Critic’s Picks (April 20 – 26)
After weeks of introducing these virtual concerts, we’ll save you the clever openers except to say keep watching, it’s good for our mental health. A genuine blockbuster is the Metropolitan Opera At Home Gala on Saturday April 25 at 1 p.m. EDT, with a stellar lineup of 40 artists including Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel and Roberto Alagna. Canadian artists include baritone Etienne Dupuis and Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin — at the piano! All artists performing in their homes. As we had the previous weeks, we are featuring the Met’s and Wiener Staatsoper’s nightly streams, followed by a selection of other companies and individual artists, available on a video-on-demand basis.
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Monday 20
Met | Strauss: Elektra — 7:30 p.m. (ET). Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier, and Eric Owens, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. From April 30, 2016. Available for 24 hours. | Details
Vienna State Opera | L’italiana in Algeri — 9:00 a.m. (ET). Adam Plachetka (Mustafà), Hila Fahima (Elvira), Rachel Frenkel (Zulma), Rafael Fingerlos (Haly), Maxim Mironov (Lindoro), Margarita Gritskova (Isabella), Paolo Rumetz (Taddeo) Evelino Pido, conductor. From April 8, 2017. Available for 72 hours (free registration required). | Details
Tuesday 21
Met | Puccini: Tosca — 7:30 p.m. (ET). Sonya Yoncheva, Vittorio Grigolo, and Željko Lučić, conducted by Emmanuel Villaume. From January 27, 2018. Available for 24 hours. | Details
Vienna State Opera | Le Pavillon d’Armide, Le Sacre (ballet) — 9:00 a.m. (ET). “Le Pavillon d’Armide” with Mihail Sosnovschi, Nina Poláková, Roman Lazik, Davide Dato, Maria Yakovleva, Nina Tonoli, Denys Cherevychko, Richard Szabó; “Le Sacreu” withRebecca Horner, Ioanna Avraam, Francesco Costa, Alice Firenze, Eszter Ledán, Eno Peci, Masayu Kimoto Michael Boder, conductor. From March 13, 2017. Available for 72 hours (free registration required). | Details
Wednesday 22
Met | Offenbach: Les contes d’Hoffmann — 7:30 p.m. (ET). Anna Netrebko, Kathleen Kim, Ekaterina Gubanova, Joseph Calleja, and Alan Held, conducted by James Levine. From December 19, 2009. Available for 24 hours. | Details
Vienna State Opera | Fidelio — 9:00 a.m. (ET). Brandon Jovanovich (Florestan), Anne Schwanewilms (Leonore), Clemens Unterreiner (Don Fernando), Thomas Johannes Mayer (Don Pizarro), Wolfgang Bankl (Rocco), Chen Reiss (Marzelline), Michael Laurenz (Jaquino) Adam Fischer, conductor. From April 29, 2019. Available for 72 hours (free registration required). | Details
Thursday 23
Met | Lehar: Merry Widow — 7:30 p.m. (ET). Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and Nathan Gunn, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. From January 17, 2015. Available for 24 hours. | Details
Vienna State Opera | Anna Bolena — 9:00 a.m. (ET). Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (Enrico VIII), Anna Netrebko (Anna Bolena), Elīna Garanča (Giovanna Seymour), Francesco Meli (Lord Riccardo Percy), Elisabeth Kulman (Smeton) Evelino Pido, conductor. From April 11, 2011. Available for 72 hours (free registration required). | Details
Friday 24
Met | Verdi: La Traviata — 7:30 p.m. (ET). Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Fabio Luisi. From April 14, 2012. Available for 24 hours. | Details
Vienna State Opera | Madama Butterfly — 9:00 a.m. (ET). Ana María Martínez (Cio-Cio-San), Bongiwe Nakani (Suzuki), Andrea Carè (B.F. Pinkerton), Gabriel Bermúdez (Sharpless) Jader Bignamini, conductor. From December 7, 2018. Available for 72 hours (free registration required). | Details
Saturday 25
Met | At Home Gala — 7:30 p.m. (ET). More than 40 leading artists perform in a live stream from their homes around the world. Read about it here. Available for 24 hours. | Details
Vienna State Opera | Fidelio — 9:00 a.m. (ET). Peter Seiffert (Florestan), Camilla Nylund (Leonore), Boaz Daniel (Don Fernando), Albert Dohmen (Don Pizarro), Günther Groissböck (Rocco), Chen Reiss (Marzelline), Jörg Schneider (Jaquino)Cornelius Meister, conductor. From June 2, 2017. Available for 72 hours (free registration required). | Details
Sunday 26
Met | Rossini: La Cenerentola — 7:30 p.m. (ET). Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez, conducted by Fabio Luisi. From May 10, 2014. Available for 24 hours. | Details
Vienna State Opera | Hänsel und Gretel — 9:00 a.m. (ET). Sebastian Holecek (Peter), Donna Ellen (Gertrud), Margaret Plummer (Hänsel), Chen Reiss (Gretel), Michaela Schuster (Knusperhexe), Maria Nazarova (Sandmännchen / Taumännchen). Axel Kober, conductor. From January 5, 2017. Available for 72 hours (free registration required). | Details
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Additional picks (Date-specific or Video On Demand):
More interesting streams by other companies as well as individual artists:
1) Komische Oper Berlin is known for its edgy and provocative productions. Here is a Barrie Kosky directed La boheme, conducted by Canadian Jordan de Souza. Nadja Mchantaf (Mimi), Vera-Lotte Böcker (Musetta), Jonathan Tetelman (Rodolfo), Günter Papendell (Marcello), Dániel Foki (Schaunard), Philipp Meierhöfer (Colline).
2) Finnish National Opera | Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk This Shostakovich masterpiece stars Svetlana Sozdateleva (Katerina Ismailova), Alexey Kosarev (Sergei), Mika Pohjonen (Zinovy), Alexander Teliga (Boris). From 11 March 2019. Oleg Caetani, conductor. Watch it on the company’s webpage.
3) James Conlon at Home (audio podcast via LA Opera). Esteemed American conductor James Conlon shares his thoughts every Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. on all subjects operatic. So far discussions have focused on Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande (parts 1, 2, & 3), Debussy and Wagner (parts 1 & 2), and the power of opera to inspire, heal, console, distract, and entertain. Available here including a recent episode called Opera and Catharsis.
4) I’m ending with something silly for those into diva shenanigans. Sopranos Sondra Radvanovsky and Keri Alkema, great singers and great friends, have started Screaming Divas. This is episode one, not meant to be great art but just two top sopranos letting their hair down. UPDATE: Episode 2 is now up! The Screaming Divas are interviewing the COC Head Honcho, Alexander Neef, in a candid and funny chat about how the current health crisis is impacting the opera world and how everyone is coping. Part 1 is now up, and Part 2 will be up tomorrow at noon. I’ve just been tipped off by the COC Director of Communication Avril Sequeira that there are bloopers at the end. Don’t miss it!
#LUDWIGVAN
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