A prestigious British concert hall announced Tuesday a program of classical music performances broadcast live but without audiences, the confinement having been extended by the government. Pianist Stephen Hough, opera singers Iestyn Davies and Mark Padmore, pianist Mitsuko Uchida ... A total of twenty concerts of approximately one hour each will be broadcast live on the BBC and on the Wigmore Hall website, which thus partially reopens its doors from June 1, for the first time since the announcement of the containment at the end of March.
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The institution emphasizes social distancing measures, which will remain in force: the musicians will perform solo or in duet and with a maximum of four people, including the sound engineer, for all audiences. The new directives published Monday by the government foresee that "cultural and sporting events in camera can be broadcast" from June, insofar as they do not imply " social contact on a large scale" . "The health and safety of our staff and musicians will always be the number one concern of Wigmore Hall," said venue manager John Gilhooly.
Due to the new coronavirus epidemic, British theaters, museums and concert halls were all ordered to close in late March. Since then, most of the cultural festivals have also been canceled. To the point that the United Kingdom could become a "cultural desert" , if the sector does not receive emergency financial aid, ruled in April the representative body of the Federation of Creative Industries, both for independent artists - which therefore do not benefit from government aid linked to the Covid-19 disease - and theaters threatened by the lack of income.
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