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The Metropolitan Opera will mount no live productions until next fall, but the company continues to lift the spirits of opera lovers around the world by streaming complete recordings from its archives every night. The slate from October 5 through October 11 focuses on major works by Richard Wagner, including all four parts of the epic Ring Cycle. The other three productions this week were originally recorded in high definition for the Met's Live in HD series. (Click here to see the Met's schedule for October 12 through October 18.)
Each production becomes available on the Met's website at 7:30pm EDT (12:30am BST) and remains there until 6:30pm EDT the next day. The operas can also be accessed through the Met Opera on Demand app on various devices. A full schedule for Week 30 is below.
Tannhäuser | Photograph: Marty Sohl
This is the second time the Met has devoted a full week to Wagner's oeuvre. Like last time, back in March, the centerpiece is the German composer's Ring tetralogy, a massive spectacle drawn from Norse literature and mythology. But while the first slate featured the Met's most recent production of the cycle, a tech-heavy version directed by Robert Lepage, this one presents the more traditionalist production created by Otto Schenk and Gunther Schneider-Siemssen and recorded in 1989 and 1990. The cast includes Hildegard Behrens, Christa Ludwig, James Morris, Siegfried Jerusalem and the late Jessye Norman. Also on the roster are more recent accounts of Tristan und Isolde, Tannhäuser and Parsifal. To help you choose what to watch, the Met offers a convenient quick-reference guide as well more detailed articles and podcasts.
In addition to its nightly streams of full productions, the Met offers live pay-per-view virtual concerts. The fifth—featuring American soprano Joyce DiDonato at the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, Germany—was broadcast live on September 12 and is available on demand through October 23. (A concert by Anna Netrebko, scheduled for October 10, has been delayed by the soprano's illness.)
This week's Metropolitan Opera nightly streaming schedule:
Monday, October 5: Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde
Starring Nina Stemme, Ekaterina Gubanova, Stuart Skelton, Evgeny Nikitin and René Pape. Conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Transmitted live on October 8, 2016.
Tuesday, October 6: Wagner’s Tannhäuser
Starring Eva-Maria Westbroek, Michelle DeYoung, Johan Botha, Peter Mattei and Günther Groissböck. Conducted by James Levine. Transmitted live on October 31, 2015.
Wednesday, October 7: Wagner’s Das Rheingold
Starring Christa Ludwig, Siegfried Jerusalem, James Morris and Ekkehard Wlaschiha. Conducted by James Levine. From April 23, 1990.
Thursday, October 8: Wagner’s Die Walküre
Starring Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes, James Morris and Kurt Moll. Conducted by James Levine. From April 8, 1989.
Friday, October 9: Wagner’s Siegfried
Starring Hildegard Behrens, Siegfried Jerusalem and James Morris. Conducted by James Levine. From April 26, 1990.
Saturday, October 10: Wagner’s Götterdämmerung
Starring Hildegard Behrens, Christa Ludwig, Siegfried Jerusalem and Matti Salminen. Conducted by James Levine. From May 5, 1990.
Sunday, October 11: Wagner’s Parsifal
Starring Katarina Dalayman, Jonas Kaufmann, Peter Mattei, Evgeny Nikitin and René Pape. Conducted by Daniele Gatti. Transmitted live on March 2, 2013.
RECOMMENDED: Our day-by-day roundup of the best theater, opera and dance to stream online
Das Rheingold | Photograph: Beatriz Schiller
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