March 16, 2020

Week six: Lyric Commentaries for Met Opera Nightly Streams

Week six of the Metropolitan Opera's Nightly Streams begins on April 20. You can still enjoy your opera favorites while practicing social distancing! 

The week kicks off with Richard Strauss' Elektra, featuring Nina Stemme in the titular role. Lyric audiences will remember her visceral performance from our 2018|19 Season. You'll also see Lyric Special Projects Advisor Renée Fleming, and Ryan Opera Center Alum Matthew Polenzani featured in this week's lineup.  

Get a taste for what's in store for our 2020|21 Season on Tuesday with Puccini's Tosca, and tune in on Saturday when the Met virtually hosts more than 40 of your favorite opera stars in their "At-Home Gala." 

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 the Met's Nightly Streams. 

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

Monday, April 20 – Strauss: Elektra

Starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier, and Eric Owens, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen on April 30, 2016.

The Lyric Commentary is from the 2018|19 season and is read and written by Nicholas Ivor Martin. 

Elektra

by Richard Strauss

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

© 2018/19 Lyric Opera Commentaries. All rights reserved. Recording & Production services provided by Mark Travis. The music featured in Lyric Commentaries is generously furnished by Warner Classics.
A project of the Women’s Board

Tuesday, April 21 – Puccini: Tosca

Starring Sonya Yoncheva, Vittorio Grigolo, and Željko Lučić, conducted by Emmanuel Villaume on January 27, 2018. 

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

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Thursday, April 23 – Lehár: The Merry Widow

Starring Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and Nathan Gunn, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis on January 17, 2015.

The Lyric Commentary from the 2015|16 season is by Anthony Freud in collaboration with Nicholas Ivor Martin. 

The Merry Widow

by Franz Lehár

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

© 2015/16 Lyric Opera Commentaries
Original sound recordings of musical excerpts used by permission of Warner Classics. All rights reserved. Recording & Production services provided by Mark Travis.
A project of the Women’s Board.

Friday, April 24 – Verdi: La traviata

Starring Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Fabio Luisi on April 14, 2012.

The Lyric Commentary from the 2018|19 season is written and read by David Buch. 

La traviata

by Giuseppe Verdi

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

© 2018/19 Lyric Opera Commentaries. All rights reserved. Recording & Production services provided by Mark Travis. The music featured in Lyric Commentaries is generously furnished by Warner Classics.
A project of the Women’s Board

Saturday, April 25 – At Home Gala 

Hosted by Metropolitan Opera's General Manager Peter Gelb in New York City and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Montreal, featuring more than 40 leading artists performing in a live stream from their homes all around the world. 

Sunday, April 26 – Rossini: La Cenerentola

Starring Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez, conducted by Fabio Luisi on May 10, 2014.

The Lyric Commentary is from the 2015|16 season and is by Sir Andrew Davis in collaboration with Jack Zimmerman. 

Cinderella

by Gioachino Rossini

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

© 2015/16 Lyric Opera Commentaries
Original sound recordings of musical excerpts used by permission of Warner Classics. All rights reserved. Recording & Production services provided by Mark Travis.
A project of the Women’s Board.

Photos: Dan Rest, Todd Rosenberg

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