“The stunning Royal Opera of Versailles was deserted as the Les Siecles orchestra played on despite the Covid-19 outbreak in France,” writes Rana Moussaoui in Wednesday’s (3/18) Agence France-Presse. “Such is live music in time of the virus…. But for Francois-Xavier Roth and the musicians of Les Siecles orchestra at the beautiful opera house next to the Palace of Versailles near Paris, the show had to go on, even if only for the cameras…. Many of the world’s greatest orchestras and opera houses are also streaming their production free as a consolation to music lovers in these trying times…. The Paris Philharmonie has made all its old concerts available on its app, PhilharmonieLive.… The Paris Opera, which is reeling from the double whammy of a marathon strike which cost it more than 16.4 million euros (US$18 million) at the box office, plans to put together a program of free streamed performances…. The French Association of Artists’ Agents appealed to the French government to create a compensation fund, and the country’s Classical Singers’ Collective also demanded action from the authorities, with ‘the future of many artists seriously threatened.’ ” The Paris Opera is streaming operas and ballets, as well as a cycle of Tchaikovsky symphonies by the Orchestra of the Paris National Opera, conducted by Philippe Jordan.
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