of this year's festival should be Brian Friel's translation of Chekhov's Three Sisters, starring Janie Dee, opening on Aug. 25. www.cft.org.uk

Julie Taymor (The Lion King) creates the life-size puppetry, masks, costumes and movement for this American Repertory Theatre production based on the legend of the King of Serendippo and his search for a wife. Directed by Andrei Serban. Barbican Centre, London; Aug. 15-Sept. 2. www.barbican.org.uk

The first major revival of this 1939 play (with a score by Benjamin Britten and starring Patrick Stewart) kicks off a season devoted to the work of writer J.B. Priestley. West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, England; Aug. 29-Sept. 29. www.wyp.co.uk

Last summer's unlikely theater hit was Further Than the Furthest Thing by then-unknown Zinnie Harris, so it's hard to predict what will emerge from Edinburgh as this year's hot ticket. But the world theater premiere on Aug. 30 of John Cage's radio play Marcel Duchamp, James Joyce, Erik Satie: An Alphabet is promising. Also on tap: Tom Murphy's Too Late for Logic, which opens on Aug. 13, and Luc Bondy's production of The Seagull, coming to Edinburgh on Aug. 29. www.eif.co.uk



Located on the site of the former Imperial Stables, this vast cultural complex, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Leopold Museum and the Kunsthalle, will soon be among the largest in the world. First stage opens on June 28, second part on Sept. 15.
www.mqw.at

"Rembrandt's Women" (June 8-Sept. 2, then to London's Royal Academy, Sept. 22-Dec. 16). Mother, wife and mistress in the 17th century Dutch painter's art. Edinburgh. www.natgalscot.ac.uk

"Two Golden Ages: Masterpieces of Dutch and Danish Painting" (June 16-Sept. 16). The influence of the Dutch Golden Age (17th century) on painters of Denmark's Golden Age (19th century). Amsterdam. Under 18 free. www.rijksmuseum.nl

"Taking Positions: Figurative Sculpture and the Third Reich" (to Aug. 26). The human form by sculptors who flourished in Hitler's Germany and lesser-known creators isolated from the regime. Leeds, England. Free. www.leeds.gov.uk

"Disasters of War" (through June 17, then June 25-Sept. 17). Francisco de Goya's 1808-14 series of anguished etchings showing Spain ravaged by the Napoleonic Wars. Madrid. www.mcu.es/prado

(July 4-Aug. 19). The theme is anonymity: standardized cities, faces hidden, distorted or captured in passing. Arles, France. www.rip-arles.org

Oil tycoon Gulbenkian's fabulous collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture, tapestries, jewelry and ceramics, from ancient Egyptian to Art Nouveau, reopens on July 20. Sundays free. Lisbon. www.gulbenkian.pt

"Vermeer and the Delft School" (June 20-Sept. 16). Johannes Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch helped make the Dutch town of Delft an artistic center in the late 1640s. London. Free. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

"Pieter Breugel the Elder" (to Aug. 5). Almost all the graphic work of this 16th century Flemish painter. Rotterdam, the Netherlands. www.boijmans.rotterdam.nl

"Twenty Centuries in Cathedrals" (June 29-Nov. 4). Paintings, sculptures, stained glass and other treasures from French cathedrals. Reims, France. www.monum.fr

"Echo of the Scream" (June 17-Sept. 15). How Munch's painting influenced such artists as Warhol and Bacon. Oslo. Tel: +47 23 24 14 00; www.munch.museum.non castello gardens and venice arsenal Venice Biennale (June 10-Nov. 4). Brings together young unknowns and established stars. Venice. www.labiennaledivenezia.net



Eight of the 17 productions at Berlin's "Dance in August" festival (Aug. 10-Sept. 2) are world premieres, such as Michael Laub's Total Masala Slammer and Felix Ruckert's 3 Choreografen — three x two. Mikhail Baryshnikov makes an appearance leading the festival's highlight: the White Oak Dance Project's performance of PASTForward. Berlin. www.tanzwerkstatt.bkv.org

The ballet comes to the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden (Aug. 13-18) bringing with it two productions by celebrated choreographer Mark Morris: Sandpaper Ballet and his new A Garden. Those with more surreal tastes can enjoy Magrittomania, Yuri Possokhov's dance interpretation of works by 20th century artist René Magritte. London. www.roh.org.uk

This year, the N.Y.C.B. celebrates the future at the Edinburgh International Festival (Aug. 12-Sept. 1) with a showcase of new works by choreographers such as William Forsythe, Angelin Preljocaj and Christopher Wheeldon. This is the first time so many of these performances will be seen together outside New York. After Edinburgh the N.Y.C.B. will go to Parma to perform works set to Verdi's music for the Teatro Regio di Parma centennial festival. Edinburgh, Scotland. www.eif.co.uk