United Kingdom Beethoven. Doolittle, and Mendelssohn: Carleen Ebbs (soprano), St Paul’s Sinfonia / Andrew Morley (conductor). Stanley Halls, London, 18.9.2020. (MB)
Jim Pritchard
Dame Sarah Connolly’s eclectic programme at the Wigmore Hall seems to reflect the world as it currently is
United Kingdom Poulenc, Roussel, Mahler, Bridge, and Chilcott, Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano) and Malcolm Martineau (piano): 16.9.2020 performance reviewed as a live stream (directed by Calum Wyllie) from the Wigmore Hall, London. (JPr)
Insufficient joy and comfort from a socially distanced Last Night of the Proms
United Kingdom BBC Proms Live – Last Night of the Proms: Golda Schultz (soprano), Nicola Benedetti (violin), BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Orchestra / Dalia Stasevska (conductor). Broadcast live (directed for TV by Matthew Woodward) from the Royal Albert Hall, 12.9.2020. (JPr)
(c) BBC/Chris Christodoulou
Throughout their BBC Prom, an unspoken musical bond between Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason remained palpable
United Kingdom BBC Proms Live – Beethoven, Barber, Bridge, and Rachmaninoff: Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano). Pre-recorded on 6.9.2020 and later broadcast (directed for TV by Matthew Woodward) on BBC Four. (JPr)
In Munich, Marina Abramović showed how when the music stopped for Maria Callas the legend endured
Germany Marko Nikodijević, 7 Deaths of Maria Callas: Extra Choir of the Bavarian State Opera, Bavarian State Orchestra / Yoel Gamzou (conductor). Performed at National Theatre, Munich, 5.9.2020 and reviewed on ARTE Concert. (JPr)
Royal Opera: Live in Concert was a Covid-secure evening of world-class singing and music-making
United Kingdom Royal Opera: Live in Concert – #OurHouseToYourHouse: Kristīne Opolais, Lisette Oropesa (sopranos), Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano), Charles Castronovo, Filipe Manu (tenors), Vito Priante (baritone), Gerald Finley (bass-baritone), Jeremy White (bass), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor). Streamed live from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 4.9.2020. (JPr)
At the 100th Salzburg Festival, there was a memorable all-Tchaikovsky concert with Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvasov
Austria 100th Salzburg Festival – Tchaikovsky: Anna Netrebko (soprano), Yusif Eyvazov (tenor), Szilvia Vörös (mezzo-soprano). Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg / Mikhail Tatarnikov (conductor). 25.8.2020 performance from the Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg, reviewed on ARTE Concert. (JPr)
and Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg © Salzburg Festival/Marco Borrelli
Patrice Chéreau’s Ring comes full circle and it is Pierre Boulez who is beyond criticism
Germany Wagner, Götterdämmerung: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Bayreuth Festival / Pierre Boulez (conductor). Filmed at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1980 and reviewed on DG Stage on 30.8.2020. (JPr)
