The Royal Opera House (ROH) has announced the return of its streaming programme, bringing six productions from its 2021-22 season – its first since having to shut its doors in early 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions – straight to your home.
The performances will be released on selected Fridays between 1 October and 3 December, and remain available on demand for 30 days after the initial screening. The schedule includes a mixture of premieres and repertory favourites from the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. The programme forms part of ROH’s #OurHouseToYourHouse project – launched during lockdown when live performance was on hold – and the performances are available to watch on the opera house’s website.
David McVicar’s popular production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (1791) will open the season. The performance took place on 17 September and it is available on demand now until 31 October at a cost of £16. Returning for its 10th revival on ROH’s main stage, this spectacular version of Mozart’s comic masterpiece will transport you to a fantastical world of dancing animals, flying machines and starry skies.
Also on the schedule is award-winning director Claus Guth’s new production of Janáček’s Jenůfa (1904). This unsentimental opera tells a harrowing story of infanticide and redemption. It will first stream on 15 October at 7.30pm until 10.30pm, remaining on demand until 15 November; it is free to view. The recording is set to take place on 9 October.
The final Royal Opera show of the season is a revival of Phyllida Lloyd’s sinister production of Verdi’s Shakespearian masterpiece, Macbeth, first seen at the opera house in 2002. Live-streamed on 26 November at 8-10.35 pm, and then available until 26 December, it costs £16.
Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, performed by Irish National Opera, will be available on demand from 5 November. This fantastical opera from Irish composer Gerald Barry takes the surreal world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass as its inspiration. It received its stage premiere at the Royal Opera House on 3 February 2020.
This 55-minute performance is suitable for all the family and provides an excellent introduction to opera for children. It initially streams at 7pm and will be available until 5 December. It costs £7.
Audiences can also enjoy two works from The Royal Ballet. Following its world premiere, Wayne McGregor’s eagerly anticipated The Dante Project – inspired by Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and featuring a commissioned score by Thomas Adès and designs by Tacita Dean – will stream on 29 October, from 7.30-10.30pm; it will be available until 28 November, at a cost of £16.
Finally, Peter Wright’s production of Giselle, a romantic ballet in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam, will first steam on 3 December, from 7.30-9.45pm, remaining on demand until 3 January 2022; it costs £16.
Alex Beard, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, commented: “I am delighted to announce the return of our hugely popular streaming programme with much-loved classics, world premieres and family favourites, available to audiences across the globe. Our 2021-22 season – the first full season since 2019 – will showcase the extraordinary talents of the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera, and audiences from across the UK and worldwide can now enjoy those performances on demand at home, as well as live on stage in our beautiful theatres.”
For further details of all productions, and to purchase access, visit the Royal Opera House’s website.
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A revival of Phyllida Lloyd’s 2002 production of Verdi’s Macbeth, performed by the Royal Opera, is part of the Royal Opera House’s autumn streaming programme (Clive Barda).