Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Discover Medici TV

October is the time of year when I usually begin to take in a handful of classical music performances or operas in the City.  But in this year of pandemic, the abundance of venues and the nightly parade of world class performers seem like a dream of another world.  Even our Sunday library concerts feel like a distant memory.  

If you, too, are feeling the loss of access to the classical delights to be found in our region, I am happy to say that the library has found a wonderful way to discover an amazing array of great classical performances recorded in the world’s most prestigious venues.  It is called Medici TV and it is available for you to stream on any device with your Greenburgh library card. 

MediciTV launched as a video service in 2008 when it webcast some select European classical festivals.  In 2014 it streamed the first live performances from Carnegie Hall.  Currently, it streams from several renowned festivals: Salzburg, Lucerne, Aix-en-Provence, and Annecy, as well as concerts from some of the most prestigious venues in the world.  These live broadcasts are archived and available to watch on demand, along with many recorded concerts of historical interest, documentaries and master classes that feature performers such as Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato and Yo-Yo Ma.  MediciTV also features over two hundred opera performances and more than a hundred ballets.

The quality of the performances and sound are exceptional and every music, opera and ballet lover should find plenty of fascinating performances.  So broad is the array of choices, that I think the hardest part of getting started on Medici TV may be deciding which performance to watch!  With that in mind, I have a few suggestions (first log in with your library card via the library’s Medici TV link):

For a delightful recital, try Juan Diego Florez and a handful of his friends performing Rossini arias at the Teatro Rossini in Pesaro, Italy, recorded just months ago.  There is a lot of joy onstage in this one!

Whether he was conducting or teaching, it is hard to take your eyes of Leonard Bernstein and impossible to not learn a lot when he speaks.  His Omnibus series, recorded for American television in 1957, includes an exploration of the Music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Jonas Kaufmann is a fascinating person and a compelling performer who has a cult-like following in the opera world.  A documentary, Tenor for the Ages, provides a glimpse of what makes him so special.  The documentary was recorded during the time he discovered a career-threatening health problem, which adds a particular poignancy to the film.

Renée Fleming and Joyce DiDonato both recorded master classes in voice for singers at Juilliard and Carnegie Hall that let you be a fly on the wall in the classroom and on stage. 

You may come for the outlandish sets and haunting costumes in the Salzburg Festival’s 2006 incredible production of Mozart’s Magic Flute, but you will stay for every last note of Diana Damarau’s chilling performance as Queen of the Night.  

To get to Medici TV, click on this link and enter your Greenburgh Library Card number.  That’s it!  You can watch from any laptop, tablet or phone.  If you have the ability to Chromecast or Airplay, you can use either app to watch on your smart TV. It may not be The Met or Carnegie Hall, but at least you’ll have legroom in the comfort of your home!