From Tchaikovsky’s Land of Sweets to Strauss’ Spirit World 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:
Die Frau ohne Schatten, Richard Strauss’ epic fairy-tale opera, returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time in over a decade for just six performances beginning November 29. Die Frau ohne Schatten—in English, The Woman Without a Shadow—tells the Little Mermaid-esque story of a magical spirit who, after marrying a mortal Emperor, must acquire a shadow within three days or be forced to leave the human world and return to the spirit realm. Soprano Elza van den Heever leads the cast as the Empress, with sopranos Nina Stemme and Lise Lindstrom as the Nurse and the Dyer’s Wife. Tenor Russell Thomas, baritone Michael Volle, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green round out the principal cast as the Emperor, the Dyer, and the Spirit Messenger respectively.
Green pulls double duty at the Met, as he continues to play Ferrando in Verdi’s Il Trovatore, which continues this week, starring soprano Angela Meade, mezzo-soprano Olesya Petrova, tenor Michael Fabiano, and baritone Igor Golovatenko. This week also marks the season's final fall performances of La bohéme, but never fear, Franco Zeffirelli’s production of the beloved Puccini classic will return to the Met in January.
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker comes back to Lincoln Center beginning November 29. New York City Ballet’s annual holiday tradition will take over the David H. Koch Theater through December, with 90 dancers, and over 125 children from the School of American Ballet. Tchaikovsky’s iconic score accompanies E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale of a young girl who accompanies a nutcracker in the shape of a toy soldier on a magical adventure on Christmas Eve.
The sound of Messiah means that December is just around the corner. Distinguished Concerts International New York gives its annual presentation of Handel’s oratorio, as arranged by Mozart, at Carnegie Hall December 1. Soprano Penelope Shumate, mezzo-soprano Holly Sorensen, tenor Chad Kranak, and bass-baritone Christopher Job will be the soloists, with 10 participating choruses from around the country.
Pianist Yunchan Lim joins the New York Philharmonic for four performances November 27-December 1, playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The program, conducted by Kazuki Yamada, will also include Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, and the New York premiere of Dai Fujikura’s Entwine.
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