The chorus of the Opéra national du Rhin was called back to work yesterday under the direction of Alessandro Zuppardo.

Appropriate precautions have been taken (see below).

While Coronavirus news in Russia is selective, we hear that the Mariinsky Theatre has quietly called off its Stars of White Nights summer festival in July.

Nike Wagner, talking of her hopes of saving a postponed Beethovenfest in Bonn, has plans for a reduced Mahler 2nd symphony with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

‘Auferstehn, ja auferstehn!’ she exhorted an interviewer.

The operetta composer, born April 1870, was facing a summer of frothy celebration – nowhere more so than at the 59th Franz Lehár Festival at Bad Ischl in Upper Austria.

Sadly, the festival was called off last night, due to Coronavirus.

Lehár’s next big date will be 2023, which is 75 years after his death in 1948.