Metropolitan Opera Stars to Perform at Gorgeous Locations Sans Audiences
Under normal circumstances, the Metropolitan Opera House at New York’s Lincoln Center would be aglow most nights, with audiences flocking to the venue to hear the best voices from around the world perform. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the 2020-2021 opera season is currently on hold until at least December 31. Instead, beginning July 18, the Met will host a series of concerts around the world, which will be available to stream online for $20 per ticket.
Although these 12 shows will lack the allure that comes with dressing up and heading out to see a live performance, they will not be short on ambience. Each concert will take place at a different location throughout Europe and the United States, and all of them boast architecturally significant, striking scenery. First up, tenor Jonas Kaufmann will sing at Polling Abbey, a late 18th-century Baroque building located just outside of Munich. The Met promises architecture buffs that the cameras will focus on architectural details like the vaulted ceilings and frescoes as well as on Kaufmann.
Other shows include Renée Fleming singing from Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington, D.C.; Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak at Château de la Chèvre d’Or in Èze, France; Lise Davidsen at Oscarshall Palace in Oslo; Joyce DiDonato at Fundació Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona; Anna Netrebko at Liechtenstein Palace in Vienna; and other singers at yet-to-be-confirmed locations.
Oscarshall, salongen
“This new initiative is intended to create live performance opportunities for our artists and our audiences at a time when they both sorely need it,” said the opera’s general manager, Peter Gelb, in a release. “Although some concert activity is beginning to take place once again in some parts of the world, this is a chance for opera fans to experience their favorite stars in real time, since it’s going to be a long time before artists and their audiences are fully mobile again.”
Once you purchase a ticket, the concert will be available to stream for 12 days. Eventually all of the engagements will air on PBS as well.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
