Video of past performances or livestreams of current ones. That's how most classical ensembles are replacing the in-person events they are unable to mount at present.
Decameron Opera Coalition, though, is different. Defying the stifling impact of the coronavirus, this alliance of U.S. troupes has created something innovative instead — nine brand-new mini-operas, conceived for online audiences, and focusing on life in the coronavirus period.
These "Tales From a Safe Distance" have been premiering in weekly episodes of two or three operas each, and are available on demand until the end of December.
Of the nine small opera companies involved, three have Minnesota connections.
Twin Cities-based An Opera Theatre features in Episode 3, and its opera "The Sky Where You Are" is one of the bleakest in the collection.
In a little over 10 minutes, it shows a woman phoning a friend in desperation, panic-stricken by how COVID-19 isolation has magnified her husband's oppressively controlling behavior.
Soprano Katherine Henly is excellent as the abused wife Reyna, and Maria Thompson Corley's emotionally turbulent music and Jenny O'Connell's to-the-point libretto both make a strong impression.
The contribution from Duluth-based Lyric Opera of the North is, by contrast, an endearingly frothy comedy. Set on a balcony with a profusion of self-isolating houseplants, "Everything Comes to a Head" tells a breezy tale of the feckless Basil, who uses the pandemic to dodge committing to his girlfriend, Rosemary.
