Though Opera Philadelphia’s 2019–2020 season has been cut short due to the continued bans on mass gatherings during the coronavirus shutdown, the company will present a festival of some of its previous productions online.

The majority of titles in the Digital Festival come from Opera Philadelphia’s “Festival O,” which takes place at the start of each season across various venues, presenting new and classic works of various scales. “It is our hope to see everyone in September at Festival O20, but until that time, Festival O stands for Online,” General Director and President David B. Devan said in a statement.

The series kicks off May 1 with composer Philip Venables and librettist Ted Huffman’s Denis & Katya, which made its world premiere at last year’s Festival O19. The 2017 world premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain and Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s We Shall Not Be Moved will follow May 10.

The company’s 2014 production of The Barber of Seville will stream May 15. Two more world premiere productions will round out the May lineup: Lembit Beecher and Canadian Hannah Moscovitch’s 2018 Sky on Swings (May 22) and the 2016 staging of Missy Mazzoli and Canadian Royce Vavrek’s Breaking the Waves (May 29).

All evening streams will be available on operaphila.org and on the company’s YouTube channel.

Sky on Swings

Digital Premiere on Friday, May 22, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
World Premiere during Festival O18
Music by Lembit Beecher
Libretto by Hannah Moscovitch
Performed in English with English subtitles

The running time is approximately one hour and 18 minutes with intermission.

Opera Philadelphia's first-ever Digital Festival continues with Sky on Swings. The stream will premiere on Friday, May 22 at 8:00 p.m. and will be available for viewing until Monday, August 31. Discover more about the Digital Festival. 

Is there any grace in forgetting? This chamber opera finds fleeting beauty in memory loss through an unflinching yet uplifting exploration of living with Alzheimer’s disease. Frederica von Stade and Marietta Simpson embody this fantastical world premiere from composer Lembit Beecher, librettist Hannah Moscovitch, and director Joanna Settle.

Breaking the Waves

Digital Premiere on Friday, May 29, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
World Premiere in September 2016
Music by Missy Mazzoli
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Based on the film by Lars von Trier (Zentropa Entertainments3)
Performed in English with English subtitles

Approximately two hours and 29 minutes including one 20-minute no intermission.

Opera Philadelphia's first-ever Digital Festival concludes with Breaking the Waves. The stream will premiere on Friday, May 29 at 8:00 p.m. and will be available for viewing until Monday, August 31. Discover more about the Digital Festival. 

This World Premiere chamber opera by composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek is based on the 1996 Academy Award-nominated film by Lars von Trier. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1970s, Breaking the Waves tells the story of Bess McNeill, a religious young woman with a deep love for her husband Jan, a handsome oil rig worker. When Jan becomes paralyzed in an off-shore accident, Bess’s marital vows are put to the test as he encourages her to seek other lovers and return to his bedside to tell him of her sexual activities. He insists that the stories will feel like they are making love together and keep him alive. Bess’s increasing selflessness leads to a finale of divine grace, but at great cost.

Winner of the 2017 award for Best New Opera from the Music Critics Association of North America

Recommended for mature audiences only.

Photo: Kiera Duffy as Bess in Breaking the Waves. ©2016 Nicholas Korkos.