During this unprecedented ban on gatherings, New York’s Metropolitan Opera is streaming encores of their “Live in HD” series on its website nightly. The streams start at 4:30pm PST and are available for 20 hours.
Tonight’s opera is my absolute favorite, Verdi’s “La Traviata,” about a tragic love affair between a man from a socially prominent family (Alfredo) and a “fallen” woman with tuberculosis (Violetta). You are probably familiar with Libiamo ne’ lieti calici (“Let’s drink from the joyful cups”), an upbeat brindisi, or drinking song, that is often used as generic “Italian” music; I have even noticed it in spaghetti commercials. The party scene with the gypsy and matador entertainers in Act 2 is always a big spectacle. And I dare you not to cry during the last scene, Alfredo and Violetta’s duet, Gran Dio Morir Si Giovane (Spoiler alert: “Great God!…to die so young”). It’s a very accessible opera with crowd-pleasing music that can be enjoyed even by people who aren’t into opera.
Wednesday, March 18 – Verdi’s Il Trovatore (Available until 4:30pm Thursday)
Starring Anna Netrebko, Dolora Zajick, Yonghoon Lee, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Marco Armiliato. From October 3, 2015
Thursday, March 19 — Verdi’s La Traviata
Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, starring Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Flórez, and Quinn Kelsey. Transmitted live on December 15, 2018.
Friday, March 20 — Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment
Conducted by Marco Armiliato, starring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez. Transmitted live on April 26, 2008.
Saturday, March 21 — Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor
Conducted by Marco Armiliato, starring Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczała, and Mariusz Kwiecien. Transmitted live on February 7, 2009.
Sunday, March 22 – Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
Conducted by Valery Gergiev, starring Renée Fleming, Ramón Vargas, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Transmitted live on February 24, 2007.
s. The performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be available to stream for 20 hours.
The overwhelming response to the Nightly Met Opera Streams has been causing some people to have difficulties with the website. You can also access the stream through the Met Opera on Demand apps for Apple, Amazon, and Roku devices and Samsung Smart TV. The free streams are available on the apps without logging in by clicking “Browse and Preview” in the apps for connected TV, and “Explore the App” on tablets and mobile devices.
