{"id":70184,"date":"2021-01-18T10:23:35","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T15:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=70184"},"modified":"2021-01-18T10:23:35","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T15:23:35","slug":"critics-picks-classical-and-opera-streams-you-absolutely-need-to-see-this-week-january-18-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2021\/01\/18\/critics-picks-classical-and-opera-streams-you-absolutely-need-to-see-this-week-january-18-24\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical And Opera Streams You Absolutely Need To See This Week: January 18 \u2013 24"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Classical
Classical music and opera events streaming on the web for the week of January 18 \u2013 24.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critic\u2019s Picks (January 18 – 24)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe live in an extraordinary Age\u201d \u2013 Carl Sagan.<\/em> Sadly, COVID-19 continues to decimate our musical life, with a depressing list of postponements and cancellations. The Op\u00e9ra Royal de Wallonie-Li\u00e8ge cancelled concerts by Juan Diego Fl\u00f3rez (Jan. 8) and Jonas Kaufmann (Jan. 10) due to pandemic measures by the government of Belgium. Last week, it was announced that German opera houses in Darmstadt, Kassel, Wiesbaden, Marburg and Gie\u00dfen would remain closed until Easter. To that list, you can now add Staatsoper Hannover, Deutsches Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar, Oper Frankfurt, and Semperoper Dresden, with the last house cancelling its entire 2020-21 season. Interestingly, a new study in Dortmund, by Fraunhofer Heinrich Institute & Konzerthaus Dortmund, has concluded that concert halls and theatres are not COVID superspreader venues when the proper precautions are taken. Let\u2019s hope they are right!<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the Wiener Staatsoper has cancelled all performances until at least Jan. 28, on order from the Austrian federal government; Opernhaus Z\u00fcrich, Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve, and Theater Basel are closed until at least Feb. 28, due to the Swiss federal authorities extending the lockdown. The Italian government has declared a State of Emergency to last until April 30. The Op\u00e9ra de Monte Carlo has updated performance times for its upcoming Tha\u00efs<\/em> due to the new curfew imposed in Monaco.<\/p>\n

A few events are still going ahead, but these are rare exceptions. The Met Stars Live in Concert event in Germany with Sondra Radvanovsky and Piotr Beczala on Jan. 23 is still on. New Orleans Opera has announced plans to present a virtual concert starring American tenor and New Orleans residents Bryan Hymel and his wife, soprano Irini Kyriakidou. The Met Opera\u2019s nightly free streaming soldiers on. Now in its 45th week, the theme this week is \u201cLeading Ladies: Opera\u2019s Greatest Heroines.\u201d Norma, Tosca, Carmen, Violetta, Lucia, Sieglinde, and Brunnhilde are the usual suspects when it comes to larger-than-life opera heroines, and we have great performances coming from Anna Netrebko, Sondra Radvanovsky, Diana Damrau, Hildegarde Behrens and others. All Met nightly streams start at 7:30 p.m. ET and are available for 23 hours.<\/p>\n

On the Video On Demand front, there is a slowing down of new material, perhaps a reflection of COVID fatigue? Song lovers will want to catch American baritone and Lieder specialist Thomas Hampson interviewing two Schubert scholars Graham Johnson and Susan Youens. Sondra Radvanovsky and Keri Alkema of the Screaming Divas speak with American icon Marilyn Horne about her career as singer and teacher. And the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is presenting several programs on Mozart, on a pay per view basis.<\/p>\n

Monday 18<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Bayerische Staatsoper | Montagsstucke: Sch\u00f6n ist die Welt (How Fair the World)<\/strong> \u2014\u00a02:15 p.m. ET. Franz Leh\u00e1r\u2019s operetta, staged by Tobias Ribitzki. Friedrich Haider conducts. Julia Kleiter sings Prinzessin Elisabeth, and Sebastian Kohlhepp is Kronprinz Georg. Available for the next 30 days. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Giselle (ballet)<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. This performance came from Sept 28, 2017, conducted by Valery Ovsyanikov. The lovers are Nina Pol\u00e1kov\u00e1 (Giselle) and Masayu Kimoto (Albrecht). | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Bizet\u2019s Carmen.<\/strong> Starring Anita Hartig, Anita Rachvelishvili, Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Ildar Abdrazakov, conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado. From November 1, 2014. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday 19<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The Arts Arena | James Conlon: A Live in Classical Music<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. American conductor James Conlon shares his thoughts on his Trans-Atlantic life in classical music, from Paris Op\u00e9ra to the Los Angeles Opera. The talk was given on January 15, 2016 in Paris and will be available for streaming. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Donizetti\u2019s Lucia di Lammermoor.<\/strong> Starring Anna Netrebko, Piotr Becza\u0142a, Mariusz Kwiecie\u0144, and Ildar Abdrazakov, conducted by Marco Armiliato. From February 7, 2009. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday 20<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Met | Bellini\u2019s Norma.<\/strong> Starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Joyce DiDonato, Joseph Calleja, and Matthew Rose, conducted by Carlo Rizzi. From October 7, 2017. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday 21<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Met | Verdi\u2019s La Traviata<\/strong>. Starring Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Fabio Luisi. From April 14, 2012. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Friday 22<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Met | Puccini\u2019s Tosca<\/strong>. Starring Hildegard Behrens, Pl\u00e1cido Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil, conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli. From March 27, 1985. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday 23<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall | Daniele Gatti Conducts Stravinsky and Shostakovich<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. On the program is Stravinsky\u2019s Apollon musag\u00e8te (revised version from 1947), and Shostakovich\u2019s Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met Stars Live in Concert | Piotr Beczala and Sondra Radvanovsky<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Live from Germany\u2019s historic Stadthalle Wuppertal, Radvanovsky and Brczala sing a program of arias and duets from operas by Verdi, Giordano, Puccini, Cilea, Moniuszko, and Dvorak. Vincenzo Scalera is the pianist. Ticket is $20 USD. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Massenet\u2019s Manon<\/strong>. Starring Lisette Oropesa, Michael Fabiano, Carlo Bosi, Artur Ruci\u0144ski, Brett Polegato, and Kwangchul Youn, conducted by Maurizio Benini. From October 26, 2019. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday 24<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Met | Wagner\u2019s Die Walk\u00fcre<\/strong>. Starring Deborah Voigt, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Stephanie Blythe, Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel, and Hans-Peter K\u00f6nig, conducted by James Levine. From May 14, 2011. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Video-on-demand performances:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1) Royal Swedish Opera | La Passion de Simone<\/strong>. Premiered on Jan. 16 and available for six months, this oratorio by Kaaja Saariaho on the French-Jewish philosopher and mystic Simone Weil features mezzo Anne Sophie von Otter. Christian Karlsen conducts. COC audiences will remember Saariaho\u2019s L\u2019amour de loin, staged a few seasons ago starring the late Erin Wall. Saariaho talks about her work.<\/p>\n