Russell Thomas, Roberto Alagna, Christine Goerke, John Holiday, Ghena Dimitrova, Ildebrando d’Arcangelo Headline Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week
By David SalazarAre you looking for classic operas with star-studded casts? Or major concerts with diverse repertory? Or some new works that explore that the possibilities of the artform? We have all of that covered in this week’s top 10 operas to stream.
So without further ado, let’s kick things off…
Vanished – The Dallas Opera (NOW)
Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci – Vienna State Opera (May 3)
Cinco de Mayo Concert – North / South Consonance (May 3)
Bang on a Can: Julia Wolfe’s ‘Steel Hammer’ – Cal Performances (May 6)
For those seeking out some newer repertory and a unique fusion of music and film, then you can’t go wrong with this offering by Cal Performances. Wolfe’s “Steel Hammer” explores the over 200 versions of the John Henry ballad, weaving and fragmenting all the variations that have risen since the 1800s into a new whole which showcases the evolution of the story. Among the performers are vocalists Rebecca Hargrove, Sonya Headlam, and Molly Netter.
La Gioconda – Sofia Opera (May 6)
For those that want to dig into a bit of operatic history, don’t miss Sofia Opera’s celebration of soprano Ghena Dimitrova’s 80th birthday and the 70th birthday of tenor Rumen Doykov with a filmed version of their 1999 production of Ponchielli’s “La Gioconda.” The work is directed by Plamen Kartaloff and conducted by Georgi Notev, the cast featured Dimitrova, Doykov, Nicola Ghiuselev, Stefka Mineva, Zhivko Pranchev, and Elena Chavdarova.
Tosca – Opera Vision / Royal Swedish Opera (May 7)
Sticking to the vein of classical opera repertory, don’t miss out on the Royal Swedish Opera’s “Tosca,” a performance from February that will now be available for streaming. Malin Byström stars as Tosca and Daniel Johansson as Cavaradossi.
Canciones y Poemas – Teatro Grattacielo (May 7)
Teatro Grattacielo and Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy will join forces with Columbus Citizens Foundation and Opera Hispánica to present “Canciones y Poemas.” The recital features tenor Ricardo Garcia, pianist Howard Watkins, and soprano Sylvia D’Eramo as they explore Italian and Spanish verismo and folk songs by such composers as Mascagni, De Falla, Piazzola, Puccini, Granados, Montero, and Landau.
Watch it here.
Wagnerians Live in Concert – Met Opera (May 8)
The Met will continue its Met Stars Live in Concert series, this time with a showcase dedicated to Wagnerians. It will star sopranos Christine Goerke and Elza van den Heever, tenor Andreas Schager and bass-baritone Michael Volle. The concert will feature accompaniment by Craig Terry as well as arias and duets from “Der Fliegende Holländer,” “Lohengrin,” “Parsifal,” “Das Rheingold,” “Tannhäuser,” and “Die Walküre.” There will also be a performance of Wagner’s “Wesendonck Lieder” and the final scene from Strauss’ “Die Frau ohne Schantten.”
Concert Starring Ildebrando D’Arcangelo – Teatro alla Scala (May 8)
The Teatro alla Scala will present a concert conducted by Gianandrea Noseda and will starring Ildebrando D’Arcangelo. The program will include music by Mozart, Brahms, and Beethoven.
Luisa Miller – Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (May 8)
This performance was previously postponed but it will be back in business this week with Michele Mariotti conducting the rarely performed Verdi work, which has not been heard at the Teatro Costanzi since 1990. The concert performance will feature Michele Pertusi, Antonio Poli, Daniela Barcellona, Marko Mimica, and Roberto Frontali. The title role will be sung by Roberta Mantegna and the cast will be completed by Irene Savignano and Rodrigo Ortiz.
***Some of these performances may be region-blocked (only accessible to people connected to a network in a specific country). But you can gain access by using a VPN. For find out more, click here.
