From the Latin Quarter of Paris to the Old Kingdom of Egypt, the classic arts scene in New York is never quiet. Here is just a sampling of some of the classic arts events happening this week:
The Metropolitan Opera plays the hits this week, with four of the most popular operas in the repertory: Verdi’s Aida and Rigoletto, and Puccini’s Tosca and La Bohéme. Michael Mayer’s new production of Aida opened last week, starring soprano Angel Blue, tenor Piotr Beczała, mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi, and baritone Quinn Kelsey. Bartlett Sher’s production of Rigoletto returns with a new cast including soprano Erin Morley, baritone Luca Salsi, and tenor Pene Pati making his Met debut. The Franco Zeffirelli production of La Bohéme, a staple at the Met, stars sopranos Eleanora Buratto and Adela Zaharia, tenor Matthew Polenzani, baritones David Bizic and Sean Michael Plumb, and bass Jongmin Park.
Tosca, meanwhile, welcomes its third cast this season, including the long-awaited Met return of bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, who will appear again on the Met stage after over a decade’s absence. This comes after Terfel was originally supposed to have starred in this production of Tosca by director David McVicar when it premiered in 2017, but withdrew due to illness. A second planned return for Terfel in 2020, in a new production of Der fliegende Holländer, was thwarted due to an ankle injury. Terfel, who plays the villainous police chief Baron Scarpia, will be joined by soprano Sondra Radvanovsky and tenor Brian Jagde as the singer Floria Tosca and her lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi, who gets in trouble with the police when he harbors a political fugitive.
Violinist Joshua Bell joins the New York Philharmonic January 8-11 to perform Dvořák’s Violin Concerto. Daniele Rustioni, recently named Principal Guest Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, makes his NY Philharmonic debut conducting the program, which also includes Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s The Merchant of Venice Overture and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.
Musicians from the New York Philharmonic will perform an Ensembles concert at the Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall January 12. The afternoon of chamber works will include string quartets by Haydn and Britten, Turina’s Piano Trio No. 2, and Moszkowski’s Suite for Two Violins and Piano.
The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players’ production of The Pirates of Penzance continues at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre through this weekend. The second production of NYGASP’s 50th anniversary season, The Pirates of Penzance follows Frederic, who, as a young boy, was mistakenly apprenticed to a band of pirates. Although morally opposed to their occupation, he is nevertheless duty-bound to aid in their crimes, at least until his 21st birthday, when he comes of age and is freed from his indentures—or so he thinks.
Period instrument chamber ensemble House of Time presents Class of ‘85 at the Riverside Church January 7. The concert showcases the works of three of the most iconic composers of the Baroque era: J.S. Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti, all born in 1685. The program will feature an original arrangement of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks, as well as an arrangement of Bach’s G minor sonata BWV 1029.
Carolyn Dorfman Dance presents The Legacy Project: A Dance of Hope at the 92nd Street Y January 12. The Legacy Project explores Carolyn Dorfman’s Jewish heritage as the child of Holocaust survivors. Says Dorfman: “Each work is a ladle dipped into a historical caldron of faith, survival, and renewal. It is through my work that I seek to connect, share, and build bridges within and between communities. Our survival as a human race depends on it.”
Ragmala Dance Company presents Children of Dharma at the Joyce Theatre January 8-12. Created by Aparna Ramaswamy, Ranee Ramaswamy, and Ashwini Ramaswamy, Children of Dharma explores life through three characters from the Hindu epic The Mahabharata.
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