Leona Mitchell, Luciano Pavarotti, Angela Gheorghiu, Golda Schultz, Elsa Dreisig Headline Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week
By David SalazarWith Valentine’s Day at the end of the week, you can expect that this week’s opera recommendations place a spotlight on holiday performances or similarly themed events.
So let’s get to it. Here are the top 10 operas you should check out this week.
Don Carlo – Opera Streaming / Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti (NOW)
The Teatro Comunale and Opera Streaming will present a star-studded performance of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” starring Andrea Carè, Michele Pertusi, Luca Salsi, Anna Pirozzi, and Judit Kutasi. As far as love goes, few operas have as many romantic entanglements and triangles, to truly devastating effect.
Ernani – Metropolitan Opera (Feb. 9)
The Met Opera will present Verdi’s early opera with Leona Mitchell alongside Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, and Ruggero Raimondi. The broadcast dates from December 17, 1983.
Manon – OperaVision (Feb. 12)
One of the great operatic and literary love stories will bow this week on OperaVision. “Manon,” which is presented in a production from the Staatsoper Hamburg will star Elsa Dreisig in the title role and Sébastien Rouland conducting. David Bösch directs the new production.
Black Love – Los Angeles Opera (Feb. 13)
As part of its Valentine’s Day Celebration, LA Opera will bring back its “After Hours” recital series with a concert dedicated to love songs by black composers including H. Leslie Adams, Margaret Bonds, H.T. Burleigh, James H. East, Undine Smith Moore, and William Grant Still.
The program, which was curated by the company’s new Artist in Residence Russell Thomas, will feature sopranos Alaysha Fox and Tiffany Townsend as well as tenor Ashley Faatoalia and pianist Leonard Hayes.
Liebe – Brooklyn Art Song Society (Feb. 13)
The Brooklyn Art Song Society continues its famed Schubert festival with “Liebe” which will focus on the composer’s songs about Love. The performance will feature sopranos Lucy Fitz Gibbon and Amy Owens; mezzo
sopranos Blythe Gaissert, Kate Maroney, and Devony Smith; as well as pianists Michael Brofman and Dimitri Dover.
Der Freischütz – Bayerische Staatsoper (Feb. 13)
The Bayerische Staatsoper will stream Weber’s “Der Freischutz” in a new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov and without an audience. Antonello Manacorda will conduct the production which will star Boris Prýgl, Bálint Szabó, Golda Schultz, Anna Prohaska, Kyle Ketelsen, Pavel Černoch, and Tareq Nazmi.
Cosi fan tutte – San Francisco Opera (Feb. 13-14)
San Francisco Opera will showcase the one opera that most openly questions the nature of love. This 2013 production stars Francesco Demuro, Philippe Sly, Ellie Dehn, Christel Lötzsch, Susannah Biller, and Marco Vinco. Luisotti conducts.
Save the Boys – Opera Philadelphia (Feb. 12)
For those looking for something shorter, don’t miss out on Tyshawn Sorey’s “Save the Boys” which will star countertenor John Holiday and pianist Grant Loehnig. The song cycle is inspired by an 1887 poem by abolitionist, writer, and Black women’s rights activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.
Don Giovanni – Greek National Opera (Feb. 14)
And for those who want something that runs contrary to the holiday spirits, then there is no better opera than “Don Giovanni,” which is as anti-love as it gets. The Greek National Opera will present this unique production of Mozart and Da Ponte’s famed opera with a cast that Tassis Christoyannis, Vassiliki Karayanni, Yannis Christopoulos, Petros Magoulas, Anna Stylianaki, Tassos Apostolou, Nikos Kotenidis, and Chrissa Maliamani.
La Bohème – Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège (Feb. 14)
The Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège will present one of the great operatic love stories of all time with a cast starring Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì, Stefan Pop as Rodolfo, Ionut Pascu as Marcello, Ugo Guagliardo in the role of Colline, Kamil Ben Hsain Lachiri as Schaunard, María Rey-Joly in the role of Musetta, and Patrick Delcour as Benoît/Alcindoro. Frédéric Chaslin conducts the production by Stefano Mazzonis Di Pralafera.
Watch it here.
