LET’S BE HONEST – isolation is rubbish. 

There’s only so much you can do, but to be fair the world does seem to be coming together and being decent for once – so there is that. 

Maybe it’s time to start something new, something you might not have tried before… like opera, for example.

Like so many other forms of entertainment, all opera performances were cancelled to comply with Government orders restricting mass gatherings. 

But the Irish National Opera company wanted to remind people that they can still watch previous performances for free on their website. 

Company director Fergus Shiels told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that those wishing to “dip their toe” into opera should consider watching the significant amount of performances currently uploaded to the internet.

Similar things are happening in the US since the Met Opera was forced to shut its doors due to the coronavirus crisis. 

The Met has started a nightly free video stream of an opera for people all around the world to enjoy. The website had 477,000 visitors last Wednesday, up from its usual average of 3,000, showing the demand for media the public would not typically consume during this period of isolation. 

A statement from the Met reads: “The response to our Nightly Met Opera Streams has been overwhelming, with hundreds of thousands of music lovers worldwide tuning in for each opera. Tomorrow, we’ll begin an all-Wagner week, with seven of the composer’s operas available for free streaming, including the full Ring cycle.

“While Wagner’s operas often depict destruction and strife, they also offer hope for redemption and rebirth—a message that resonates now more than ever.”

You can access the streams, with subtitles, at metopera.org or through the Met Opera On Demand apps.