March 16, 2020
Week 12: Lyric Commentaries for opera streaming and more!
It's the first week of June, and we are continuing our weekly series of providing commentaries and supplementary materials to enrich your time streaming your favorite operas. Included in this week's lineup are selects from week 12 of the Met's Nightly Streams, productions across the pond at the Royal Opera House and Opera Holland Park, and world-class performances at Dutch National Opera, Staatsoper Berlin, and Opera Australia.
To help you get the most out of these operas, Lyric Opera Commentaries discuss the synopsis, music, and some historical insight into how each piece was created. It’s like a Pre-Opera Talk you can enjoy at home!
Enjoy the background, and enjoy the operas! View more Lyric commentaries that enhance your weekly opera streaming.
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
Monday, June 1
Metropolitan Opera
Bellini: I Puritani
This production from the Metropolitan Opera stars Anna Netrebko, Eric Cutler, Franco Vassallo, and John Relyea, and was conducted by Patrick Summers on January 6, 2007.
The Lyric Commentary is from the 2017/18 Season and is by Roger Pines.
I puritani
by Vincenzo Bellini
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
© 2017/18 Lyric Opera Commentaries Original sound recordings of musical excerpts used by permission of Warner Music Group. All rights reserved. Recording & Production services provided by Mark Travis.
A project of the Women’s Board
Commentary by Roger Pines
Tuesday, June 2
Metropolitan Opera
Berg: Lulu
This production from the Metropolitan Opera stars Marlis Petersen, Susan Graham, Daniel Brenna, Paul Groves, Johan Reuter, and Franz Grundheber, and was conducted by Lothar Koenigs on November 21, 2015.
The Lyric Commentary is from the 2008/09 Season and is by Sir Andrew Davis in collaboration with Nicholas Ivor Martin.
Lulu
By Alban Berg
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
Commentary by Sir Andrew Davis and Nicholas Ivor Martin
Opera Holland Park
Verdi: Un Ballo in Maschera
This production from Opera Holland Park stars Anne Sophie Duprels, Matteo Lippi, George von Bergen, Alison Langer, and Rosalind Plowright, and is conducted by Matthew Kofi Waldren.
The Lyric Commentary is from the 2010/11 Season and is by Sir Andrew Davis.
A Masked Ball
By Giuseppe Verdi
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
Commentary by Nicholas Ivor Martin
Part two
Part three
Part four
Thursday, June 4
Metropolitan Opera
Puccini: Tosca
This production from the Metropolitan Opera stars Shirley Verrett, Luciano Pavarotti, and Cornell MacNeil, and was conducted by James Conlon on December 19, 1978.
Puccini's Tosca returns this upcoming season in a new-to-Chicago production. In addition to this week's commentaries, we invite you to read this Lyric Lately article as we take a look back at Lyric's history with this masterpiece.
The Lyric Commentary from the 2014/15 Season is read by Anthony Freud and written by Nicholas Ivor Martin.
Tosca
By Giacomo Puccini
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
© 2014/15 Lyric Opera Commentaries Original sound recordings of musical excerpts used by permission of Warner Music Group. All rights reserved. Recording and production services provided by Mark Travis.
A project of the Women’s Board
Commentary by Anthony Freud and Nicholas Ivor Martin
Dutch National Opera
Wagner: Das Rheingold
This production from Dutch National Opera stars Thomas Johannes Mayer, Marina Prudenskaja, Doris Soffel and Stefan Margita, and was conducted by Hartmut Haenchen in 2014.
Lyric Commentaries from the 2015/16 Season are by Sir Andrew Davis in collaboration with Jack Zimmerman and by Colin Ure. In addition to our commentaries, we invite you to visit our Ring cycle page, filled with articles, musical highlights, production photos, and behind-the-scenes looks from Lyric's canceled 19/20 Ring cycle.
Das Rheingold
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
© 2016/17 Lyric Opera Commentaries
Musical excerpts provided through generous arrangement with Warner Classics, Official Education and Promotion Music Provider for Lyric Opera of Chicago. All rights reserved. Recording & Production services provided by Mark Travis.
A project of the Women's Board.
Commentary by Sir Andrew Davis in collaboration with Jack Zimmerman
Commentary by Colin Ure
Friday, June 5
Royal Opera House
Puccini: Il trittico
This production from the Royal Opera House stars Lucio Gallo, Eva-Maria Westbroek, and Ermonela Jaho, and was conducted by Antonio Pappagano in 2011.
Lyric Commentary from 1996/97 Season is by Alfred Glasser, former Director of Education at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Il trittico
By Giacomo Puccini
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
Commentary by Albert Glasser, former Director of Education at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Staatsoper Berlin
Music from Mozart to Jazz
This evening of music from Staatsoper Berlin will stream live on June 5, and will feature selections from Mozart's Così fan tutte, music by Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss and Frank Raschke, and wind instruments of the Staatskapelle Berlin.
The Lyric Commentary is from the 2017/18 Season and is written and read by Nicholas Ivor Martin.
Così fan tutte
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
© 2017/18 Lyric Opera Commentaries Original sound recordings of musical excerpts used by permission of Warner Music Group. All rights reserved. Recording & Production services provided by Mark Travis.
A project of the Women’s Board
Commentary by Nicholas Ivor Martin
Saturday, June 6
Metropolitan Opera
Verdi: Otello
This production from the Metropolitan Opera stars Sonya Yoncheva, Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Željko Lučić, and was conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin on October 17, 2015.
The Lyric Commentary from the 2013/14 Season and is by Anthony Freud in collaboration with Nicholas Ivor Martin.
Otello
By Giuseppe Verdi
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
Commentary by Anthony Freud in collaboration with Nicholas Ivor Martin
Sunday, June 7
Opera Australia
Puccini: Madama Butterfly
This production from Opera Australia stars Hiromi Omura and Georgy Vasiliev, and was conducted by Brian Castles-Onion in 2014.
The Lyric Commentary from the 2019/20 Season is by Elinor Olin.
Madama Butterfly
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
© 2019/20 Lyric Opera Commentaries. All rights reserved.
The music featured is generously furnished by Warner Classics.
A project of the Women’s Board.
Commentary by Elinor Olin
Photos: Dan Rest, Todd Rosenberg, Robert Kusel