{"id":69262,"date":"2020-09-28T10:19:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-28T14:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=69262"},"modified":"2020-09-28T11:39:07","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T15:39:07","slug":"critics-picks-classical-music-livestreams-you-absolutely-need-to-see-this-week-sept-28-oct-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2020\/09\/28\/critics-picks-classical-music-livestreams-you-absolutely-need-to-see-this-week-sept-28-oct-4\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical Music Livestreams You Absolutely Need To See This Week (Sept. 28 \u2013 Oct. 4)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"CRITIC'S
CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical Music Livestreams You Absolutely Need To See This Week (Sept. 28 \u2013 Oct. 4)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critic\u2019s Picks (September 28 \u2013 October 4)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe live in an extraordinary Age\u201d \u2013 Carl Sagan.<\/em> Now fully into the 2020-21 season, our musical life continues to be severely disrupted by COVID-19. While some venues, mostly European, have reopened with precautions, the road has been difficult. The much feared second wave has arrived, especially in France, Spain, Germany, and the UK. Some sad examples \u2014 the Hessisches Staattheater Wiesbaden has had to cancel Le Nozze di Figaro<\/em> (Sept. 25) and Il Barbiere di Siviglia<\/em> (Sept. 26) on order by the State for health and safety reasons. A performance of Un Ballo in Maschera<\/em> on Sept. 21 at the Teatro Real (Madrid) was disrupted and subsequently cancelled, due to audience in the upper galleries protesting against a lack of social distancing.<\/p>\n

On a happier note, just this week we learned of the recovery from COVID-19 of American soprano Nadine Sierra. Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, hospitalized in Moscow<\/a><\/span> with COVID-19 related pneumonia, has been discharged. Her appearance as Leonora in Il Trovatore<\/em> in Spain was cancelled and replaced by American soprano Rachel Willis Sorenson. Netrebko\u2019s upcoming Met Stars Live in Concert on Oct. 10 has been postponed to February 6, 2021, with location to be announced. Similarly, the Met concert by Sondra Radvanovsky and Piotr Beczala, originally scheduled for September 26, is now rescheduled for January 21, 2021. However, their joint concert at the Teatro Liceu in Barcelona took place successfully a day later.<\/p>\n

A bombshell announcement this week that the Metropolitan Opera will remain dark<\/a><\/span> for the whole of the 2020-21 season. Given the rising cases in the US, the plan of a New Year\u2019s Eve Gala to reopen the Met proved unrealistic. With the closure of the biggest opera venue in North America, it does not bode well for other opera companies on this side of the pond. A few have found new ways to perform, such as San Diego Opera\u2019s Drive-In La Boheme<\/em> starring Angel Blue and Joshua Guerrero. Sadly, this appears to be the new normal in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Met continues with its free nightly stream<\/a><\/span>, at 7:30 p.m. ET and available for 23 hours. This week is Mozart week, with a particularly noteworthy performance on Saturday of Le nozze di Figaro<\/em> from 1998 with a fantastic cast starring Ren\u00e9e Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Susanne Mentzer, Dwayne Croft, and Bryn Terfel, conducted by James Levine. There\u2019s a lot of interesting shows available video-on-demand \u2014 enjoy!<\/p>\n

Monday 28<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wigmore Hall | Angela Hewitt 2:30 p.m. ET<\/strong> The UK based Canadian pianist plays Bach\u2019s The Art of Fugue BWV1080, which she recorded to great acclaim some years ago. This is only one of a plethora of choices from Wigmore Hall\u2019s Autumn Series, all free with donations gratefully accepted.<\/p>\n