I may transfer my loyalty from the Grand in Leeds to the Theatre Royal in Newcastle. My first visit, and I was so pleased to have a clear view of the orchestra (including theorbo) from the dress circle.

This was a collaboration between Opera North and the Phoenix Dance Theatre: contemporary dance meets Handel’s oratorio. Sometimes it worked – dancers expressing the latent sensuality of the libretto. On the whole, though, it didn’t gel for me – and I’m willing to admit the deficiency is probably in me rather than the production. It crowded the stage, particularly with the chorus present. BSL was also included – partly in occasional gestures of the chorus, but most obviously through the presence on stage of a BSL interpreter, who made me think of someone who’d wandered on from the wings and decided to stay. I reminded myself – once again – that if I can swallow traditional opera with all its absurdities, I can’t baulk at innovation.

The singing and acting were wonderful. The moment the chorus began their lament for their exile in Babylon, I could feel a lump in my throat. Susanna and Joacim (a counter-tenor) were brilliant, as was the production.