A gala performance screened from the singers of the Met from their homes in quarantine worldwide.
As the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York is currently closed like all other operas, they have organised a concert to raise donations and to spread some beautiful music. The music selection was wonderful, and the singers and musicians did not only perform but also give insight into their homes and lives, which was interesting.
It was amazing to see how they managed to conduct the entire orchestra via video calls. The conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin explained how they did it, quite interesting. This intermezzo is one of my favourite pieces of music, and this version is very special.
The famous choir song of prisoners, "Va pensiero" from Nabucco, is a great piece in which the force of a choir can be felt. This even works when the choir is spread out.
Some singers are lucky enough to be in a relationship with another singer, so they are quarantining and singing together. A great duet came therefore from Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna, who sang "Caro Elisir" from "Elisir d'amore" by Donizetti.
Others, such as star tenor Jonas Kaufmann, has a great piano at home and "by coincidence", as he says, he had a pianist visiting. Lucky him, and us. He sang "Rachel, quand du seigneur" from the opera "La Juive" by Halévy.
Another beautiful performance came from Sonya Yoncheva, who sang the "Song to the Moon" from the opera "Rusalk" by Dvořák.
And one last favourite, "A the, o cara" from "I Puritani" by Bellini, performed by Lawrence Brownlee.