What Orchestras and Singers Gain Through Operas in Concert

Orchestras are gaining ground on opera by presenting works in concert, a trend that several American ensembles are embracing to offset cuts in fully staged productions. The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform Wagner’s Lohengrin next season, while the Los Angeles Philharmonic programs opera excerpts by John Adams, and the Cleveland Orchestra staged Beethoven’s Fidelio this month. In Cleveland, soloists appeared in concert attire on a raised platform with a narrator guiding the narrative, illustrating how concert opera can preserve story and drama without full staging. The approach is cheaper to mount, though it often places the orchestra onstage with singers rather than in a traditional pit, altering acoustic balance and audience experience. Conductor Franz Welser-Möst, who has led Cleveland for 25 years, announced he will step down after next season, prompting the search for a new music director who can sustain interest in opera within the orchestra’s broader repertoire. The soprano Sara Jakubiak and the bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny delivered notable Fidelio performances, underscoring how vocalism remains essential even when productions hinge on concert format. The article highlights a broader push by directors to keep opera alive through concert or excerpt performances, a shift that intertwines vocal opportunities with orchestral programming and raises questions about audience development and funding.