{"id":70791,"date":"2021-04-05T09:46:30","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T13:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=70791"},"modified":"2021-04-05T09:47:36","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T13:47:36","slug":"critics-picks-classical-opera-streams-absolutely-need-see-week-april-5-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2021\/04\/05\/critics-picks-classical-opera-streams-absolutely-need-see-week-april-5-11\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical And Opera Streams You Absolutely Need To See This Week: April 5\u201311"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Classical music and opera events happening in and around Toronto for the week of April 5 \u2013 11.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critic\u2019s Picks (April 5 – 11)<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe live in an extraordinary Age\u201d \u2013 Carl Sagan. COVID 19 continues to decimate our musical life, now with the dreaded \u201cThird Wave\u201d made more lethal by new variants. Nearly all European venues are closed to live audiences. At press time, France, Germany and Italy are in lockdown. A Austria\u2019s Salzburg Easter Festival is postponed to coincide with All Saint\u2019s Day on November 1, with revised program to be announced in May. At press time, the Prague Summer Nights Young Artists Music Festival is going ahead for an in-person festival (July 5-Aug 2), despite the Czech Republic having the highest number of cases per million population of any country in the world. \u00a0The Polish National Opera has cancelled all performances until April 9. However, it will live stream an orchestral concert with Piotr Beczala on April 5, without an audience. Bayerische Staatsoper M\u00fcnchen streamed its new Der Rosenkavalier on March 21 but cancelled the performance on April 3, as well as performances of La Traviata (April 9, 11, 15).<\/p>\n

La Scala suffered a COVID outbreak in the Corps de Ballet, where 35 dancers and 3 staff members tested positive, led to a delay of the recording of the Tribute to Nureyev Gala. It finally happened on March 28. The Palau de Les Arts Reina Sof\u00eda in Valencia, Spain has rescheduled Daniele Gatti\u2019s Verdi Requiem to July 1 and the upcoming Tristan und Isolde will be replaced by Falstaff, due to the large orchestra and chorus requirements for Wagner. Spain is literally alone in Europe still have performances for live audiences, with Barcelona\u2019s Gran Teatre del Liceu scheduled to stage Otello for an audience of 1,000. Also, it has just been announced that the Teatro Real de Madrid has delayed the opening of Peter Grimes from April 8 to 19, due to travel restrictions of the British artists to Spain following Brexit.<\/p>\n

The Royal Swedish Opera has cancelled all shows with a live audience into June, meaning for the rest of the 2020-21 season. France has a new lockdown for the next four weeks, with the Op\u00e9ra National de Paris cancelling all performances to May 2. It streamed Faust from the Op\u00e9ra Bastille on March 26, accessible on France 5, made available on Culturebox for six months. The Op\u00e9ra Comique canceled La Belle H\u00e9l\u00e8ne in March starring Canadian mezzo Marie\u2013Nicole Lemieux. \u00a0Toulouse\u2019s Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Capitole remains closed, cancelling the scheduled Pell\u00e9as et M\u00e9lisande. Op\u00e9ra de Rouen Normandie has canceled all performances in March. The Theater an der Wien, Vienna\u2019s third opera house, is closed \u201cuntil further notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite a virulent Third Wave, there are a few interesting events on offer in the US. After its Ring festival, San Francisco Opera is streaming Don Pasquale (April 3-4), The Fall of the House of Usher (April 10-11), and Don Carlo (April 17-18), this last with Michael Fabiano. LA Opera is launching a Signature Recital Series online, to showcase singers the likes of Russell Thomas, J\u2019Nai Bridges, Christine Goerke, Julia Bullock, and Susan Graham, in venues across the country and in Europe, available on-demand. Houston Grand Opera presents \u201cMy Favorite Things: Songs from The Sound of Music\u201d on May 8, a singalong\/fundraiser featuring members of the cast from the full production. \u00a0The Merola Opera Program presents a virtual charity gala on April 10, \u201cUn Gala In Maschera,\u201d a tribute to Merola\u2019s artistic director, Sheri Greenawald.<\/p>\n

Now in its 55th week, the Met\u2019s nightly free streaming continues with \u201cFrom Page to Stage,\u201d with operas based on great literature, interpreted by singers the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Netrebko, and Placido Domingo. All Met streams start at 7:30 pm ET and remain available for 23 hours. Canadians this week in the Met streams include conductor Yannick N\u00e9z\u00e9t-S\u00e9guin and the late, great baritone Louis Quilico. Sondra Radvanovsky and Keri Alkema of the Screaming Divas chat with the new COC General Director Perryn Leech. Toronto Wagner Society interviews the great Canadian baritone Gerald Finley. Young chamber musicians are featured in both RCM\u2019s Rebanks Fellowship Concert, and in WMCT\u2019s Music In the Afternoon concert.<\/p>\n

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

Wiener Staatsoper | Puccini\u2019s La Boheme<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>1 pm ET. This Puccini classic stars the new tenor sensation Benjamin Bernheim (Rodolfo) opposite the Mimi of soprano Marina Rebeka. Free with one-time registration. Speranza Scappucci, who made a memorable COC debut two seasons ago, conducts. Performance from November 29, 2018. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Teatr Wielki Polish National Opera | Piotr Becza\u0142a<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 pm ET. A homecoming for the famed Polish tenor in an orchestral concert (without an audience), singing a varied program of Italian and Polish opera arias. \u0141ukasz Borowicz conducts the Orchestra of the Polish National Opera. Available for 48 hours. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Met | Gounod\u2019s Faust<\/em>. <\/strong>Starring Marina Poplavskaya, Jonas Kaufmann, and Ren\u00e9 Pape, conducted by Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin. Production by Des McAnuff. From December 10, 2011. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday 6<\/span><\/h3>\n

Toronto Wagner Society | A Morning with Gerald Finley \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>11 am ET. Canadian baritone Gerald Finley is the special guest with the Toronto Wagner Society, hosted by TWS President Dr. Frances Henry. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Verdi\u2019s Rigoletto<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>1 pm ET. Evelino Pid\u00f2 conducts the Pierre Audi production, starring Carlos \u00c1lvarez, Juan Diego Fl\u00f3rez, Olga Peretyatko, Ain Anger, and Nadia Krasteva. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Met | Verdi\u2019s Rigoletto<\/em>. <\/strong>Starring Christiane Eda-Pierre, Isola Jones, Luciano Pavarotti, Louis Quilico, and Ara Berberian, conducted by James Levine. Production by John Dexter. From December 15, 1981. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday 7<\/span><\/h3>\n

Met | Tchaikovsky\u2019s Eugene Onegin<\/em>. <\/strong>Starring Anna Netrebko, Elena Maximova, Alexey Dolgov, Peter Mattei, and \u0160tefan Koc\u00e1n, conducted by Robin Ticciati. Production by Deborah Warner. From April 22, 2017. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday 8<\/span><\/h3>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music | Rebanks Family Fellowship Concert \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>7:30 pm ET. The GGS is the professional arm of the RCM. Each year, talented current and former Rebanks Fellows are showcased in this concert. This year\u2019s artists are Rebecca Anderson (violin), Adam Harris (baritone), Sonia Bize (harp), Alexander Seredenko (piano), Danny Koo (violin), plus guest artists Trevor Chartrand (piano) and Grace Han (piano). | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Met | Zandonai\u2019s Francesca da Rimini<\/em>.<\/strong> Starring Renata Scotto, Pl\u00e1cido Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil, conducted by James Levine. Production by Piero Faggioni. From April 7, 1984. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday 9<\/span><\/h3>\n

Met | Shostakovich\u2019s The Nose<\/em>. <\/strong>Starring Andrey Popov, Alexander Lewis, and Paulo Szot, conducted by Pavel Smelkov. Production by William Kentridge. From October 26, 2013. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday 10<\/span><\/h3>\n

Teatro Massimo di Palermo | Verdi\u2019s Requiem<\/em> \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>2 pm ET. Taped last week without audience, it features Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury, mezzo Martina Belli, tenor Francesco Meli, and bass Riccardo Zanellato. Riccardo Muti conducts the Orchestra and Choir of the Teatro Massimo. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Met | Gounod\u2019s Rom\u00e9o et Juliette<\/em>. <\/strong>Starring Anna Netrebko, Roberto Alagna, Nathan Gunn, and Robert Lloyd, conducted by Pl\u00e1cido Domingo. Production by Guy Joosten. From December 15, 2007. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Sunday 11<\/span><\/h3>\n

Met | Verdi\u2019s Luisa Miller<\/em>. <\/strong>Starring Sonya Yoncheva, Olesya Petrova, Piotr Becza\u0142a, Pl\u00e1cido Domingo, Alexander Vinogradov, and Dmitry Belosselskiy, conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Production by Elijah Moshinsky. From April 14, 2018. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

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

1) Screaming Divas with Sondra and Keri | Perryn Leech. <\/strong>This latest episode is of particular interest to Canadian opera fans, as Sondra Radvanovsky and Keri Alkema interview COC\u2019s new General Director, Perryn Leech, who has been the head of the Houston Grand Opera. Leech also is the host of the monthly COC vlog \u201cCheck-In With Perryn.\u201d<\/p>\n