THE world’s finest artists dance, sing and perform the work of the world’s greatest choreographers and composers in the new season of Covent Garden Ballets and Operas to be shown on the big screen at the Eastgate Theatre in Peebles.

The season opens with Placido Domingo giving his first London performances of a major Verdi baritone role in I due Foscari. He performs the part of Francesco, Doge of the City trying to save his son Jacopo from charges of treason. I due Foscari is on Monday, October 27. In a complete change of mood Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore on Wednesday, November 26, is a witty, charming and deeply touching opera set in an idyllic vision of a southern Italian Village Square. The lead up to Christmas sees the welcome return of the Royal Ballets stunning production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on Tuesday, December 16. The first Royal Opera House production of 2015 is Andrea Chenier, a fictionalized account of the last years of the French poet André Chénier, guillotined during the Reign of Terror in 1794. Jonas Kaufmann takes the starring role in Umberto Giordano’s thrilling historical drama. Andrea Chenier is on Thursday, January 29. Bryn Terfel takes centre stage in February in Der Fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman). Wagner’s first masterpiece explores themes of damnation and redemption in this tale of a captain forced to sail the seas for eternity unless released by the faithful love of a good woman. Wagner’s stormy score is conducted by Andris Nelsons on Friday, February 20.

March sees a return to the classics as beautiful swans glide across the stage in a rich setting of mist, shadow and moonlight in Swan Lake danced to Tchaikovsky’s glorious score. Swan Lake is on Monday, March 17.

The extraordinary creative partnership of playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill produced The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in 1930. This production, on Wednesday 1 April, is the first by the Royal Opera House. A satire on money, morality and pleasure-seeking, it has a richly varied, jazz-infused score. In La Fille Mal Gardee Carlos Acosta dances Frederick Ashton’s most joyous ballets displaying some of his greatest choreography. It is also laced with good humour and a whirl of dancing chickens, grouchy guardians and halfwit suitors. This very British production is on Tueasday, May 5. On Wednesday, June 10, La Boheme, the most popular opera of all returns in one of The Royal Opera’s best loved stagings featuring some of today’s greatest opera stars including Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja. The final production in the season is Rossini’s magnificent Guillaume Tell (William Tell) opening with what is arguably the most exciting of all operatic overtures and continues with glorious arias, choruses and ensembles.

Exciting young Italian director Damiano Michieletto makes his debut with what promises to be a spectacular production. All productions in the Royal Opera House season begin at 7.15pm (except Guillaume Tell which begins at 2.45pm).

Tickets are £17 for adults and £10 for schoolchildren. A season ticket to any four from these productions is just £60 (adults) or £36 (schoolchildren).   Just ask at Box Office on 01721 725777, in person or on the 'phone.