THE MAGIC FLUTE : Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/29/2018
Cast: Bicket; Morley, Lewek, Bliss, Ryan, Gunn, Walker, Robinson
SID.18510000
Now a holiday tradition, Julie Taymor’s beloved production of Mozart’s enchanting fairy tale returns in its abridged, English-language version for families. Soprano Erin Morley, last seen at the Met as a brilliant Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, is the empowered Pamina, and tenor Ben Bliss is the valiant Tamino. Baritone Nathan Gunn is the comic birdcatcher Papageno, and soprano Kathryn Lewek reprises her hair-raising rendition of the malevolent Queen of the Night. Harry Bicket conducts.
On Saturday, December 29, all ticket holders for the 1 PM matinee of The Magic Flute are invited to a free pre-performance open house beginning at 11 AM. Met artists and craftspeople lead a variety of hands-on activities and demonstrations for the whole family.
Abridged production of The Magic Flute a gift of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Bill Rollnick and Nancy Ellison Rollnick
Original production of Die Zauberflöte a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Kravis
Additional funding from John Van Meter, The Annenberg Foundation, Karen and Kevin Kennedy, Bill Rollnick and Nancy Ellison Rollnick, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Miller, Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman, and Mr. and Mrs. Ezra K. Zilkha
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST : Puccini
Armiliato; Westbroek, Kaufmann, Bosi, Lucic, Simpson, Rose, Gradus
Original Air Date: 10/27/2018; Broadcast Air Date 12/22/2018
SID.18510000
First Intermission
Host Mary Jo Heath interviews Eva-Maria Westbroek
Host Mary Jo Heath interviews Maestro Marco Armiliato
Second Intermission
HD Host Susanna Phillips interviews Jonas Kaufmann
Host Mary Jo Heath interviews Stuart Skelton about Otello
Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek sings Puccini’s gun-slinging heroine in this romantic epic of the Wild West. Tenor Yusif Eyvazov portrays Dick Johnson for opening night (Oct 4, 8, 12) Jonas Kaufmann returns to the MET for performances on Oct 17, 20, 23, and 27. Baritone Željko Lučić is the vigilante sheriff Jack Rance, and Marco Armiliato conducts.
NYTimes Review: Jonas Kaufmann, Back at the Met, Is Good, Not Great by Anthony Tommasini Oct. 18, 2018
Observer Review: Puccini’s Wild West Opera Will Shatter Your Heart (Even With the Met’s Subpar Staging) by James Jorden • 10/08/18
BWW Review: Kaufmann Returns to the Met with a ‘Heigh-ho Silver’ in Puccini’s FANCIULLA DEL WEST
LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/26/2018
Nézet-Séguin; Damrau, Flórez (cancelled), Costello, Kelsey
SID.18520321
Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Michael Mayer’s richly textured new production, featuring a dazzling 19th-century setting that changes with the seasons. Soprano Diana Damrau plays the tragic heroine, Violetta, and tenor Juan Diego Flórez returns to the Met for the first time since 2015 to sing the role of Alfredo, Violetta’s hapless lover. Baritone Quinn Kelsey is Alfredo’s father, Germont, who destroys their love. Later performances feature Anita Hartig, Stephen Costello, Artur Ruciński, and Plácido Domingo.
REVIEW: The Met Turns the Tragedy of ‘Traviata’ Into Dull Disney Schmaltz By James Jorden • 12/05/18 – Well, you have to give the Met credit for accomplishing a feat no other opera company in the world could—or should. At Tuesday’s gala new production of La Traviata, the company managed to downgrade Verdi’s masterpiece of musical drama to a kitschy Disney musical. The prime culprit in this act of artistic vandalism is director Michael Mayer, who seems to have no handle at all on this classic tale of a courtesan inspired by true love to make the most profound sacrifice. In the great duet in the second act, for example, when the penitent Violetta confronts Germont, the morally outraged father of her lover, the singers circled listlessly around a bed that hogged center stage through all three acts.
Review: La Traviata’ Opens a New Era at the Met Opera By Anthony Tommasini Dec. 5, 2018 ….””To begin his tenure as the company’s music director, Mr. Nézet-Séguin led an uncommonly fine rendition of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” in a new staging by Michael Mayer that stars the soprano Diana Damrau and the tenor Juan Diego Flórez. And in a rare gesture of respect and good will, the Met’s musicians joined Mr. Nézet-Séguin on stage for a bow after the show.
“
THE MAGIC FLUTE:Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/29/2018
Bicket; Morley, Lewek, Bliss, Ryan, Gunn, Walker, Robinson
SID.18520000
Now a holiday tradition, Julie Taymor’s beloved production of Mozart’s enchanting fairy tale returns in its abridged, English-language version for families.
Program 122918-magic-flute
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR : Cilea
Original Air Date: 12/31/2018
Noseda; Netrebko, Rachvelishvili, Beczala, Bosi, Maestri, Muraro
Live Broadcast
New Year’s Eve Gala
New Production Premiere
Program
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
OTELLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/05/2019
Dudamel; Yoncheva, Johnson Cano, Skelton, Dolgov, Lucic, Morris
SID.19010639
Intermission
Backstage Pass – Loren Toolajian interviews Stuart Skelton
Mary Jo Heath interviews Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Mary Jo Heath narrates “In Memoriam” feature
Conducting sensation Gustavo Dudamel makes his Met debut leading Verdi’s towering Shakespearean masterpiece, in the first revival of Bartlett Sher’s gripping 2015 production. The cast includes dynamic tenor Stuart Skelton in the title role, star soprano Sonya Yoncheva as the devoted but doomed Desdemona, and outstanding baritone Željko Lučić as the treacherous Iago.
OTELLO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/10/2019
Dudamel; Yoncheva, Johnson Cano, Skelton, Dolgov, Lucic, Morris
SID.19020428
Conducting sensation Gustavo Dudamel makes his Met debut leading Verdi’s towering Shakespearean masterpiece, in the first revival of Bartlett Sher’s gripping 2015 production. The cast includes dynamic tenor Stuart Skelton in the title role, star soprano Sonya Yoncheva as the devoted but doomed Desdemona, and outstanding baritone Željko Lučić as the treacherous Iago.
Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr. Revival a gift of Rolex
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR:Cilea
Original Air Date: 01/12/2019
Noseda; Netrebko, Rachvelishvili, Beczala, Bosi, Maestri, Muraro
Live in HD SID.19020640
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.
Pre-Show
Backstage Pass: General Manager Peter Gelb interviews Anna Netrebko
First Intermission
Backstage Pass: HD Host Matthew Polenzani interviews Anita Rachvelishvilli
TOLL BROTHERS – METROPOLITAN OPERA QUIZ
Guest Artist: Paul Appleby Host: Brian Zeger
Panelists: Jon Tolins, George Preston, and Melanie Spector
Second Intermission
Backstage Pass: HD Host Matthew Polenzani interviews Piotr Beczala
Backstage Pass: General Manager Peter Gelb interviews Director David McVicar
Backstage Pass: HD Host Matthew Polenzani interviews maestro Gianandrea Noseda
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
PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE : Debussy
Original Air Date: 01/15/2019
Nézet-Séguin; Leonard, Lemieux, Appleby, Ketelsen, Furlanetto
Live Broadcast SID.19030000
READ SYNOPSIS
Debussy’s only opera, a mesmerizing meditation on love and betrayal, returns to the Met stage for the first time in almost a decade, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the landmark score. A pair of brilliant young Met stars, tenor Paul Appleby and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, are the naïve title lovers, and baritone Kyle Ketelsen is the imperious Prince Golaud. Ferruccio Furlanetto, as Arkel, and Marie-Nicole Lemieux, as Geneviève, complete the cast.
Production a gift of Pierre and Ailene Claeyssens
CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 01/17/2019
Langrée; Phillips, Margaine, Alagna, Simpson
SID.19030000
Mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine reprises her remarkable portrayal of opera’s ultimate seductress, a triumph in her 2017 debut performances, with impassioned tenors Yonghoon Lee and Roberto Alagna as her lover, Don José. Omer Meir Wellber and Louis Langrée share conducting duties for Sir Richard Eyre’s powerful production, a Met favorite since its 2009 premiere.
PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE:Debussy
Original Air Date: 01/15/2019
Nézet-Séguin; Leonard, Lemieux, Appleby, Ketelsen, Furlanetto
SID.19030640
First Intermission
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews tenor Paul Appleby
Pelléas et Mélisande feature with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Second Intermission
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews mezzo Isabel Leonard
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Kyle Ketelsen and Ferruccio Furlanetto
Mary Jo Heath interviews Roberto Alagna about Carmen
Debussy’s only opera, a mesmerizing meditation on love and betrayal, returns to the Met stage for the first time in almost a decade, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting the landmark score. A pair of brilliant young Met stars, tenor Paul Appleby and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, are the naïve title lovers, and baritone Kyle Ketelsen is the imperious Prince Golaud. Ferruccio Furlanetto, as Arkel, and Marie-Nicole Lemieux, as Geneviève, complete the cast.
IOLANTA / BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Tchaikovsky/Bartók
Original Air Date: 01/24/2019
Nanasi; Yoncheva, Polenzani, Markov, Azizov, Kowaljow, Denoke, Finley
SID.19040428
Mariusz Treliński’s haunting production of the pairing of Tchaikovsky’s and Bartók’s one-act operas makes its first return to the stage since its Met premiere in the 2014–15 season. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva—following her triumphant 2017–18 performances as Tosca—is the blind princess, Iolanta, who discovers love for the first time, opposite tenor Matthew Polenzani as the dashing knight Vaudémont. In Bartók’s chilling Bluebeard’s Castle, baritone Gerald Finley is the menacing Bluebeard, and soprano Angela Denoke is his initially unsuspecting new wife. Henrik Nánási conducts. Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera Production a gift of Ambassador and Mrs. Nicholas F. Taubman; Additional funding from Mrs. Veronica Atkins; Dr. Magdalena Berenyi, in memory of Dr. Kalman Berenyi; and the National Endowment for the Arts
MARNIE:Nico Muhly
Original Air Date: 11/10/2018
Broadcast Date: 1/10
Spano; Leonard, Kelly, Graves, Davies, Maltman
SID.19040640
INTERMISSION
-Marnie composer Nico Muhly with Elena Park
-Director Michael Mayer, mezzo Isabel Leonard and baritone Christopher Maltman discuss the making of Marnie
-Mary Jo Heath interviews Gerald Finley about Bluebeard’s Castle
Composer Nico Muhly unveils his second new opera for the Met with this gripping reimagining of Winston Graham’s novel, set in the 1950s, about a beautiful, mysterious young woman who assumes multiple identities. Director Michael Mayer and his creative team have devised a fast-moving, cinematic world for this exhilarating story of denial and deceit, which also inspired a film by Alfred Hitchcock. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard sings the enigmatic Marnie, and baritone Christopher Maltman is the man who pursues her—with disastrous results. Robert Spano conducts. Music by Nico Muhly, libretto by Nicholas Wright, based on the novel by Winston Graham Production: Michael Mayer; Set/Projection Designers: Julian Crouch, 59 Productions; Costume Designer: Arianne Phillips; Lighting Designer: Kevin Adams, Choreographer: Lynne Page Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera By special arrangement with Universal Pictures
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 01/30/2019
Meister; Willis-Sørensen, Lombardi, Garifullina, de Barbeyrac, Pisaroni, Abdrazakov, Cedel, Kocán
SID.19050321
SEASON PREMIERE
PROGRAM
Baritone Peter Mattei and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni star as opera’s most notorious seducer in Mozart’s masterpiece of dark comedy. Cornelius Meister makes his Met debut conducting performances that also include sopranos Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Guanqun Yu as Donna Anna, sopranos Federica Lombardi and Susanna Phillips as Donna Elvira, and basses Ildar Abdrazakov and Adam Plachetka as Leporello. Production a gift of the Richard and Susan Braddock Family Foundation, and Sarah and Howard Solomon Additional funding from Jane and Jerry del Missier, and Mr. and Mrs. Ezra K. Zilkha Revival a gift of the Metropolitan Opera Club
CARMEN : Bizet
Original Air Date: 02/02/2019
Langrée; Phillips, Margaine, Alagna, Simpson
Live in HD SID.19050640
INTERMISSION FEATURES
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Clémentine Margaine
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Children’s Chorus Master Anthony Piccolo and Members of the Children’s Chorus
-Commentator William Berger interviews Luca Pisaroni about Don Giovanni
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Alexander Vinogradov
-Backstage Pass: HD Host Ailyn Pérez interviews Aleksandra Kurzak and Roberto Alagna
Mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine reprises her remarkable portrayal of opera’s ultimate seductress, a triumph in her 2017 debut performances, with impassioned tenors Yonghoon Lee and Roberto Alagna as her lover, Don José. Omer Meir Wellber and Louis Langrée share conducting duties for Sir Richard Eyre’s powerful production, a Met favorite since its 2009 premiere.
Production a gift of Mrs. Paul Desmarais Sr.
LA FILLE DU REGIMENT:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 02/07/2019
Mazzola; Yende, Blythe, Turner, Camarena, Corbelli
SID.19060428
Tenor Javier Camarena and soprano Pretty Yende team up for a feast of bel canto vocal fireworks—including the show-stopping tenor aria “Ah! Mes amis … Pour mon âme,” with its nine high Cs. Alessandro Corbelli and Maurizio Muraro trade off as the comic Sergeant Sulpice, with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield. And in an exciting piece of casting, stage and screen icon Kathleen Turner makes her Met debut in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Enrique Mazzola conducts. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; and the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna; Production a gift of The Annenberg Foundation; Revival a gift of Mrs. Jayne Wrightsman
IOLANTA / BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE:Tchaikovsky/Bartók
Original Air Date: 02/09/2019
Nanasi; Yoncheva, Polenzani, Markov, Azizov, Kowaljow, Denoke, Finley
SID.19060639
Program 020919-iolanta-bluebeard
Intermission Features
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Sonya Yoncheva and Matthew Polenzani
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Angela Denoke and Gerald Finley
Mary Jo Heath interviews Nadine Sierra about Rigoletto
Mariusz Treliński’s haunting production of the pairing of Tchaikovsky’s and Bartók’s one-act operas makes its first return to the stage since its Met premiere in the 2014–15 season. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva—following her triumphant 2017–18 performances as Tosca—is the blind princess, Iolanta, who discovers love for the first time, opposite tenor Matthew Polenzani as the dashing knight Vaudémont. In Bartók’s chilling Bluebeard’s Castle, baritone Gerald Finley is the menacing Bluebeard, and soprano Angela Denoke is his initially unsuspecting new wife. Henrik Nánási conducts. Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera Production a gift of Ambassador and Mrs. Nicholas F. Taubman; Additional funding from Mrs. Veronica Atkins; Dr. Magdalena Berenyi, in memory of Dr. Kalman Berenyi; and the National Endowment for the Arts
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/12/2019
Luisotti; Sierra, Zaharia, Grigolo, Frontali, Kocán
SID.19070214
Verdi’s tragic jester returns in Michael Mayer’s neon-bedecked, Las Vegas–themed production. Baritones Roberto Frontali and George Gagnidze share the title role, and soprano Nadine Sierra reprises her portrayal of Gilda, the role that helped launch her now-blossoming Met career. Tenors Vittorio Grigolo and Bryan Hymel share the role of the lascivious Duke, and Nicola Luisotti conducts.
DON GIOVANNI:Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/16/2019
Meister; Willis-Sørensen, Lombardi, Garifullina, de Barbeyrac, Pisaroni, Taylor, Cedel, Kocán
SID.19070640
DON GIOVANNI{570}
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart–Lorenzo Da Ponte
Don Giovanni…………Luca Pisaroni
Donna Anna…………..Rachel Willis-Sorensen
Don Ottavio………….Stanislas de Barbeyrac
Donna Elvira…………Federica Lombardi
Leporello……………Ildar Abdrazakov
Zerlina……………..Aida Garifullina
Masetto……………..Brandon Cedel
Commendatore…………Stefan Kocán
Cello Continuo……….David Heiss
Harpsichord Continuo….Howard Watkins
Mandolin Solo………..Joyce Rasmussen Balint
Conductor……………Cornelius Meister
Production…………..Michael Grandage
Designer…………….Christopher Oram
Lighting Designer…….Paule Constable
Choreographer………..Ben Wright
Stage Director……….Louisa Muller
Intermission
-Backstage Pass – Loren Toolajian interviews Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Federica Lombardi, and Aida Garifullina
-Backstage Pass – Loren Toolajian interviews Luca Pisaroni, Ildar Abdrazakov, and Stanislas de Barbeyrac
-Mary Jo Heath interviews Pretty Yende and Javier Camarena about La Fille du Régiment
Baritone Peter Mattei and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni star as opera’s most notorious seducer in Mozart’s masterpiece of dark comedy. Cornelius Meister makes his Met debut conducting performances that also include sopranos Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Guanqun Yu as Donna Anna, sopranos Federica Lombardi and Susanna Phillips as Donna Elvira, and basses Ildar Abdrazakov and Adam Plachetka as Leporello. Production a gift of the Richard and Susan Braddock Family Foundation, and Sarah and Howard Solomon Additional funding from Jane and Jerry del Missier, and Mr. and Mrs. Ezra K. Zilkha Revival a gift of the Metropolitan Opera Club
LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 02/11/2019
Mazzola; Yende, Blythe, Turner, Camarena, Corbelli
SID.19080107
Tenor Javier Camarena and soprano Pretty Yende team up for a feast of bel canto vocal fireworks—including the show-stopping tenor aria “Ah! Mes amis … Pour mon âme,” with its nine high Cs. Alessandro Corbelli and Maurizio Muraro trade off as the comic Sergeant Sulpice, with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield. And in an exciting piece of casting, stage and screen icon Kathleen Turner makes her Met debut in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Enrique Mazzola conducts. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; and the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna
FALSTAFF:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/22/2019
Farnes; Schultz, Pérez, Lemieux, Johnson Cano, Demuro, Maestri, Rodríguez
SID.19080535
Baritone Ambrogio Maestri brings his larger-than-life portrayal of the title role back for the first time since his Met role debut in the 2013–14 season. Robert Carsen’s insightful production—which moves the action to postwar England in the 1950s—features an exceptional cast that includes soprano Ailyn Pérez as Alice Ford and soprano Golda Schultz as Nannetta.
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/23/2019
Luisotti; Sierra, Zaharia, Grigolo, Frontali, Kocán
SID.19080640
Verdi’s tragic jester returns in Michael Mayer’s neon-bedecked, Las Vegas–themed production. Baritones Roberto Frontali and George Gagnidze share the title role, and soprano Nadine Sierra reprises her portrayal of Gilda, the role that helped launch her now-blossoming Met career. Tenors Vittorio Grigolo, Francesco Demuro, Matthew Polenzani, and Stephen Costello share the role of the lascivious Duke, and Nicola Luisotti conducts.
First Intermission
-Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Nadine Sierra and Roberto Frontali
-TOLL BROTHERS – METROPOLITAN OPERA QUIZ
Guest Artist: Jamie Barton; Host: Brian Zeger
Panelists: Cori Ellison, Jeff McMillan, and Rich Miller
Second Intermission
-Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Vittorio Grigolo
-Mary Jo Heath interviews General Manager Peter Gelb
FALSTAFF:Verdi
Original Air Date: 02/27/2019
Farnes; Schultz, Pérez, Lemieux, Johnson Cano, Demuro, Maestri, Rodríguez
SID.19090321
Baritone Ambrogio Maestri brings his larger-than-life portrayal of the title role back for the first time since his Met role debut in the 2013–14 season. Robert Carsen’s insightful production—which moves the action to postwar England in the 1950s—features an exceptional cast that includes soprano Ailyn Pérez as Alice Ford and soprano Golda Schultz as Nannetta.
LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT:Donizetti
Original Air Date: 03/02/2019
Mazzola; Yende, Blythe, Camarena, Corbelli, Muraro
Live in HD SID.19090640
Intermission
-Backstage Pass – HD Host Nadine Sierra interviews Pretty Yende
-William Berger interviews Ailyn Pérez, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, and Golda Schultz about Falstaff
-Backstage Pass – HD Host Nadine Sierra interviews Stephanie Blythe and Maurizio Muraro
-Backstage Pass – HD Host Nadine Sierra interviews Javier Camarena
Tenor Javier Camarena and soprano Pretty Yende team up for a feast of bel canto vocal fireworks—including the show-stopping tenor aria “Ah! Mes amis … Pour mon âme,” with its nine high Cs. Alessandro Corbelli and Maurizio Muraro trade off as the comic Sergeant Sulpice, with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield. And in an exciting piece of casting, stage and screen icon Kathleen Turner makes her Met debut in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Enrique Mazzola conducts. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; and the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna
AIDA:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/07/2019
Domingo; Radvanovsky, Petrova, Antonenko, Kelsey, Kocán, Howard
SID.19100428
Sondra Radvanovsky sings the title role, going toe-to-toe with Olesya Petrova as Amneris. Jorge de León is Radamès, and the great Plácido Domingo conducts.
Final performance of this production on March 4 and 7 (numbers 246 and 247). ‘Then its weathered hieroglyphics, its applause-garnering live horses, its looming walls of craggy stone-esque plaster and its gold-sprayed props will all be sealed in storage, as securely as Aida and Radamès in their tomb at the opera’s end.’ [Woolfe, NYTIMES 3-1-2019]
When “Aida” returns, it will open the 2020-21 season in a new production directed by Michael Mayer and designed by Christine Jones, the pair that updated the Met’s “Rigoletto” to 1960s Las Vegas. Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct a starry cast: Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala and Ludovic Tézier.
Aida………………..Sondra Radvanovsky
Radamès……………..Jorge de León
Amneris……………..Olesya Petrova
Amonasro…………….Quinn Kelsey
Ramfis………………Stefan Kocán
King………………..Soloman Howard
Messenger……………Arseny Yakovlev
Priestess……………Leah Hawkins
Dance……………….Min-Tzu Li
Dance……………….Brian Gephart
Conductor……………Plácido Domingo
Production…………..Sonja Frisell
Set designer…………Gianni Quaranta
Costume designer……..Dada Saligeri
Lighting designer…….Gil Wechsler
Choreographer………..Alexei Ratmansky
Stage Director……….Stephen Pickove
DAS RHEINGOLD:Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/09/2019
Jordan; Harmer, Barton, Cargill, Ernst, Siegel, Grimsley, Konieczny, Groissböck, Belosselskiy
SID.19100640
Freia……………….Wendy Bryn Harmer
Fricka……………..Jamie Barton*
Erda………………..Karen Cargill
Loge……………….Norbert Ernst (MET Debut)
Mime………………Gerhard Siegel
Donner……………Michael Todd Simpson
Wotan……………..Greer Grimsley
Alberich…………..Tomasz Konieczny (MET Debut)
Fasolt………………Gunter Groissbock
Fafner……………..Dmitry Belosselskiy
Woglinde………..Amanda Woodbury
Wellgunde……..Samantha Hankey
Flosshilde………Tamara Mumford
Conductor……….Philippe Jordan
Production …………………Robert Lepage
Associate Director ………Neilson Vignola
Set Designer ………………Carl Fillion
Costume Designer ….. …Francois St-Aubin
Lighting Designer ……….Etienne Boucher
Video Image Artist ……..Boris Firquet
Revival Stage Director ..J. Knighten Smit
*(Met Role Debut)
Wagner’s visionary initial installment of the Ring Cycle depicts the original sin of the theft of the sacred golden treasure, the vanity of the gods, the greed of the Nibelungen, the fratricide of the giants, and the building of Valhalla. Bass-baritone Greer Grimsley and baritone Michael Volle share the role of Wotan, the conflicted lord of the gods. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton sings her first Wagner role at the Met as Wotan’s embattled wife, Fricka. In collaboration with Ex Machina
DAS RHEINGOLD: Wagner
Original Air Date: 03/14/2019
Jordan; Harmer, Barton, Cargill, Ernst, Siegel, Grimsley, Konieczny, Groissböck, Belosselskiy
SID.19110428
Wagner’s visionary initial installment of the Ring Cycle depicts the original sin of the theft of the sacred golden treasure, the vanity of the gods, the greed of the Nibelungen, the fratricide of the giants, and the building of Valhalla. Bass-baritone Greer Grimsley and baritone Michael Volle share the role of Wotan, the conflicted lord of the gods. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton sings her first Wagner role at the Met as Wotan’s embattled wife, Fricka. In collaboration with Ex Machina
Freia……………….Wendy Bryn Harmer
Fricka……………..Jamie Barton*
Erda………………..Karen Cargill
Loge……………….Norbert Ernst (MET Debut)
Mime………………Gerhard Siegel
Donner……………Michael Todd Simpson
Wotan……………..Greer Grimsley
Alberich…………..Tomasz Konieczny (MET Debut)
Fasolt………………Gunter Groissbock
Fafner……………..Dmitry Belosselskiy
Woglinde………..Amanda Woodbury
Wellgunde……..Samantha Hankey
Flosshilde………Tamara Mumford
Conductor……….Philippe Jordan
Production …………………Robert Lepage
Associate Director ………Neilson Vignola
Set Designer ………………Carl Fillion
Costume Designer ….. …Francois St-Aubin
Lighting Designer ……….Etienne Boucher
Video Image Artist ……..Boris Firquet
Revival Stage Director ..J. Knighten Smit
*(Met Role Debut)
Original Air Date: 03/16/2019
Farnes; Schultz, Pérez, Lemieux, Johnson Cano, Demuro, Maestri, Rodríguez
SID.19110640
FALSTAFF {192} Giuseppe Verdi–Arrigo Boito
Sir John Falstaff…….Ambrogio Maestri
Alice Ford…………..Ailyn Pérez
Ford………………..Juan-Jesús Rodriguez
Dame Quickly…………Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Nannetta…………….Golda Schultz
Fenton………………Francesco Demuro
Meg Page…………….Jennifer Johnson Cano
Dr. Cajus……………Tony Stevenson
Bardolfo…………….Keith Jameson
Pistola……………..Richard Bernstein
Conductor……………Richard Farnes
Production…………..Robert Carsen
Set Designer…………Paul Steinberg
Costume Designer……..Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lighting designer…….Robert Carsen
Lighting Designer…….Peter Van Praet
Stage Director……….Gina Lapinski
Intermission
-Backstage Pass – Loren Toolajian interviews Ailyn Pérez, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, and Golda Schultz
-William Berger interviews Ambrogio Maestri, our Falstaff
-Mary Jo Heath interviews Christine Goerke, Brunhilde, about Die Walküre
The revival a gift of Edwin C. Holmer III
A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Teatro alla Scala, Milan; the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto; and De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam
Baritone Ambrogio Maestri brings his larger-than-life portrayal of the title role back for the first time since his Met role debut in the 2013–14 season. Robert Carsen’s insightful production—which moves the action to postwar England in the 1950s—features an exceptional cast that includes soprano Ailyn Pérez as Alice Ford and soprano Golda Schultz as Nannetta.
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA:Rossini
Original Air Date: 03/24/2007
Benini; Mattei, DiDonato, Flórez, Del Carlo, Relyea
Live in HD MOD Video SID.19120212
This is a simulcast of the first season Live in HD videocast. It’s the only matinee broadcast appearance of Mattei, DiDonato and Florez together, and they are a splendid trio.
RIGOLETTO:Verdi
Original Air Date: 03/20/2019
Luisotti; Sierra, Zaharia, Hymel, Frontali, Kocán
SID.19120321
RIGOLETTO {893}
Giuseppe Verdi–Francesco Maria Piave/Victor Hugo
Rigoletto……………Roberto Frontali
Gilda……………….Nadine Sierra
Duke of Mantua……….Francesco Demuro
Maddalena……………Ramona Zaharia
Sparafucile………….Stefan Kocán
Monterone……………Robert Pomakov
Borsa……………….Eduardo Valdes
Marullo……………..Jeongcheol Cha
Count Ceprano………..Paul Corona
Countess Ceprano……..Samantha Hankey
Giovanna…………….Jennifer Roderer
Page………………..Catherine MiEun Choi-Steckmeyer
Guard……………….Earle Patriarco
Conductor……………Nicola Luisotti
Production…………..Michael Mayer
Set Designer…………Christine Jones
Costume Designer……..Susan Hilferty
Lighting Designer…….Kevin Adams
Choreographer………..Steven Hoggett
Stage Director……….Gregory Keller
This production of Rigoletto is set in Las Vegas, 1960.
Verdi’s tragic jester returns in Michael Mayer’s neon-bedecked, Las Vegas–themed production. Baritones Roberto Frontali and George Gagnidze share the title role, and soprano Nadine Sierra reprises her portrayal of Gilda, the role that helped launch her now-blossoming Met career. Tenors Vittorio Grigolo, Francesco Demuro, Matthew Polenzani, and Stephen Costello share the role of the lascivious Duke, and Nicola Luisotti conducts.