The Paris Opera has postponed its reopening. Like all other cultural institutions in France, following the new directives issued by the French government to combat the spread of Covid-19, it must remain closed.
The Opera's artists and teams have been working over the past weeks to welcome the public back in optimal artistic and health-safety conditions, but Managing Director Alexander Neef said:
It is with sadness that we announce the cancellation of all performances scheduled for the end of the year: Classes en Sène, concerts and recitals at the Palais Garnier, Carmen, La Traviata and La Bayadère at the Opéra Bastille.
A message reads:
Without replacing the emotion of live performances, the Opera's recent initiatives will allow you to keep in touch and to discover or enjoy again the opera and ballet productions that you love. Richard Wagner's Ring, recorded a few days ago with the help of Radio France, will be broadcast in its entirety from December 26 to January 1 on France Musique.
The “Opéra chez soi” platform, launched last December 8, already offers you a selection of free content and audiovisual recordings, alongside a catalogue of 20 productions and concerts available at a charge, which we will continue to enrich with the Ballet School Demonstrations, concerts by the Academy and, as a crowning touch, the ballet La Bayadère which will be streamed live this Sunday December 13 at 2.30 pm.
Neef adds:
At the close of this year 2020, which has profoundly marked our lives and shaken the world of culture and live performance, I wish you the most restful festive season possible, and look forward to seeing you in 2021, in the hope that the curtain of the Opera will rise again as soon as possible for its public.
Top photo by Margerretta on Pexels.com
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
