NEW YORK — Renée Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Roberto Alagna and Bryn Terfel are among 38 opera stars in 13 nations scheduled for the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home gala, which will be streamed live on April 25 starting at 1 p.m. EDT.
Singers will perform live from their homes and transmit via Skype to All Mobile Video, whose equipment is used for the Met’s high definition broadcasts to
“This is something that will be, I think, endearing as a live event,” Met general manager Peter Gelb said Monday. “But it’s truly subject to the quality of the individual Internet lines.”
Some artists quarantined as couples will perform together: Netrebko and tenor Yusif Eyvazov in Vienna; Alagna and soprano Aleksandra Kurzak in Le Raincy, France; Terfel and Hannah Stone, former official harpist to Britain’s Prince Charles, in Wales; tenor Stephen Costello and Met violinist Yoon Kwon Costello in New York; and soprano Nicole Car and bass-baritone Etienne Dupuis in Paris.
Singers include Diana Damrau, Javier Camarena, Elina Garanca, René Pape and Piotr Beczala.
Gary Halvorson will direct from Los Angeles and Gelb will host from his apartment in New York.
In the lone prerecorded segment, Canadian Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will play a piano version of the meditation from Massenet’s “Thaïs” from his apartment in Montreal,
Artists used to jetting around the globe are struck at home with times on their hands — and vocal cords.
“They’re available since they’ve nothing else to do,” Gelb said. “A few of them said to me this will give them a reason to start practicing.”
The Met has not performed since March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic and has
Ronald Blum, The Associated Press
