Both in and out of doors, 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:
Bryant Park Picnic Performances return this summer, kicking off June 1 with a performance of Puccini’s La Bohème by New York City Opera. The free outdoor performance will also be live-streamed on Bryant Park’s website and social media channels.
Performances of The Met's La Bohème also continue this week, along with Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte. May 30 will be the season premiere of Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer. The production by François Girard premiered in 2020, but its run was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tomasz Konieczny plays the titular cursed sailor, alongside soprano Elza van den Heever as Senta, and tenor Eric Cutler, returning to the Met for the first time since 2013, as Erik. Dmitry Belosselskiy as Daland, Richard Trey Smagur as the Steersman, and Eve Gigliotti as Mary complete the cast, led by conductor Thomas Guggeis in his Met debut.
Starting May 31, The Little Opera Theatre of New York will present American One Acts, a double bill comprising William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA, and Kurt Weill’s Down in the Valley. Mezzo-soprano Isola Jones, whose decades-long career has included over 500 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, plays Aunt Lou in Highway 1, USA. Performances of the double bill run through June 4 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center.
The New York Philharmonic will present Julia Wolfe’s unEarth June 1-3. Per the composer, the multimedia event, directed by Anne Kauffman, “digs deep into the stories and science of our planet—looking at forced migrations, adaptations, species land loss, and changing seas.” Featuring soprano Else Torp, unEarth includes projection design by Lucy MacKinnon, lighting design by Ben Stanton, and sound design by Jody Elff. The program will also include a performance of Sibelius’ violin concerto, with soloist Frank Huang.
Violinist Joshua Bell performs at Carnegie Hall May 30, with pianist Daniil Trifonov. The recital was originally scheduled for February 28, but pushed back due to illness. The duo will perform sonatas by Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Franck, as well as the Nigun from Bloch’s Baal Shem.
May 31, Renée Fleming will give a recital at Carnegie Hall with pianist Evgeny Kissin. The program will include lieder and other works by Schubert, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Duparc.
June 3, Carnegie Hall will present a concert celebrating the Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project, which “pairs new and expecting parents with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies.” The concert will feature new works written this season, and the stories behind them.
Ballet Hispánico takes the stage at New York City Center June 1, with a gala performance including works by William Forsythe, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Michelle Manzanales, and Pedro Ruiz. Performances through June 3 will include revivals of works from the company’s repertoire, as well as new works by Manzanales and Omar Román De Jesús.
DanceAfrica continues performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Performances of the celebration of Ghanaian dance, featuring performances by the National Theater of Ghana's National Dance Company, the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, and Arkestra Africa, continue through June 1.
June 2-4, ChrisMastersDance presents Mausoleum at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The dance piece, with a musical score by Ex-Fiancée, “investigates overconsumption and addiction to drama, the inertia that concretizes unsustainable forms of life and work, and the inextricable link between love and loss.”
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