BEMF at Home
The urgent need for social distancing has seen opera houses and concert halls fall silent as the arts community unites to keep ourselves and our audiences safe. To allow you to experience some of BEMF's beautiful music at home, we are sharing a selection of videos and streaming audio showcasing past BEMF presentations, including clips from fully-staged operas and behind-the-scenes previews from videographer Kathy Wittman of Ball Square Films, and streaming concerts from our friends at 99.5 WCRB. We invite you and your family to enjoy these wonderful performances while we all stay at home.
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
Enjoy a special 30-minute excerpt from Campra's Le Carnaval de Venise—the Centerpiece Opera of the 2017 Festival. This thrilling production depicted the delights of the Venetian Carnival season, including a trip to the opera house within the opera itself for "Orfeo nell'Inferi". Learn More »
QUICK LINKS
Orlando generoso | Alcina | Le Carnaval de Venise | VERSAILLES: Portrait of a Royal Domain | The Monteverdi Trilogy | La serva padrona & Livietta e Tracollo | Almira | Orfeo | La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers | Niobe, Regina di Tebe | Dido and Aeneas | Acis and Galatea | BEMF Ensembles | Guest Artists and Ensembles
2019 | Orlando Generoso
The Centerpiece Opera of the 2019 Festival, Agostino Steffani's Orlando generoso is a fantastical journey to a world of wizards and knights as the valiant Orlando spirals into self-doubt and madness. LEARN MORE »
"In quest’alma"
"Se t'ecclissi / Vive stelle"
"Mal concertate"
Finale Chaconne
2018 | Alcina
Francesca Caccini created the first opera by a woman composer, a brilliant entertainment full of wit, magic, and drama as noble Melissa rescues Ruggiero from the sorceress Alcina. Alcina will receive an encore presentation at the June 2021 Festival. LEARN MORE »
2017 | Le Carnaval de Venise
This enchanting opéra-ballet by André Campra follows a quartet of squabbling lovers as they experience the delights of Carnival season in exotic Venice. LEARN MORE »
2016 | VERSAILLES: Portrait of a Royal Domain
A musical feast inspired by the splendor and majesty of Versailles, this production featured chamber operas by Charpentier and Lalande. LEARN MORE »
Charpentier's Les Plaisirs de Versaillesis available on CD from BEMF!
Scenes from VERSAILLES: Portrait of a Royal Domain
"Grand Roi tout couvert de lauriers"
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
2015 | The Monteverdi Trilogy
The Centerpiece of the 2015 Festival was a groundbreaking presentation of BEMF's own productions of all of three of Monteverdi's surviving operas—Ulisse, Poppea, and Orfeo. LEARN MORE »
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
2014 | La serva padrona & Livietta e Tracollo
In this double-bill of Neapolitan comic opera, humor and love abound in two delightfully bawdy masterpieces by Pergolesi. LEARN MORE »
"Ah, Serpina"
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
2013 | Almira
Written when the composer was only 19, Handel's Almira takes us to the court of Castile for a dazzling story of intrigue and romance. LEARN MORE »
"Proveri di che fiere saette"
"Der Himmel wird straffen dein falsches Gemüht"
"Ich will gar von nichts wissen"
"Ich will euch verdammen"
"Du irrst dich, mein Licht"
"Laß das Schicksal blitzen, wittern"
"Fernando stirbet dein"
"Wer ums Geld und Hoheit willen"
2012 | Orfeo
Widely regarded as the first great opera, Monteverdi's Orfeo features one of opera’s most adored stories, in which the heroic Orfeo endures the tragic death of his beloved Euridice, and travels to the underworld to plead for her return. LEARN MORE »
Scene from Orfeo
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
2011 | La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers & La Couronne de Fleurs
These two magnificent chamber operas by Charpentier were also the subject of a GRAMMY Award-winning recording. LEARN MORE »
Scene from La Descente d'Orphée aux Enfers
"Demeurez toujours avec nous"
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
2011 | Niobe, Regina di Tebe
Composed in 1688 and inspired by the mythological tale by Ovid, Niobe tells the tragic story of the Queen of Thebes and her husband Anfione. LEARN MORE »
"Sfere amiche"
"Trà bellici carmi"
Scenes from Niobe, Regina di Tebe
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
2010 | Dido and Aeneas
A landmark in operatic history, Purcell’s masterpiece vividly recounts the joyous love between the Queen of Carthage and the Trojan hero Aeneas, and their ill-fated separation, leading inexorably to Dido’s famous dying lament. LEARN MORE »
Scene from the Dido and Aeneas dress rehearsal.
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
2009 | Acis and Galatea
Handel’s original 1718 version of Acis and Galatea contains a significant amount of wit and self-parody, depicting the love affair between the nymph Galatea and the shepherd Acis, whose reunion is thwarted by the monster Polyphemus. LEARN MORE »
"Oh, the pleasure of the plains!"
"The flocks shall leave the mountains"
Scenes from Acis and Galatea
Behind-the-Scenes Preview
BEMF Ensembles
The BEMF Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles assemble an all-star roster of Early Music instrumentalists. In addition to performing for all of BEMF's opera productions, they have been featured in a number of outstanding concert performances.
WATCH the BEMF Chamber Ensemble perform selections from our recent recording of Duets of Love and Passion by Agostino Steffani.
"Gelosia"
Album Trailer
Guest Artists & Ensembles
The Boston Early Music Festival brings some of the world's most exciting and engaging ensembles to Boston as a part of our annual concert series and at our biennial Festivals. Here are some recent performances that have been broadcast by our friends at 99.5 WCRB.
HEAR divine motets by Charpentier with Ensemble Correspondances—streaming now at 99.5 WCRB.
HEAR music from the reign of Elizabeth I with Stile Antico—streaming now at 99.5 WCRB.