Falstaff | Athens | From January 26

The Greek National Opera starts the new year with a bang, presenting its ambitious new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s swan song, the comic opera “Falstaff.” Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor,” it was first presented at La Scala in Milan in February 1893 and was a raging success despite some skepticism about whether the 80-year-old composer could still pull off such a coup. The GNO production is being conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi and directed by the artistic director of the UK’s renowned Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Stephen Langridge, with the acclaimed Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias in the title role. For details, dates and tickets, visit nationalopera.gr.