Boston Lyric Opera’s production of “Norma” was scrapped before its planned March 13 opening due to the coronavirus pandemic. But with the help of a team from Boston classical music station WCRB-FM, the music lives on in an audio recording of the final dress rehearsal. The opera will be streamable for 45 days via www.classicalwcrb.org and www.blo.org starting March 29 at 3 p.m. (the timing is a nod to BLO’s traditional matinee performance time).
“What is wonderful, is that the energy of the dress rehearsal provided the excitement and drama you’d feel during a staged production," said WCRB station manager Anthony Rudel in a statement. "It took less than 24 hours from first call to recording as WCRB and BLO worked together to make this happen — the result is magic.”
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The production features Dedham-based mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy, tenor Jonathan Burton, and Russian soprano Elena Stikhina in her role debut as the opera’s title character. The recording was made by WCRB lead sound engineer Antonio Oliart Ros, who worked on two classical albums that won Grammy Awards this year.
Zoë Madonna can be reached at zoe.madonna@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @knitandlisten. Madonna’s work is supported by the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.
A.Z. Madonna can be reached at az.madonna@globe.com. Follow her @knitandlisten.