{"id":70491,"date":"2021-03-01T10:58:40","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T15:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=70491"},"modified":"2021-03-01T10:58:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T15:58:40","slug":"critics-picks-classical-and-opera-streams-you-absolutely-need-to-see-this-week-march-1-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2021\/03\/01\/critics-picks-classical-and-opera-streams-you-absolutely-need-to-see-this-week-march-1-7\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical And Opera Streams You Absolutely Need To See This Week: March 1 \u2013 7"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Classical
Classical music and opera events streaming on the web for the week of March 1 \u2013 7.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critic\u2019s Picks (March 1 \u2013 7)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe live in an extraordinary Age\u201d \u2013 Carl Sagan.<\/em> For a second year, COVID-19 continues to decimate our musical life. Virtually all European opera houses are closed to live audiences, for varying lengths of time, some to Easter and beyond. A few organizations are reopening for limited livestreaming, some even planning ambitious in-person events into the summer. Here are the latest updates:<\/p>\n

Despite the high COVID rates in the Czech Republic, the Prague Summer Nights Young Artists Music Festival<\/a><\/span> hopes for the best with an in-person festival (July 5 \u2013 Aug 2) with COVID protocols in place. In Austria, the Salzburg Easter Festival<\/a><\/span> (April 2 \u2013 5) is going ahead. It opens April 2 with a Mozart choral concert conducted by Christian Thielemann, starring Golda Schultz, followed by an orchestral concert of Grieg and Beethoven with Thielemann conducting pianist Denis Matsuev. Hilary Hahn headlines an orchestral concert of Mozart and Schumann conducted by Antonio Pappano (April 4). The festival ends on April 5 with a Gala Concert featuring Anna Netrebko, Golda Schultz and Yusif Eyvazov, performing excerpts from Turandot<\/em>, conducted by Thielemann.<\/p>\n

The Polish National Opera has announced a new program for March and April. It opens with Prokofiev\u2019s Romeo and Juliet<\/em> followed by Puccini\u2019s Madama Butterfly<\/em> with Aleksandra Kurzak, followed by Die Zauberfloete (March 26, 27, 28), Cardillac<\/em> (April 23, 25, 27, 29), and Werther<\/em> with Piotr Beczala (April 9 and 11). In Switzerland, the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve and Theater Basel are closed until March 31, joining Opernhaus Z\u00fcrich, which is closed until Easter. The Bayerische Staatsoper has cancelled its run of Judith<\/em>, a concert for orchestra paired with B\u00e9la Bart\u00f3k\u2019s Bluebeard\u2019s Castle<\/em> on March 5, 8 & 11, 2021. The performances were supposed to star Nina Stemme and John Lundgren, with Oksana Lyniv conducting the production by Katie Mitchell. Wiener Staatsoper, though closed to a live audience, streamed Carmen<\/em> on Feb. 21, starring Anita Rachvelishvili as Carmen and Piotr Beczala as Don Jos\u00e9, replacing Charles Castronovo who\u2019s recovering from COVID.<\/p>\n

The Palau de Les Arts Reina Sof\u00eda in Valencia, Spain has rescheduled Daniele Gatti\u2019s Verdi Requiem<\/em> to July 1 and the upcoming Tristan und Isolde<\/em> will be replaced by Falstaff<\/em>, due to the large orchestra and chorus requirements for Wagner. Falstaff<\/em>, originally scheduled for February, will now be presented on March 2, 7, 11, and 14. Op\u00e9ra de Monte-Carlo has announced the cancellation of a recital on Feb. 24 by Sir Bryn Terfel due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, a new study by Fraunhofer Heinrich Institute & Konzerthaus Dortmund has concluded that concert halls and theatres are safe when attendance is kept to 50% of capacity and with the proper precautions. Let\u2019s hope they are right! The Italian government has declared a State of Emergency to last until April 30. The Royal Swedish Opera has extended its closure until at least March 26. If the pandemic situation allows, the opera house will reopen for the premiere of Ariadne auf Naxo<\/em>s on March 27. It has just announced it will stream a Tosca with Malin Bystr\u00f6m available all March.<\/p>\n

Op\u00e9ra National de Paris has cancelled all performances until April 5. One of the last things before shutting down was the livestreaming of a radical Regieoper Aida<\/em> on Feb. 18 with Sondra Radvanovsky and Jonas Kaufmann, now available on YouTube. The Op\u00e9ra Comique in Paris has cancelled its upcoming La Belle H\u00e9l\u00e8ne<\/em> in March starring Canadian mezzo Marie\u2013Nicole Lemieux. La Monnaie in Brussels is closed in February but will stream an all-Mozart program. Toulouse\u2019s Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Capitole will remain closed into March, cancelling the scheduled Pell\u00e9as et M\u00e9lisande<\/em>.<\/p>\n

On this side of the pond, the Met\u2019s nightly free streaming continues with \u201cCelebrating Women\u2019s History Month,\u201d with operas featuring megastars Mirella Freni, Beverly Sills, Marilyn Horne, Jessye Norman, and Renee Fleming. All Met nightly streams start at 7:30 p.m. ET and remain available for 23 hours. Other interesting videos on demand: Sondra and Keri of the Screaming Divas chat with David Walker, the General Director of Palm Beach Opera, about its producing opera with a live audience during the pandemic. Brott Opera\u2019s Don Giovanni at Home<\/em> from last June is back for the month of March. Finally, Against the Grain Theatre\u2019s Joel Ivany in conversation with the great Canadian baritone Gerald Finley.<\/p>\n

Monday 1<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Bizet\u2019s Carmen<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada conducts the Calixto Bieito production starring Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala, Erwin Schrott, and Vera-Lotte Boecker From Feb. 21, 2021. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Donizetti\u2019s Don Pasquale<\/strong>. Starring Beverly Sills, Alfredo Kraus, H\u00e5kan Hageg\u00e5rd, and Gabriel Bacquier, conducted by Nicola Rescigno. Production by John Dexter. From January 11, 1979. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday 2<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Verdi\u2019s Otello<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Graeme Jenkins conducts the Christine Mielitz production, starring Roberto Alagna, Aleksandra Kurzak, Dalibor Jenis, Antonio Poli From March 18, 2018. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Verdi\u2019s Falstaff<\/strong>. Starring Mirella Freni, Barbara Bonney, Marilyn Horne, Susan Graham, Paul Plishka, Frank Lopardo, and Bruno Pola, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From October 10, 1992. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday 3<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Strauss\u2019s Ariadne auf Naxos<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Christian Thielemann conducts the Sven-Eric Bechtolf production starring Johan Botha, Soile Isokoski, Sophie Koch, Daniela Fally, and Jochen Schmeckenbecher. From Oct. 23, 2014. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Wagner\u2019s Die Walk\u00fcre<\/strong>. Starring Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes, James Morris, and Kurt Moll, conducted by James Levine. Production by Otto Schenk. From April 8, 1989. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Thursday 4<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Massenet\u2019s Manon<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Chaslin conducts the Andrei Serban production starring Nino Machaidze, Juan Diego Fl\u00f3rez, and Adrian Er\u00f6d. From June 9, 2019. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Wigmore Hall | Kirill Gerstein<\/strong> \u2014\u00a02:30 p.m. ET. Berlin-based, Russian-American pianist Kirill Gerstein plays a program of works by Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, and Schubert. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Mozart\u2019s Die Zauberfl\u00f6te.<\/strong> Starring Golda Schultz, Kathryn Lewek, Charles Castronovo, Markus Werba, Christian Van Horn, and Ren\u00e9 Pape, conducted by James Levine. Production by Julie Taymor. From October 14, 2017. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Friday 5<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Jan\u00e1cek\u2019s Katja Kabanova<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Tom\u00e1\u0161 Netopil conducts the Andr\u00e9 Engel production starring Angela Denoke, Misha Didyk, Jane Henschel, and Dan Paul Dumitrscu. From April 27, 2017. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Minnesota Orchestra | Soaring Strings <\/strong>\u2014\u00a09 p.m. ET. Livestream of concert conducted by guest maestro Juraj Val\u010duha, with Canadian violinist James Ehnes, playing Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, paired with Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Britten\u2019s Peter Grimes<\/strong>. Starring Patricia Racette, Anthony Dean Griffey, and Anthony Michaels-Moore, conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles. Production by John Doyle. From March 15, 2008. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday 6<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Verdi\u2019s Aida<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Marco Armiliato conducts this Verdi gem in the Nicolas Joel production starring Elena Guseva, Gregory Kunde, Ekaterina Gubanova, and Simone Piazzola From June 29, 2019. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Tapestry Opera | Our Song D\u2019Hiver<\/strong> \u2014\u00a08 p.m. ET. Soprano Mireille Asselin and pianist Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Lacroix perform \u201cworks from the Francophone world in this delightful bilingual fusion of recital and \u2018kitchen concert\u2019\u201d. Joining them are Acadian guitarist Maxim Cormier, M\u00e9tis composer Ian Cusson, and Franco-Ontarian composer Marie-Claire Saindon. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Rusalka<\/strong>. Starring Ren\u00e9e Fleming, Emily Magee, Dolora Zajick, Piotr Becza\u0142a, and John Relyea, conducted by Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin. Production by Otto Schenk. From February 8, 2014. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday 7<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Verdi\u2019s La Traviata (Live!)<\/strong> \u2014\u00a012 p.m. ET. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts the Simon Stone production starring Pretty Yende, Juan Diego Fl\u00f3rez, Igor Golovatenko, and Margaret Plummer. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Confluence Concerts | John Beckwith Songbook<\/strong> \u2014\u00a02\/5\/8 p.m. ET. Canadian composer John Beckwith turns 94, and here\u2019s a \u201cmarathon event at which a great majority of his song catalogue \u2014 spanning from 1947 to 2021 \u2014 will be sung by students, professionals, friends and colleagues. A co-production with the University of Toronto and the Canadian Art Song Project.\u201d | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Met | Verdi\u2019s La Forza del Destino<\/strong>. Starring Leontyne Price, Giuseppe Giacomini, Leo Nucci, and Bonaldo Giaiotti, conducted by James Levine. Production by John Dexter. From March 24, 1984. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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

1) Against the Grain Theatre | From the Director\u2019s Chair: Gerald Finley<\/strong> AtG\u2019s Joel Ivany chats with the great, UK-based Canadian baritone Gerald Finley about his career and his thoughts on the musical profession facing the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n