March 16, 2020
Week of December 21: Lyric Commentaries for opera streaming and more
Happy holidays from Lyric Opera of Chicago! Opera streaming is the perfect way to virtually join family and friends whether near or far away.
Sit down with some hot cocoa, a warm fire, and classic operas from our friends at The Royal Opera House, The Metropolitan Opera, and Houston Grand Opera this week.
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.
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
Monday, December 21
The Royal Opera House
Puccini: La bohème
This production from The Royal Opera House stars Sonya Yoncheva, Charles Castronovo, Andrzej Filończyk, and Simona Mihai, and was directed by Richard Jones. La bohème was conducted by Emmanuel Villaume. This stream will be available through January 10, 2021.
A coproduction between Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and Teatro Real Madrid, La bohème was presented as part of Lyric’s 2018/19 Season. In addition to listening to the Lyric Commentary by Wynne Delacoma, we invite you to visit our production page for program articles, photos and behind-the-scenes videos.
La bohème
by Giacomo Puccini
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
Commentary by Wynne Delacoma
Tuesday, December 22
The Metropolitan Opera
Massenet:Cendrillon
This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Kathleen Kim, Joyce DiDonato, Alice Coote, Stephanie Blythe, and Laurent Naouri, and was directed by Laurent Pelly. Cendrillon was conducted by Bertrand de Billy on April 28, 2018. This opera stream will be available until 6:30pm on Wednesday, December 23.
This production of Cendrillon was presented as part of Lyric’s 2018/19 Season. In addition to listening to the Lyric Commentary by Roger Pines, we invite you to visit our production page for program articles, photos and behind-the-scenes videos.
Cendrillon
by Jules Massenet
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 for Cendrillon is furnished by Naxos Records.
A project of the Women's Board
Commentary by Roger Pines, Dramaturg
Wednesday, December 23
The Metropolitan Opera
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia
This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Isabel Leonard, Lawrence Brownlee, Christopher Maltman, Maurizo Muraro, and Paata Burchuladze, and was directed by Bartlett Sher. Il Barbiere di Siviglia was conducted by Michele Mariotti on November 22, 2014. This opera stream will be available until 6:30pm on Thursday, December 24.
Lyric Commentary from the 2019/20 Season is by Nicholas Ivor Martin.
The Barber of Seville
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 Nicholas Ivor Martin
Thursday, December 24
The Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera Christmas Concert
This concert from The Royal Opera House features Sophie Bevan, Hanna Hipp, Jeremy White, Ross Ramgobin, Roderick Williams, Gyula Nagy, Germán E. Alcántara, and Dominic Sedgwick, and is conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. This concert will include selections from Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Puccini’s La bohème, Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on Christmas. This stream will be available through January 17, 2021.
Friday, December 25
The Metropolitan Opera
Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel
This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Christine Schäfer, Alice Coote, Rosalind Plowright, Philip Langridge, and Alan Held, and was directed by Nathaniel Merrill. Hansel and Gretel was conducted by Vladimir Jurowski on January 1, 2008. This opera stream will be available until 6:30pm on Saturday, December 26.
This production of Hansel and Gretel was commissioned by Anthony Freud during his time at Welsh National Opera, and was presented as part of Lyric’s 2012/13 Season.
Lyric Commentary is by Anthony Freud and Nicholas Ivor Martin.
Hansel and Gretel
By Engelbert Humperdinck
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
Saturday, December 26
The Metropolitan Opera
Lehár: The Merry Widow
This production from The Metropolitan Opera stars Renée Fleming, Kelli O'Hara, Nathan Gunn, Alek Shrader, and Sir Thomas Allen, and was directed by Susan Stroman. The Merry Widow was conducted by Sir Andrew Davis on January 17, 2015. This opera stream will be available until 6:30pm on Sunday, December 27.
A coproduction between Lyric Opera of Chicago, and The Metropolitan Opera, The Merry Widow was presented as part of Lyric’s 2015/16 Season. In addition to listening to the Lyric Commentary by Anthony Freud and Nicholas Ivor Martin, we invite you to visit our production page for program articles, photos and behind-the-scenes videos.
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.
Commentary by Anthony Freud and Nicholas Ivor Martin
Sunday, December 27
Houston Grand Opera
Janáĉek: The Cunning Little Vixen
This radio broadcast from Houston Grand Opera stars Lisa Saffer, Fiona Murphy, Hector Vásquez, and Bradley Garvin, and was directed by Leslie Halla. The Cunning Little Vixen was conducted by Patrick Summers in 2007.
Lyric Commentary from the 2004/05 Season is by Sir Andrew Davis.
The Cunning Little Vixen
By Leoš Janáček
Lyric Opera Commentaries are sponsored by the Patrick G. and Shirley Welsh Ryan Foundation in memory of their parents.
© 2004/05 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.
Commentary by Sir Andrew Davis
Pasión Latina
Pasión Latina
Celebrate music of the Spanish-speaking world with a free virtual concert starring and hosted by renowned soprano and Lyric favorite Ana María Martínez, and featuring prominent Ryan Opera Center artists and alumni.
These engaging artists will perform a dynamic selection of some of their favorite music from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Argentina, and Spain, with piano accompaniment by Ryan Opera Center music director Craig Terry and current Ensemble pianist Chris Reynolds.
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING THROUGH JANUARY 2021
Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter
Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter
Lyric's Ryan Opera Center presents 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 also 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.