SIMON BOCCANEGRA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/05/2011 SID.20160000
THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance)
Paolo Albiani baritone, NICOLA ALAIMO
Pietro bass, RICHARD BERNSTEIN
Simon Boccanegra baritone, DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY
Jacopo Fiesco bass, FERRUCCIO FURLANETTO
Amelia soprano, BARBARA FRITTOLI
Gabriele Adorno tenor, RAMÓN VARGAS
Amelia’s maid mezzo, EDYTA KULCZAK
Captain tenor, ADAM LAURENCE HERSKOWITZ
THE SCENES Timings (ET) (Genoa, 14th c.)
1:00- PROLOGUE A public square
-2:31 ACT I
Sc. 1 Grimaldi palace gardens, twenty-five years later
Sc. 2 Doge’s council chamber
3:00- ACT II Doge’s apartments
-3:59 ACT III The council chamber
NYTIMES Review
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Noseda; Netrebko, Rachvelishvili, Beczala, Bosi, Maestri, Muraro
Original Air Date: 01/12/2019
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20160647
Based on a play by Eugène Scribe, the story was inspired by the real-life intrigues of famed actress Adrienne Lecouvreur and the legendary soldier—and lover—Maurice of Saxony. Cilea’s operatic retelling quickly became a favorite of charismatic soloists. The title character in particular is a quintessential diva role. Drama Queen (Article by William Berger) “On New Year’s Eve, Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur returns to the Met with soprano Anna Netrebko in the touchstone title role. She teams up with tenor Piotr Beczała as her lover, Maurizio—a brilliant pairing of stars fresh off a joint triumph in performances of Adriana in Vienna. Mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili rounds out the all-star principal trio, and maestro Gianandrea Noseda is on the podium. Sir David McVicar’s new staging—the Met’s first new production of the work in more than half a century—embraces Cilea’s glamorous 18th-century Parisian setting but also mines for deeper artistic significance in an opera that is often underestimated.” (William Berger) Co-Production of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona; Wiener Staatsoper; San Francisco Opera; and L’Opéra National de Paris Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund
RODELINDA:Handel
Summers; Fleming, Scholl, van Rensburg, Blythe, Dumaux, Relyea
Original Air Date: 05/06/2006
MOD Video
SID.20160754
This performance in the second season of the production and Scholl’s first appearance at the Met. There was a third broadcast which includes an HD moviecast of Rodelinda with Fleming and Scholl under Bicket (whom I prefer to Summers) but the intervening 4 years do not benefit either Fleming or Scholl. This video is available also in MOoD so you can compare for yourself. I like Scholl much more than David Daniels so this is my preferred Rodelinda.
DER ROSENKAVALIER:Strauss
Weigle; Garanca, Fleming, Groissböck, Morley, Brück, Polenzani
Original Air Date: 05/13/2017
MOD VideoLive in HD
SID.20160755
TOSCA:Puccini
Villaume; Yoncheva, Grigolo, Lucic
Original Air Date: 01/27/2018
SID.20170215
Sir David McVicar’s “smashing new production” is “a grand triumph” (Huffington Post), featuring an exciting cast led by soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role of the fiery diva and Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Cavaradossi. The pair are “youthful, ardent, and innocent … their duets electric, their kisses hot and numerous” (Wall Street Journal). Yoncheva’s sound is “richly textured and shimmering,” and “Grigolo’s Mario is a true hothead … complete with thrilling top notes” (New York Times). Željko Lučić is “an imposing figure with a voice to match” (Wall Street Journal) as the villainous police chief, Scarpia, and Emmanuel Villaume conducts. Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr; The Paiko Foundation; and Dr. Elena Prokupets, in memory of her late husband, Rudy Prokupets Major funding from Rolex -metopera.org
TOSCA:Puccini
Villaume; Yoncheva, Grigolo, Lucic
Original Air Date: 01/27/2018
SID.20170430
Sir David McVicar’s “smashing new production” is “a grand triumph” (Huffington Post), featuring an exciting cast led by soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role of the fiery diva and Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Cavaradossi. The pair are “youthful, ardent, and innocent … their duets electric, their kisses hot and numerous” (Wall Street Journal). Yoncheva’s sound is “richly textured and shimmering,” and “Grigolo’s Mario is a true hothead … complete with thrilling top notes” (New York Times). Željko Lučić is “an imposing figure with a voice to match” (Wall Street Journal) as the villainous police chief, Scarpia, and Emmanuel Villaume conducts. Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr; The Paiko Foundation; and Dr. Elena Prokupets, in memory of her late husband, Rudy Prokupets Major funding from Rolex -metopera.org
TOSCA:Puccini
Villaume; Yoncheva, Grigolo, Lucic
Original Air Date: 01/27/2018
SID.20170642
Sir David McVicar’s “smashing new production” is “a grand triumph” (Huffington Post), featuring an exciting cast led by soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role of the fiery diva and Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Cavaradossi. The pair are “youthful, ardent, and innocent … their duets electric, their kisses hot and numerous” (Wall Street Journal). Yoncheva’s sound is “richly textured and shimmering,” and “Grigolo’s Mario is a true hothead … complete with thrilling top notes” (New York Times). Željko Lučić is “an imposing figure with a voice to match” (Wall Street Journal) as the villainous police chief, Scarpia, and Emmanuel Villaume conducts. Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr; The Paiko Foundation; and Dr. Elena Prokupets, in memory of her late husband, Rudy Prokupets Major funding from Rolex -metopera.org
TURANDOT:Puccini
Original Air Date: 04/25/2020
Rizzi; Stemme, Gerzmava, Berti, Morris
SID.20170000
TOSCA:Puccini
Villaume; Yoncheva, Grigolo, Lucic
Original Air Date: 01/27/2018
SID.20170749
Sir David McVicar’s “smashing new production” is “a grand triumph” (Huffington Post), featuring an exciting cast led by soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role of the fiery diva and Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Cavaradossi. The pair are “youthful, ardent, and innocent … their duets electric, their kisses hot and numerous” (Wall Street Journal). Yoncheva’s sound is “richly textured and shimmering,” and “Grigolo’s Mario is a true hothead … complete with thrilling top notes” (New York Times). Željko Lučić is “an imposing figure with a voice to match” (Wall Street Journal) as the villainous police chief, Scarpia, and Emmanuel Villaume conducts. Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr; The Paiko Foundation; and Dr. Elena Prokupets, in memory of her late husband, Rudy Prokupets Major funding from Rolex -metopera.org
LA CENERENTOLA:Rossini
Luisi: DiDonato, Flórez, Pisaroni
Original Air Date: 05/10/2014
Live in HD
SID.20170755
Read RWW’s Review of the HD Broadcast with this cast.
Janáček
Original Air Date: 05/02/2020
Koenigs; Phillips, Mack, Zajick, Cernoch, Margita, Appleby, Tomlinson
SID.20180000
Janáček’s gripping domestic drama makes a rare appearance on the Met stage, its first since 2005. The soaring soprano Susanna Phillips sings the title role, a young woman forced by fate to choose between true love and family honor, with beloved mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick as her unyielding mother-in-law. Tenor Pavel Černoch is the young object of Káťa’s love, and legendary bass Sir John Tomlinson is his rich but cruel uncle. Lothar Koenigs conducts one of the defining operatic scores of the 20th century.
Donizetti
Original Air Date: 05/09/2020
Benini; Damrau, Barton, Costello, Filonczyk, Pertusi
SID.20190000