From Adams to Zemlinsky, 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鈥檚 2024-25 season concludes this week with final performances of Puccini鈥檚 La Boheme, Rossini鈥檚 Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Tchaikovsky鈥檚 The Queen of Spades, and John Adams鈥� Antony and Cleopatra. The Met will be back in the fall with Mason Bates鈥� The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, but in the meantime, there will be no shortage of operas to see in New York.
The Little Opera Theatre of New York presents Zemlinsky's Zimmer | Zemlinsky's Room at the Brooklyn Academy of Music June 5-8. Described as "a chamber opera in three parts," the work features music by Alexander Zemlinsky, including his one-act opera A Florentine Tragedy. The performance will feature new chamber orchestrations by Roland Freisitzer, conducted by Tiffany Chang. The production is directed by Philip Shneidman.
The American Symphony Orchestra will present a concert performance of Guntram, the first opera by Richard Strauss, at Carnegie Hall June 6, with the Bar Festival Chorale. A relatively early work by the 29-year-old Strauss, Guntram is composed in a strongly Romantic style, before the composer started incorporating the elements of modernism that would be typical of his later operas. Leon Botstein conducts the performance, which stars tenor John Matthew Myers as the singer Guntram, baritone Alexander Birch Elliott as Duke Robert, soprano Angela Meade as Robert鈥檚 wife Freihild, and bass-baritone Kevin Short as Freihild鈥檚 father the Old Duke. Mezzo-soprano Katharine Goeldner, tenors Rodell Rosel and Bernard Holcomb, and bass-baritone Christopher Job complete the principal cast.
The New York Philharmonic will perform its annual series of Concerts in the Parks this week, led by incoming Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel. From June 4-8, the orchestra will offer free concerts in parks in all five boroughs, performing Tchaikovsky鈥檚 Symphony No. 4, the Allegro maestoso from Arturo Sandoval鈥檚 Trumpet Concerto No. 2 (with the composer as soloist), Gonzalo Grau鈥檚 Odisea: Concerto for Venezuelan Cuatro and Orchestra, and selections from Stravinsky鈥檚 Firebird.
The Orchestra of St. Luke鈥檚 annual Bach festival kicks off June 3 at Carnegie Hall with a program of Vivaldi and Bach. The orchestra, conducted by Lional Meunier, will be joined by soprano Gemma Nha and countertenor Reginald Mobley to perform Vivaldi鈥檚 鈥淣ulla in mundo pax sincera鈥� and 鈥淣isi Dominus鈥�, as well as Bach鈥檚 Psalm 51: "Tilge, H枚chster, Meine S眉nden"
The New England Symphonic Ensemble will give two concerts at Carnegie Hall June 7. The matinee concert, beginning with Rossini鈥檚 Overture to La Scala di Seta, will include Mendelssohn鈥檚 Violin Concerto with soloist Davide Alogna, as well as Faur茅鈥檚 Requiem and 鈥淐antique de Jean Racine鈥�; and Mozart鈥檚 鈥淐oronation鈥� Mass and 鈥淩egina coeli.鈥� The evening concert will begin with Piazzola鈥檚 Concerto for Bandone贸n and Orchestra, with soloist Juanjo Mosalini, and also include additional works by Piazzola, as well as Bach鈥檚 鈥淢agnificat鈥� and Mozart鈥檚 鈥淰esperae solennes de confessore.鈥�
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