{"id":69664,"date":"2020-11-16T11:22:58","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T16:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=69664"},"modified":"2020-11-17T15:30:33","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T20:30:33","slug":"critics-picks-classical-opera-livestreams-absolutely-need-see-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2020\/11\/16\/critics-picks-classical-opera-livestreams-absolutely-need-see-week\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical And Opera Livestreams You Absolutely Need To See This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Classical
Classical music and opera events streaming on the web for the week of November 16 \u2013 22.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critic\u2019s Picks (November 16 \u2013 22)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe live in an extraordinary Age\u201d \u2014 Carl Sagan.<\/em> The COVID-19 pandemic continues to decimate our musical lives. The dreaded second wave shows no sign of waning, forcing virtually all venues to close once again. The venerable Teatro alla Scala reportedly has 50 COVID cases in its chorus, orchestra and staff. It has cancelled its fabled opening night on Dec. 7, 2020, when it was supposed to stage a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor<\/em> with Lisette Oropesa and Juan Diego Florez.<\/p>\n

However, La Scala won\u2019t be silenced, according to Norman Lebrecht\u2019s Slipped Disc<\/em>. \u201cLa Scala will not remain silent this 7 December either. In the next few days we will announce the program of a concert conducted by Riccardo Chailly in which some of the greatest international singers will participate together with our orchestra, choir and ballet. We will not be able to have an audience in the hall but RAI will allow us to be seen by a wider, international audience broadcasting our 7 Dicembre<\/em> on channel 1 and on some of the main international TVs. It will be a message of will and hope for Italy and for all the theatres and artists affected.\u201d That said, the day after this announcement, the La Scala Orchestra, which has its own concert series, announced that its autumn concerts are cancelled, including the opening night on Dec. 14. What this means for the Dec. 7 concert is unclear.<\/p>\n

Francisco Salazar of Opera Wire<\/em> has reported that the closures have led to some protests. In front of the Teatro alla Scala and Teatro Comunale di Bologna, hundreds of artists protested with signs that read \u201cOpera is Work\u201d and \u201cMusic is Work\u201d. In Milan, baritone Simone Piazzola participated in the protest. In Bologna, singers Federica Vitali, Cristina Melis, Mariangela Sicilia, Angelo Veccia, Franco Vassallo, Luca Gallo, Marina Ogii, Marco Miglietta, and Lorenzo Giossi demonstrated against the government\u2019s decision. In Barcelona, 600 people protested the closures of all theatres and auditoriums in Catalonia. The protest was held at the Passeig de Gr\u00e0cia, which stopped traffic. Workers held up signs asking for government help and stating that \u201cCulture is secure\u201d.<\/p>\n

In North America, performing arts are virtually shut down. The National Ballet of Canada cancelled the rest of its season, as has the Metropolitan Opera and the COC. The Met Stars Live in Concert<\/em> series has seen many changes. One concert featuring soprano Pretty Yende and tenor Javier Camarena, scheduled for Nov. 7, has been postponed, \u201cdue to the non-COVID illness of Camarena\u201d. The next show will be soprano Sonya Yoncheva, scheduled to perform on Nov. 21 from the Schussenried Cloister in southwest Germany. Carnegie Hall just announced it has canceled all live performances until April 5, 2021. Lincoln Centre has canceled all performances for spring 2021, which means its Great Performers<\/em> series and 2020-21 David Rubenstein Atrium Season, as well as the annual American Songbook<\/em> series are all gone.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, music lovers can turn to the internet for solace. Now that the Wiener Staatsoper is shut down again, it is opening its archives for nightly free streaming. As of Monday morning, the schedule is not yet on the Staatsoper website but can be found on Slipped Disc<\/em>. And how appropriate that the Met\u2019s streaming this week is \u201cYannick Week\u201d \u2014 the Canadian maestro is the 2020 Rubies (Opera Canada Awards) recipient. The Rubies can be enjoyed on Monday, Nov. 23 in a virtual gala which you can watch on YouTube. (Link will be included in next week\u2019s Critic\u2019s Picks.<\/em>) The Met\u2019s free nightly stream starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and is available for 23 hours. Tops on demand shows this week are such heavyweights as Don Carlo<\/em>, Faust<\/em>, Don Giovanni<\/em>, La Traviata<\/em> and Rigoletto<\/em>, with megastars Jonas Kaufmann and Renee Fleming. Many great Canadian artists are featured, including Adrianne Pieczonka, John Relyea, Orfra Harnoy and Gerald Finley.<\/p>\n

Monday 16<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Wigmore Hall | Diary of One Who Disappeared \u2014 1 p.m. ET<\/strong>. Scottish tenor Nicky Spence is joined by pianist Julius Drake in a performance of Jan\u00e1cek\u2019s enigmatic song cycle.<\/p>\n