It has just been announced that Sir Antonio Pappano has renewed his contract until 2020.

That allays fears of instability triggered by the resignation of Royal Opera artistic director Kasper Holten.

There will be seven new productions next season – Norma, Così fan tutte, Shostakovich The Nose, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Thomas Ades’s Exterminating Angel, and Verdi’s Otello.

Pappano, in his 15th season, will conduct three new shows and two revivals. Barry Kosky and Jan Philipp Gloger are the two new directors.

Glogger makes his UK debut with Cosi. Kosky is a long-shot candidate to succeed Holten.

Kasper Holten writes:

Have just had my last season press conference, to announce our 2016/17 season, together with Kevin O’Hare, Tony Pappano and Alex Beard. I am so excited about this season, it feels like all the things we want to do are finally unfolding after years of planning and preparation – Tom Ades’ new opera The Exterminating Angel, Norma with Netrebko, Otello with Kaufmann, Rosenkavalier with Fleming, The Nose directed by Barrie Kosky w Metzmacher conducting, me and Tony doing a new Meistersinger with Bryn Terfel, a terrific team for a new Cosi, and so many fabulous singers and conductors in revivals of Written on Skin, Mitridate, Adriana Lecouvreur, Manon Lescaut, Hoffmann, Trovatore, Don Carlo, Turandot, Butterfly, Barbiere, Elisir – and three amazing Violettas in the inevitable Traviatas! It is going to be SO hard to leave this place…

The German violinist Christian Tetzlaff has pulled out of Carnegie Hall’s annual Isaac Stern memorial concert this Saturday because his baby is arriving earlier than expected.

James Ehnes will jump in.

He will play an all-Brahms recital with Leif Ove Andsnes, violist Tabea Zimmerman, and cellist Clemens Hagen.

Katie Wagner has called a security summit with local and national authorities after Uwe Eric Laufenberg, this summer’s Parsifal director, said he was planning an Islamic theme for his production.

Laufenberg denied initial reports that the Flowermaidens would be wearing burkas, only to be stripped naked. He did confirm, however, the connection to Islam – the mere mention of which has sent festival into panic mode.

The notion of an Islamised Parsifal is not, as it happens, daringly original. Nadja Michael (above) wore the burka as Kundry last year at the Colon in Buenos Aires.

The young Finn wonder Klaus Mäkelä – he’s 20 but looks as if he’s yet to matriculate – has been snapped up by the London agency HarrisonParrott, prime purveyors of Finland batons.