March 16, 2020

Week of November 30: Lyric Commentaries for opera streaming and more

Warm up with opera streaming from all over the world this week. To ease into December, we'll head to The Metropolitan Opera for stars in signature roles, including Lyric's Special Projects Advisor Renée Fleming in Eugene Onegin. Then we'll stop by Houston Grand Opera for Bon Appétit!, the one-woman opera set in the TV studio from which Julia Child introduced America to French cooking. Finally, we'll enjoy a Verdi classic from our friends at Opera Australia. 

Lyric Opera Commentaries discuss the synopses, music, and some historical insights into the creation of the world's most beloved operas, and musical masterpieces you might never have experienced. 

Explore Lyric Commentaries to make the most out of your opera streaming experience. 

Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.

Monday, November 30

The Metropolitan Opera 
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin

This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Ramón Vargas, Renée Fleming, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and was directed by Peter Brook. Eugene Onegin was conducted by Valery Gergiev on February 24, 2007. This opera stream will be available until December 1 at 6:30pm. 

Lyric Commentary from the 2016/17 Season is by Roger Pines.  

Eugene Onegin

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.

Tuesday, December 1

Houston Grand Opera
Hoiby: Bon Appétit!

This performance from Houston Grand Opera stars Jamie Barton accompanied by Jonathan Easter on piano. Bon Appétit! is directed by Ryan McKinny. This opera stream premieres on November 27, 2020, and will be available indefinitely. 

Wednesday, December 2

The Metropolitan Opera
Wagner: Parsifal

This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Jonas Kaufmann, Katarina Dalayman, Peter Mattei, Evgeny Nikitin, and René Pape, and was directed by François Girard. Parsifal was conducted by Daniele Gatti on March 2, 2013. This opera stream will be available until Thursday, December 3 at 6:30pm. 

Lyric Commentary from the 2013/14 season is by Sir Andrew Davis and Nicholas Ivor Martin. 

Parsifal

By Richard Wagner

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

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Thursday, December 3

The Metropolitan Opera
Verdi: Macbeth

This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Željko Lučić, Anna Netrebko, Joseph Calleja, and René Pape, and was directed by Adrian Noble. Macbeth was conducted by  Fabio Luisi on October 11, 2014This opera stream will be available until Friday, December 4 at 6:30pm.

Lyric Commentary from the 2010/11 Season is by Nicholas Ivor Martin, and features Barbara Gaines and William Mason. 

Macbeth

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, featuring Barbara Gaines and William Mason

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Friday, December 4

The Metropolitan Opera
Bizet: Carmen 

This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Elīna Garanča, Roberto Alagna,Barbara Frittoli, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes, and is directed by Richard Eyre. Carmen was conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin on January 16, 2010. This opera stream will be available until Saturday, December 5 at 6:30pm.  

Lyric Commentary from the 2016/17 Season is by Jack Zimmerman. 

Carmen

by Georges Bizet

Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.

Saturday, December 5

Opera Australia 
Verdi: Nabucco 

This production from Opera Australia stars Jonathan Summers, Elizabeth Connell, and Bruce Martin, and was directed by Barrie Kosky. Nabucco was conducted by Carlo Felice Cillario in 1996. This opera stream will be available indefinitely. 

Lyric Commentary from the 2015/16 Season is by Nicholas Ivor Martin. 

Nabucco

by Giuseppe Verdi

Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.

Sunday, December 5

The Metropolitan Opera
Puccini: Tosca

This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Shirley Verrett, Luciano Pavarotti, and Cornell MacNeil, and was directed by Tito Gobbi. Tosca was conducted by James Conlon on December 19, 1978. This opera stream will be available until Monday, December 6 at 6:30pm.

Lyric Commentary from the 2014/15 Season is by Nicholas Ivor Martin. 

Tosca

By Giacomo Puccini

Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.

Commentary by Anthony Freud and Nicholas Ivor Martin

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Free streaming opportunities presented by Lyric Opera of Chicago

Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee performs in Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: the Next Chapter, with Ryan Opera Center Music Director Craig Terry on piano. 

 

The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center presents Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter, a free virtual concert celebrating the depth and breadth of Black artistry. Hosted by world-renowned tenor Lawrence Brownlee, who also serves as artistic advisor for the event, the concert features prominent Ryan Opera Center alumni—soprano Whitney Morrison, mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges, and baritone Will Liverman—and three current 2020/21 Ryan Opera Center Ensemble members—tenors Martin Luther Clark and Lunga Eric Hallam, and baritone Leroy Davis. Performances are accompanied by Craig Terry, the Grammy Award-winning music director of the Ryan Opera Center; and Chris Reynolds, current Ensemble pianist. Members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra make an appearance in a special selection, performing from their homes.


Visit our production page for program notes, artist biographies, and video conversations with the artists discussing their musical selections and why this concert is taking place. This stream will be available through January 26, 2021. 



WATCH LAWRENCE BROWNLEE AND FRIENDS: THE NEXT CHAPTER

For the Love of Lyric 

Renée Fleming starring in the virtual concert, For the Love of Lyric. 

 

For the Love of Lyric's starry lineup is led by world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming and features special guests, including Tony Award® and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter-actress Heather Headley, sopranos Ailyn Pérez and Julia Bullock, mezzo-soprano and Ryan Opera Center alumna J'Nai Bridges, and bass Soloman Howard, with Doug Peck serving as music director. Members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center Ensemble and members of the Chicago Children's Choir also perform in this enlightening and entertaining program of familiar and revelatory selections from the worlds of opera, Broadway, popular music, and some surprising sources.


Visit our production page to listen to a special commentary from dramaturg Roger Pines as he delves into what to expect from this unique virtual concert. This stream will be available through December 13, 2020. 


WATCH FOR THE LOVE OF LYRIC

Header photo is from Lyric's 2016/17 Season production of Eugene Onegin (Todd Rosenberg). 

All other photos: Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dan Rest, Todd Rosenberg, Scott Suchman Photo, Cory Weaver

Music used in Lyric Commentaries is provided courtesy of Warner Classics, the Official Education and Promotion Music Provider of Lyric Opera of Chicago.