Forced to close its doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Met continued to share the joy of opera with audiences through a bevy of virtual offerings. In addition to free Nightly Opera Streams and an online summer camp, the company launched the Met Stars Live in Concert series, which presented some of the world’s most captivating artists in concerts from striking locations around the globe. In the second performance of the series—presented on August 1, 2020—beloved American soprano Renée Fleming sang a ravishing program of arias and songs from Washington, D.C.’s historic Dumbarton Oaks estate. Accompanied by pianist Robert Ainsley, Fleming opened the concert with “And the People Stayed Home,” a new composition written especially for her by John Corigliano, before offering a wide-ranging program that included music by Handel, Massenet, Brahms, Richard Strauss, and more. With works by a dozen composers spanning more than 275 years of music, the concert was a touching reminder that the power of art continues to shine bright, even during the darkest of times.
