{"id":69485,"date":"2020-10-26T10:44:47","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T14:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=69485"},"modified":"2020-10-26T12:14:46","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T16:14:46","slug":"critics-picks-classical-music-livestreams-absolutely-need-see-week-oct-26-nov-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2020\/10\/26\/critics-picks-classical-music-livestreams-absolutely-need-see-week-oct-26-nov-1\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical Music Livestreams You Absolutely Need To See This Week (Oct. 26 \u2013 Nov. 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Classical
Classical music and opera events streaming on the web for the week of October 26\u2014 November 1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critic\u2019s Picks (October 26 \u2013 November 1)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe live in an extraordinary Age\u201d \u2014 Carl Sagan.<\/em> COVID-19 pandemic continues to profoundly disrupt our musical lives. The dreaded second wave has arrived with a vengeance in Europe, leading to closures and cancellations, such as the entire run of Tannhauser<\/em> in Rouen, and both Le Nozze di Figaro<\/em> and Il Barbiere di Siviglia<\/em> in Wiesbaden. A few opera houses valiantly try to adapt. The Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve\u2019s upcoming run of The Makropoulos Case<\/em> (Oct. 26 \u2013 Nov 6) will be performed without a live orchestra, due to limitations preventing social distancing. L\u2019Orchestre de la Suisse Romande will be pre-recorded and later played through speakers placed in the pit. Singers will be singing live, with Maestro Toma\u0161 Netopil conducting the recording. Sadly it may be the new normal.<\/p>\n

Yet nothing can suppress the burning desire of creativity. A case in point is Finnish National Opera\u2019s Covid fan tutte<\/em>, adapting Mozart\u2019s sublime work with a new libretto, as a wry comment on the pandemic. A new piece has been commissioned by conductor Oliver Zeffman, Eight Songs From Isolation<\/em>, exploring themes of distance. It features Zeffman conducting the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra, with artists such as Sarah Connolly, Iestyn Davies, Sophie Bevan, Toby Spence, Julia Bullock and others.<\/p>\n

Russian soprano and COVID survivor Anna Netrebko returned to La Scala on Oct 21, in an operatic recital. Her Russian tour planned for October with her husband tenor Yusif Eyvazov has been postponed to March 2021. At La Scala for a recital on Oct. 22 was tenor Jonas Kaufmann and pianist Helmut Deutsch. As it turned out they were the lucky ones, as the Italian government has just announced that due to record spikes in cases, all theatres, concert halls are closed until Nov. 24. As I understand, La Scala will re-open after that for its run of La Boheme<\/em>. Similarly, Belgium, one of the hardest hit countries in the Second Wave, has ordered La Monnaie<\/em> closed from Oct. 26 to Nov. 22, reopening afterwards for performances of Mozart\u2019s Der Schauspieldirektor.<\/em><\/p>\n

The news is grim on this side of the pond. Cineplex Canada cancelled its planned encore screenings of three Met HD performances. The National Ballet of Canada cut short its run of The Dreamers Ever Leave You<\/em>. The Metropolitan Opera will stay dark for the whole of the 2020-21 season, and the COC has cancelled its entire 2020-21 season. A lone bright light is the San Diego Opera\u2019s Drive-In La Boheme<\/em> starring Ana Maria Martinez (replacing the originally announced Angel Blue) and Joshua Guerrero, four performances from Oct 24 to Nov.1. San Francisco Opera is screening Lucia di Lammermoor<\/em> on Oct. 25 at Fort Mason Flix Drive-In, for those wanting to see opera on the 40\u2019 X 20\u2019 LED screen at the Marina District drive-in and enjoy snacks from Off the Grid food trucks! It\u2019s a recycled 2008 performance starring Natalie Dessay and Giuseppe Filanoti.<\/p>\n

On the virtual front, the Met continues with its free nightly stream, at 7:30 p.m. ET and available for 23 hours. Given it is the elections in the US, the Met is presenting a week of \u201cPolitics in Opera.\u201d Lots of Canadians \u2014 Russell Braun in Nixon In China<\/em>, and Adrianne Pieczonka in Simon Boccanegra<\/em>. In The Ghost of Versailles<\/em>, there are three Canadians \u2014 Teresa Stratas (Marie Antoinette), Gino Quilico (Figaro), and Tracy Dahl (Florestine). Don\u2019t miss the concerts from World Opera Day (Oct. 25), with performances from around the world available on demand.<\/p>\n

Monday 26<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Wigmore Hall | Pavel Kolesnikov 2:30 p.m. ET<\/strong> The Russian pianist, who was the 2012 winner of the Honens Competition in Banff, plays a program of works by Scriabin, Liszt, Schubert, and Beethoven.<\/p>\n