TURANDOT:Puccini
Nézet-Séguin; Goerke, Buratto, Aronica, Morris
Original Air Date: 10/03/2019
SID.19400426
Two of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Christine Goerke and Nina Stemme, reprise their fierce portrayals of the title princess. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece, which also features tenors Yusif Eyvazov and Riccardo Massi as Calàf, sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Hibla Gerzmava as Liù, and bass-baritone James Morris as Timur.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY:Puccini
Morandi; He, DeShong, Pretti, Szot
Original Air Date: 10/11/2019
SID.19410530
AKHNATEN:Glass
Kamensek; Larusdottir, Bridges, Costanzo, Blake, Liverman, Bernstein, James
Original Air Date: 11/08/2019
SID.19450535
Director Phelim McDermott tackles another one of Philip Glass’s masterpieces, following the now-legendary Met staging of Satyagraha. Star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo is the title pharaoh, the revolutionary ruler who transformed ancient Egypt, with the striking mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges in her Met debut as his wife, Nefertiti. To match the opera’s hypnotic, ritualistic music, McDermott has created an arresting vision that includes a virtuosic company of acrobats and jugglers. Karen Kamensek conducts in her Met debut. This production was originally created by English National Opera and LA Opera; In collaboration with Improbable; Production gift of the Rosalie J. Coe Weir Endowment Fund and the Wyncote Foundation, as recommended by Frederick R. Haas and Rafael Gomez; Additional funding from The H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, Ph.D. and Oscar Tang Endowment Fund, Dominique Laffont, Andrew J. Martin-Weber, The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Endowment Fund, American Express, and the National Endowment for the Arts
Mozart
Original Air Date: 11/16/2019
Manacorda; Phillips, Sierra, Arquez, Bishop, Plachetka, Pisaroni, Sherratt
SID.19460000
Two outstanding casts—including sopranos Nadine Sierra, Anita Hartig, Susanna Phillips, and Hanna-Elisabeth Müller; mezzo-sopranos Gaëlle Arquez and Marianne Crebassa; baritone Mariusz Kwiecien; and bass-baritones Luca Pisaroni and Adam Plachetka—come together for Mozart’s scintillating class comedy. Antonello Manacorda and Cornelius Meister conduct Sir Richard Eyre’s fast-paced production.
Tchaikovsky
Original Air Date: 12/05/2019
Petrenko; Davidsen, Maximova, Diadkova, Antonenko, Golovatenko, Markov
SID.19490000
Tchaikovsky’s eerie thriller of imperial Russia has its first performances at the Met since 2011. Tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko is Hermann, the fanatical gambler whose obsession with a powerful secret drives him to madness. Soprano Lise Davidsen makes her highly anticipated Met debut as his long-suffering lover, Lisa, with mezzo-soprano Larissa Diadkova as the otherworldly Countess. Baritone Igor Golovatenko is Yeletsky, baritone Alexey Markov is Tomsky, and Vasily Petrenko conducts.
Strauss
Original Air Date: 12/13/2019
Rattle; Nylund, Kožená, Schultz, Goeldner, Polenzani, Ebenstein, Eiche, Groissböck
SID.19500000
Robert Carsen’s splendid staging returns for the first time since its blockbuster 2017 premiere, with Sir Simon Rattle on the podium to conduct Strauss’s glittering score. Star soprano Camilla Nylund is the worldly Marschallin, with the outstanding mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená as her exuberant young lover, Octavian. Bass Günther Groissböck reprises his definitive take on the lascivious Baron Ochs, and rising soprano Golda Schultz sings the innocent Sophie.
Mozart
Original Air Date: 12/19/2019
Koenigs; Harvey, Lewek, Portillo, Rosel, Hopkins, Carfizzi, Robinson
SID.19510000
A beloved holiday tradition continues as Mozart’s delightful fairy tale returns in the Met’s abridged, English-language version for families, perfect for younger audiences, with no intermission and a running time of less than two hours. Lothar Koenigs conducts a dynamic cast of standout Mozarteans in Julie Taymor’s magical production, an enduring Met classic with its eye-popping puppetry and stunning visuals.
Berg
Original Air Date: 12/27/2019
Nézet-Séguin; van den Heever, Mumford, Ventris, Siegel, Staples, Mattei, Van Horn
SID.19520000
After wowing audiences with his astounding production of Lulu in 2015, South African artist William Kentridge now focuses his extraordinary visual imagination on Berg’s other operatic masterpiece, set in an apocalyptic pre–World War I environment. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is on the podium for this important event, with baritone Peter Mattei making his highly anticipated role debut as the title character. Soprano Elza van den Heever is Wozzeck’s unfaithful mate, and the commanding cast also includes tenor Christopher Ventris as the Drum-Major, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the Doctor, and tenor Gerhard Siegel as the Captain.
Verdi
Original Air Date: 01/10/2020
Chichon; Kurzak, Popov, Kelsey
SID.20020000
Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak and Lisette Oropesa share the role of Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenor Dmytro Popov as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritones Quinn Kelsey and Luca Salsi as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon and Bertrand de Billy conduct one of opera’s greatest scores.
Berlioz
Original Air Date: 01/29/2020
Gardner; Garanca, Hymel, Abdrazakov
SID.20050000
LA DAMNATION DE FAUST:Berlioz
Gardner; Garanca, Hymel, Abdrazakov
Original Air Date: 01/29/2020
SID.20050321
Berlioz’s compelling take on the Faust legend returns for the first time in a decade, with an ideal lineup of stars. High-flying tenors Bryan Hymel and Michael Spyres sing the doomed and besotted Faust, opposite dazzling mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the forsaken Marguerite and bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the malevolent Méphistophélès. Edward Gardner conducts. Please note that these are concert presentations on the Met stage. The decision to present La Damnation de Faust in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be impossible to accommodate within the company’s production schedule.
LA DAMNATION DE FAUST:Berlioz
Gardner; Garanca, Hymel, Abdrazakov
Original Air Date: 01/29/2020
SID.20050321
Berlioz’s compelling take on the Faust legend returns for the first time in a decade, with an ideal lineup of stars. High-flying tenors Bryan Hymel and Michael Spyres sing the doomed and besotted Faust, opposite dazzling mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the forsaken Marguerite and bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the malevolent Méphistophélès. Edward Gardner conducts. Please note that these are concert presentations on the Met stage. The decision to present La Damnation de Faust in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be impossible to accommodate within the company’s production schedule.
AGRIPPINA:Handel
Bicket; Rae, DiDonato, Lindsey, Davies, Rock, Rose
Original Air Date: 02/06/2020
SID.20060000
Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome receives its first Met performances, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius. This production was originally created by the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie / De Munt Brussels and adapted by the Metropolitan Opera
Mozart
Original Air Date: 02/18/2020
Bicket; Car, Malfi, Stober, Bliss, Pisaroni, Finley
SID.20080000
Coney Island once again comes to the stage of the Met with the first revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular staging inspired by the side shows of the boardwalk. The pairs of young lovers are a casting dream: soprano Nicole Car, mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, with the glorious bass-baritone Gerald Finley as the cynical Don Alfonso and the charming soprano Heidi Stober as the mischievous maid Despina. Harry Bicket conducts.
Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera In collaboration with Improbable
Production a gift of William R. Miller, and John Sucich / Trust of Joseph Padula Additional funding from The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Endowment Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts
COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Bicket; Car, Malfi, Stober, Bliss, Pisaroni, Finley
Original Air Date: 02/18/2020
SID.20080000
Coney Island once again comes to the stage of the Met with the first revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular staging inspired by the side shows of the boardwalk. The pairs of young lovers are a casting dream: soprano Nicole Car, mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, with the glorious bass-baritone Gerald Finley as the cynical Don Alfonso and the charming soprano Heidi Stober as the mischievous maid Despina. Harry Bicket conducts. Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera In collaboration with Improbable
COSÌ FAN TUTTE:Mozart
Bicket; Car, Malfi, Stober, Bliss, Pisaroni, Finley
Original Air Date: 02/18/2020
SID.20080214
Coney Island once again comes to the stage of the Met with the first revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular staging inspired by the side shows of the boardwalk. The pairs of young lovers are a casting dream: soprano Nicole Car, mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, with the glorious bass-baritone Gerald Finley as the cynical Don Alfonso and the charming soprano Heidi Stober as the mischievous maid Despina. Harry Bicket conducts. Co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera In collaboration with Improbable
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER:Wagner
Gergiev; Kampe, Fujimura, Skorokhodov, Portillo, Nikitin, Selig
Original Air Date: 03/02/2020
SID.20100107
François Girard, whose revelatory 2013 take on Parsifal set the recent Met standard for Wagner stagings, now unveils a spellbinding new vision of the composer’s tale of a cursed sea captain doomed to sail the open ocean for eternity. With sweeping sets by John Macfarlane, Girard’s new production turns the Met stage into a rich, layered tableau reminiscent of a vast oil painting. Valery Gergiev conducts a brilliant cast led by bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin as the Dutchman, with German soprano Anja Kampe making her anticipated Met debut as the devoted Senta, whose selfless love is what the Dutchman seeks. Bass Franz-Josef Selig is her father, Daland, and tenor Sergey Skorokhodov is her deserted former lover, Erik. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam; The Abu Dhabi Festival; and Opéra de Québec
CARMEN:Bizet
Nezet-Seguin; Frittoli, Garanca, Alagna, Tahu Rhodes
Original Air Date: 01/16/2010
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20120100
Go to metopera.org: click on link there or download app to your mobile device or add to your ROKU or Apple TV or Smart TV
Overall, the afternoon gets an A; not that there werent things to NOT like, but the balance of elements was extremely satisfying, and you understand why Carmen can survive anything from Spike Jones (set in a bubble gum factory decades before regie theatre was thought of) to Carmen Jones to whatever some crazy director somewhere in the EU is cooking up. What a score, even if you’re listening mostly to Choudens and Guiraud recitatives. The melodies, the characters, the everything. Elina Garanca voice’s is both fruity and clear. Her middle and upper voice are technically very satisfying and if there is a little weakness at the bottom in a theare the size of the Met, she has baby blue eyes and a command of the role that clearly put her as a favorite Carmen (Stevens, but Resnik (Dallas, 1963), Bumbry, Verrett, Borodina, De Los Angeles (Newark), Crespin, Horne, Baltsa are the ones most worthy of mention. Alagna is such a theatre performer that you go with him even when everything is not perfect. He is a very fine Jose, had to make the high climax of the Flower song pure falsetto to avoid a crack, but overall one of my favorite Joses. That he is arguably the best with the text of any doesn’t hurt, and visually he’s quite a specimen at 47. Carmen has to give him up because he’s immature not because he isn’t the hottest guy in Seville. Frittoli has many roles her Fiordiligi in the house, many Desdemonas, and her wrenching Suor Angelica. Her vibrato is always 10% too “loose” to be ideal, but when she needs to get out a big climax, she’s right there. only Freni and Lidia Marimpietri (Dallas, 1963) have made a greater impact. Teddy Tahu Rhodes was a late (10 am this morning) replacement for Kwiecien who was ill. Though he is often portrayed as a bari hunk, he looked skinny in the costume, and I wasn’t much impressed. The vocal if not stylistic standard is Merrill. Better Escamillos – Jose van Dam, Sam Ramey, Rene Pape, Norman Treigle (also in that first Carmen). Conducting. Yannick Nezet-Seguin. The musical preparation was outstanding. He started the first act prelude like a house of fire, but as he was accompanying the singers, came into more traditional tempi; he got a nice Gallic tang out of the orchestra. Where the preparation showed was in the many numbers that mix in the quintet of smugglers with chorus and 1 or more of the principals. Elizabeth Caballero as Frasquita sounded VERY good; we should hear more of her, but the ensemble was really terrific today. Except for the final tableau , the production is very satisfactory, and a good visual Carmen.
Massenet
Original Air Date: 03/16/2020
Nézet-Séguin; Fang, DiDonato, Beczala, Dupuis, Opie
SID.20120000
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Massenet’s tragedy, a perfect vehicle for outstanding tenors, starring Piotr Beczała, who certainly fits the bill. The magnificent mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is Charlotte, the object of Werther’s misguided affections, alongside sopranos Erin Morley and Ying Fang as Sophie and baritone Etienne Dupuis as Albert, in Sir Richard Eyre’s arresting production.
LA BOHEME :Puccini
Luisotti; Gheorghiu, Arteta, Vargas, Tezier
Original Air Date: 04/05/2008
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20120200
IL TROVATORE:Verdi
Armiliato, Netrebko, Zajick, Hvorostovsky, Lee
Original Air Date: 10/03/2015
Live in HD
SID.20120300
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LA TRAVIATA:Verdi
Nézet-Séguin; Damrau, Flórez, Kelsey
Original Air Date: 12/15/2018
Live in HD
SID.20120400
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.
LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT :Donizetti
Armiliato; Dessay, Palmer, Florez, Corbelli
Original Air Date: 04/26/2008
Live in HDMOD Video
SID.20120500
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR:Donizetti
Armiliato; Netrebko, Beczała, Kwiecień
Original Air Date: 02/07/2009
Live in HD SID.20120699
February 7, 2009 Matinee /HD Transmission/Simulcast
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR {580}
Donizetti–Cammarano
Lucia……………….Anna Netrebko
Edgardo……………..Piotr Beczala
Enrico………………Mariusz Kwiecien
Raimondo…………….Ildar Abdrazakov
Normanno…………….Michael Myers
Alisa……………….Michaela Martens
Arturo………………Colin Lee
Flute Solo: Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson
Harp Solo: Mariko Anraku
Armonica Solo: Cecilia Brauer
Conductor……………Marco Armiliato
Production…………..Mary Zimmerman
Set designer…………Daniel Ostling
Costume designer……..Mara Blumenfeld
Lighting designer…….T. J. Gerckens
Choreography…………Daniel Pelzig
TV Director…………Gary Halvorson
READ Robert W White’s Review
EUGENE ONEGIN:Tchaikovsky
Gergiev; Hvorostovsky, Fleming, Vargas, Zaremba, Aleksashkin
Original Air Date: 02/24/2007
Live in HD MOD Audio MOD Video SID.20120700
This performance is well known as one of the first season hits from the Met Live in HD. It is available on video in Blu-Ray (not so many of the Met performances are), as well as in MOoD. Gergiev, Hvorostovsky and Fleming deliver on their superstar standing both in audio and video.
EUGENE ONEGIN {122}
P. I. Tchaikovsky-P. I. Tchaikovsky/Shilovsky
Eugene Onegin………..Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Tatiana……………..Renée Fleming
Lensky………………Ramón Vargas
Olga………………..Elena Zaremba
Prince Gremin………..Sergei Aleksashkin
Larina………………Svetlana Volkova *Debut
Filippyevna………….Larisa Shevchenko
Triquet……………..Jean-Paul Fouchécourt
Captain……………..Keith Miller
Zaretsky…………….Richard Bernstein
Dance……………….Sam Meredith
Dance……………….Linda Gelinas
Conductor……………Valery Gergiev
Production…………..Robert Carsen
Designer…………….Michael Levine
Lighting Designer…….Jean Kalman
Choreographer………..Serge Bennathan
Stage Director……….Peter McClintock
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE:Wagner
Rattle; Skelton, Stemme, Gubanova, Pape, Nikitin
Original Air Date: 10/08/2016
Live in HD
SID.20130107
Bachtrack Review
Tristan………………..Stuart Skelton
Isolde…………………Nina Stemme
Brangäne……………….Ekaterina Gubanova
King Marke……………..René Pape
Kurwenal……………….Evgeny Nikitin
Melot………………….Neal Cooper
Sailor’s Voice………….Tony Stevenson
Steersman………………David Crawford
Shepherd……………….Alex Richardson
Young Tristan…………..Jonathan O’Reilly
English Horn Solo……….Pedro R. Díaz
Conductor………………Simon Rattle
Production……………..Mariusz Trelinski
Set Designer……………Boris Kudlicka
Costume Designer………..Marek Adamski
Lighting Designer……….Marc Heinz
Choreographer…………..Tomasz Wygoda
Video Production Designer..Bartek Macias
TV Director…………….Gary Halvorson
DIE WALKÜRE:Wagner
Levine; Voigt, Westbroek, Blythe, Kaufmann, Terfel, Konig
Original Air Date: 05/14/2011 Live in HD
SID.20130323
Brünnhilde…………..Deborah Voigt
Siegmund…………….Jonas Kaufmann
Sieglinde……………Eva-Maria Westbroek
Wotan……………….Bryn Terfel
Fricka………………Stephanie Blythe
Hunding……………..Hans-Peter König
Gerhilde…………….Kelly Cae Hogan
Grimgerde……………Mary Ann McCormick
Helmwige…………….Molly Fillmore
Ortlinde…………….Wendy Bryn Harmer
Rossweisse…………..Lindsay Ammann
Schwertleite…………Mary Phillips
Siegrune…………….Eve Gigliotti
Waltraute……………Marjorie Elinor Dix
Conductor……………James Levine
Production…………..Robert Lepage
Associate Director……Neilson Vignola
Set Designer…………Carl Fillion
Costume Designer……..François St-Aubin
Lighting Designer…….Etienne Boucher
Video Image Artist……Boris Firquet
TV Director………….Gary Halvorson
SIEGFRIED:Wagner
Luisi; Voigt, Bardon, Erdmann, Hunter Morris, Siegel, Owens, Konig, Terfel
Original Air Date: 11/05/2011 Live in HD
SID.20130432
Production Photos
Read RWWs review
Siegfried……………Jay Hunter Morris
Brünnhilde…………..Deborah Voigt
Wanderer…………….Bryn Terfel
Erda………………..Patricia Bardon
Mime………………..Gerhard Siegel
Alberich…………….Eric Owens
Fafner………………Hans-Peter König
Forest Bird………….Mojca Erdmann
Stage Horn Solo: Erik Ralske
Conductor……………Fabio Luisi
Production…………..Robert Lepage
Associate Director……Neilson Vignola
Set designer…………Carl Fillion
Costume designer……..François St-Aubin
Lighting designer…….Etienne Boucher
Video Image Artist……Pedro Pires
TV Director………….Gary Halvorson
Puccini
de Billy; Netrebko, Mavlyanov, Gagnidze, Carfizzi
Original Air Date: 03/26/2020
SID.20130431
Cancelled due to COVID-19.