{"id":70919,"date":"2021-04-26T10:45:06","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T14:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=70919"},"modified":"2021-04-27T10:57:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T14:57:32","slug":"critics-picks-classical-opera-streams-absolutely-need-see-week-april-26-may-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2021\/04\/26\/critics-picks-classical-opera-streams-absolutely-need-see-week-april-26-may-2\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical And Opera Streams You Absolutely Need To See This Week: April 26 \u2013 May 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Classical
Classical music and opera events streaming on the web for the week of April 26 to May 2.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Critic\u2019s Picks (April 26 \u2013 May 2)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWe live in an extraordinary Age\u201d \u2014 Carl Sagan<\/em>. COVID-19 continues to decimate our musical life, now with the dreaded Third Wave made more lethal by new variants. Nearly all European venues are closed, but some venues are set to reopen. Maggio Musicale has just announced plans to reopen. Opernahus Zurich will reopen on May 1 for a ballet performance with a limited audience of 50 people. Austria\u2019s Salzburg Easter Festival is postponed to November 1, with a revised program to be announced in May. Wiener Staatsoper will reopen on May 19 to a live audience, with COVID precautions. The Bolshoi is forging ahead with Tosca<\/em> from April 21 to June 13. The Teatro dell\u2019Opera di Roma has announced that it will reopen with a concert dedicated to Verdi on April 28, conducted by Michele Mariotti. Teatro La Fenice has confirmed that it will reopen on April 26 with a Verdi concert.<\/p>\n

The Prague Summer Nights Young Artists Music Festival is going ahead for an in-person festival (July 5-Aug 2). The Polish National Opera has cancelled all performances in April and May. La Scala and the Royal Swedish Opera were hit by a COVID outbreak, as well as L\u2019Orchestre de la Suisse Romande during rehearsals of Parsifal<\/em> at the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve. Theater Bonn has cancelled the rest of the current season. In Spain, the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sof\u00eda in Valencia 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.<\/p>\n

It was reported that the Teatro Real de Madrid has delayed the opening of Peter Grimes<\/em> from April 8 to 19, due to COVID travel restrictions of the British artists. Now the news came out that 20 members of the production team having caught COVID during rehearsals. Op\u00e9ra National de Paris cancelled all performances to May 2. It streamed Faust<\/em> from the Op\u00e9ra Bastille on March 26, accessible on France 5, made available on Culturebox for six months. Toulouse\u2019s Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Capitole remains closed, cancelling the scheduled Pell\u00e9as et M\u00e9lisande<\/em>. The Theater an der Wien, Vienna\u2019s third opera house, is closed \u201cuntil further notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Francisco Opera has just started live performances, of the Adlers Live at the Marin Center, a Drive-In! These are young artists performing live (April 29, May 6, 13). 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 My Favorite Things: Songs from The Sound of Music<\/em> on May 8, a singalong\/fundraiser featuring members of the cast from the full production. Looking further into the future, two orchestras have announced its summer plans: LA Philharmonic reopens the Hollywood Bowl in July, the Cleveland Orchestra returns to the Blossom Festival on July 11, and the Glyndebourne Festival announced its program of four operas and a concert series (May 20 \u2013 August 29).<\/p>\n

Now in its 58th week, the Met\u2019s nightly free streaming continues with operas under the theme of \u201cCity of Light,\u201d nickname for Paris, where all these opera stories take place. All Met streams start at 7:30 p.m. ET and remain available for 23 hours. The Met has also announced two new Met Stars Live in Concert: Wagnerians in Concert<\/em> (Christine Goerke, Elza van den Heever, Andreas Schager, and Michael Volle) on May 8, and The Three Divas<\/em> (Ailyn Perez, Nadine Sierra, and Isabel Leonard) on May 22. Tickets to these virtual concerts are $20 USD. Speaking of the Met, a very interesting piece of news is the invitation by Fabio Luisi, Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, to the members of the Met Orchestra to play a joint concert on April 30 and May 1, to benefit the Met Orchestra Musicians Fund and the DFW Musicians COVID-19 Relief Fund. Luisi was at one time the chief conductor of the Met.<\/p>\n

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

Concours musical international de Montr\u00e9al | 19th Edition (Piano)<\/strong> \u2014\u00a010 a.m. ET (Daily April 26 to 30). Beginning today and continuing until Friday, 26 candidates from 11 countries will compete in the semi-finals and streamed online for free. Read our guide on the semi-finals here<\/a>. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Wiener Staatsoper | Bizet\u2019s Carmen<\/strong> \u2014\u00a01 p.m. ET. Performance of February 21, 2021. Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada conducts the Calixto Bieito production with Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Becza\u0142a, Erwin Schrott, Vera-Lotte Boecker. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Met Opera | Puccini\u2019s La Boh\u00e8me<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Starring Sonya Yoncheva, Susanna Phillips, Michael Fabiano, Lucas Meachem, and Matthew Rose, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From February 24, 2018. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday 27<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Met Opera | Leh\u00e1r\u2019s The Merry Widow<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Starring Ren\u00e9e Fleming, Kelli O\u2019Hara, Nathan Gunn, Alek Shrader, and Sir Thomas Allen, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Production by Susan Stroman. From January 17, 2015. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Wednesday 28<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Met Opera | Giordano\u2019s Andrea Ch\u00e9nier<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Starring Maria Guleghina, Wendy White, Stephanie Blythe, Luciano Pavarotti, and Juan Pons, conducted by James Levine. Production by Nicolas Jo\u00ebl. From October 15, 1996. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto Wagner Society | An Evening with Paul Frey<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Dedicated Wagner fans will remember retired Canadian tenor Paul Frey, who enjoyed a brilliant career in Wagner and Strauss. He chats with Dr. Frances Henry of the Toronto Wagner Society. Open to TWS members. Interested non-members can join the Zoom talk by emailing a request here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thursday 29<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music\/Glenn Gould School | Britten\u2019s The Rape of Lucretia<\/strong> \u2014\u00a03 p.m. ET. Benjamin Britten\u2019s opera in a concert performance taped in Koerner Hall. River Guard (Male Chorus), Lynn Isnar (Female Chorus), Korin Thomas-Smith (Collatinus), Jordan De Sousa (Tarquinius), Noah Grove (Junius), Chelsea Pringle-Duchemin (Lucretia), Ariana Maubach (Bianca), and Thera Barclay (Lucia). Rachael Kerr is the pianist. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Met Opera | Massenet\u2019s Manon<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Starring Lisette Oropesa, Michael Fabiano, Artur Ruci\u0144ski, and Kwangchul Youn, conducted by Maurizio Benini. Production by Laurent Pelly. From October 26, 2019. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Tafelmusik | Caf\u00e9 Counterculture<\/strong> \u2014 8 p.m. ET. First performed in 2019 and now a filmed concert, this show features Baroque pieces alongside folk favourites by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, and Neil Young that harken back to the Yorkville hippie days of the 1960s. Ticket $10 and available for viewing online for four days. Elisa Citterio (violin), Marco Cera (oboe), Dominic Teresi (bassoon), Charlotte Nediger (harpsichord), Samaras (vocals), Andrew Downing (double bass\/arranger). | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

Friday 30<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Met Opera | Verdi\u2019s La Traviata<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Starring Ileana Cotrubas, Pl\u00e1cido Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil, conducted by James Levine. Production by Colin Graham. From March 28, 1981. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Met Opera | Cilea\u2019s Adriana Lecouvreur<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Starring Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Becza\u0142a, and Ambrogio Maestri, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Production by Sir David McVicar. From January 12, 2019. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Met Opera | Puccini\u2019s La Rondine<\/strong> \u2014\u00a07:30 p.m. ET. Starring Angela Gheorghiu, Lisette Oropesa, Roberto Alagna, Marius Brenciu, and Samuel Ramey, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Nicolas Jo\u00ebl. From January 10, 2009. | Details<\/a><\/p>\n

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

1) Screaming Divas with Sondra and Keri | Tamara Wilson<\/strong>. Sondra Radvanovsky and Keri Alkema go to Houston, virtually of course, to chat with American soprano Tamara Wilson. Canadian opera fans will remember Wilson, a frequent COC guest artist. Her last appearance here was as Desdemona in Otello.<\/p>\n