From Fairy mothers to foundlings with spatula birthmarks, 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.
Mozart’s comic masterpiece Le Nozze di Figaro returns to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera this week in Robert Carsen’s 1930s-set production. Bass-baritone Michael Sumuel stars as Figaro, the barber to the Count Almaviva, with soprano Olga Kulchynska as Susanna, Figaro’s bride-to-be. Baritone Joshua Hopkins plays the villainous Count, who plots to get Susanna alone on her wedding night. Soprano Federica Lombardi reprises her acclaimed portrayal of the Countess Rosina, who joins Figaro and Susanna in their scheme to foil the Count. Mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce makes her Met debut as the page boy Cherubino. Performances of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte also continue at the Met this week, which is performing all Mozart from now until April 13.
The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players� 50th anniversary season concludes this weekend with three performances of Iolanthe April 5 and 6 at the John Jay College’s Gerald W. Lynch Theater. Mezzo-soprano Amy Maude Helfer stars as the fairy Iolanthe, who has been banished from Fairyland for the crime of marrying a mortal. Her half-fairy son Strephon courts a similar sentence by seeking the hand of Phyllis, a ward in Chancery. When the Lord Chancellor—Phyllis' guardian—recklessly insults the Fairy Queen, a battle ensues between the Fairies and the House of Lords, with Strephon and Phyllis caught in the center. The cast includes David Macaluso as Strephon, Claire Leyden as Phyllis, James Mills as the Lord Chancellor, and Angela Christine Smith as the Fairy Queen.
The Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra will present the U.S. premiere of recently unearthed music by Giuseppe Verdi, unheard since 1848. The lost-and-found score is ballet music written for the opera Nabucco. While Nabucco was not originally written with a ballet scene, Verdi was asked to supply one for a French production in 1848, as a third-act ballet was the convention in French grand opera at the time. Verdi accordingly supplied ballet music for the French premieres of many of his operas, although that music is rarely heard today. The Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra will pair the Verdi rediscovery with a Shakespeare-themed program, featuring selections from William Walton’s score to the 1949 film Henry V: A Shakespeare Scenario, with dramatic monologues performed by Jose Espinosa; and selections from Shostakovich’s Hamlet.
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein joins the New York Philharmonic April 3-5 to perform the world premiere of Thomas Larcher’s Returning into Darkness, a NY Philharmonic co-commission. Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider conducts the program, which also includes selections from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2.
Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis will perform a recital at Carnegie Hall April 3, featuring works by Mozart, Schubert, Respighi, Clara Schumann, and a world premiere by Aftab Darvishi. Carnegie Hall will also host performances this week by pianist Zlata Chochieva (April 2); the Danish String Quartet (April 4); the New England Symphonic Ensemble (April 6); and Les Arts Florissants (April 6).
The 92nd Street Y will host performances this week from pianist Richard Goode (April 2) and cellist Alban Gerhardt (April 6). Goode will perform miniatures by Gesualdo, Gluck, Bizet, and more; as well as Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 21. Gerhardt will give a complete performance of all six Bach Cello Suites.
The Martha Graham Dance Company begins a two-week residency at the Joyce Theatre this week, celebrating its 99th anniversary with Dances of the Mind, three programs of works from the company’s repertoire, including classic works by Martha Graham and Agnes de Mille, as well as modern works by choreographers including Xin Ying, Virginie Mécène, Hofesh Shechter, and a world premiere by Baye & Asa.
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