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SAMSON ET DALILA : Saint-Saens
Elder; Garanca, Alagna, Naouri, Azizov, Belosselskiy
SID.18390106
* Opening Night of 2018-2019 Season *
* LIVE Broadcast SirisuXm and Metopera.org * Program *
When mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and tenor Roberto Alagna joined forces for a new production of Carmen at the Met, the results were electrifying. Now this star duo reunites for another sensual French opera when they open the season in the title roles of Saint-Saëns’s biblical epic Samson et Dalila. Darko Tresnjak, who won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2014 for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, makes his Met debut directing a vivid, seductive staging, featuring a monumental setting for the last-act Temple of Dagon, where the hero crushes his Philistine enemies. Sir Mark Elder conducts the first new Met production of the work in 20 years.
Production a gift of the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa, and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, PhD. and Oscar Tang
Additional funding from The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Endowment Fund and William R. Miller”
LA BOHEME : Puccini
Original Air Date: 09/25/2018
Cast: Gaffigan; Car, Blue, Grigolo, Dupuis, Luciano, Rose, Maxwell
SID.18390213
* Live Broadcast on Siriusxm * Program *
Puccini’s timeless masterpiece of love and loss features two casts of young stars. Sopranos Nicole Car (in her highly anticipated Met debut) and Ailyn Pérez share the role of the ill-fated Mimì, opposite tenors Vittorio Grigolo and Michael Fabiano as the ardent poet Rodolfo. After a celebrated Met debut as Mimì in 2017, Angel Blue returns as the spitfire Musetta, and Etienne Dupuis (in his Met debut) and Lucas Meachem share the role of Marcello. James Gaffigan conducts. Production a gift of Mrs. Donald D. Harrington
AIDA : Verdi
Original Air Date: 09/26/2018
Cast: Luisotti; Netrebko, Rachvelishvili, Antonenko, Kelsey, Belosselskiy, Green
SID.18390321
* Live Broadcast * Program * Synopsis *
In what should be a highlight of the new season, soprano Anna Netrebko sings her first Met Aida, going toe-to-toe with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili as Amneris. Later in the season, a second star-studded cast takes over, with Sondra Radvanovsky and Dolora Zajick as the leading ladies.Tenors Aleksandrs Antonenko and Yonghoon Lee alternate as Radamès, and Nicola Luisotti and Plácido Domingo take the podium for the Met’s monumental production.
Production a gift of Mrs. Donald D. Harrington
Revival a gift of Viking Cruises
AIDA : Verdi
Original Air Date: 10/02/2018
Cast: Luisotti; Netrebko, Rachvelishvili, Antonenko, Kelsey, Belosselskiy, Green
SID.18400214
*
Live Broadcast Program for October 2nd
*
NYT Review (Tommassini) Last spring at the Metropolitan Opera, the soprano Anna Netrebko took on the title role of Puccini’s “Tosca” for the first time. She claimed that touchstone part for her own, and put her mark on the whole season. On Wednesday at the Met, Ms. Netrebko did it again, this time in the title role of Verdi’s “Aida.” She is still fairly new to this challenging part, which she introduced at the Salzburg Festival a year ago. There was something fresh and exploratory about her performance on Wednesday. Yet it also felt fully formed, dramatically deep. And she sang magnificently.
Observer (Jorden) “Ritorna vincitor!” cries the Egyptian throng in the first scene of Aida as they send their hero off to war: “Return in triumph!” And that’s what the Met’s undisputed prima donna Anna Netrebko did last night in her first local performance of the protean title role of this opera: she came, she sang and she conquered.
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST : Puccini
Armiliato; Westbroek, Eyvazov, Bosi, Lucic, Simpson, Rose, Gradus
SID.18400428
* Season Premiere * Live Broadcast on SIRIUSXM * PROGRAM
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.
Parterre’s Porgy Amor on FANCIULLA: All about the ‘Girl’ who came to Stay
SAMSON ET DALILA : Saint-Saens
Original Air Date: 10/09/2018
Elder; Garanca, Alagna, Naouri, Azizov, Belosselskiy
SID.18410214
*
Live Broadcast Program
*
When mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and tenor Roberto Alagna joined forces for a new production of Carmen at the Met, the results were electrifying. Now this star duo reunites for another sensual French opera when they open the season in the title roles of Saint-Saëns’s biblical epic Samson et Dalila. Darko Tresnjak, who won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2014 for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, makes his Met debut directing a vivid, seductive staging, featuring a monumental setting for the last-act Temple of Dagon, where the hero crushes his Philistine enemies. Sir Mark Elder conducts the first new Met production of the work in 20 years.
Production a gift of the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa, and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, PhD. and Oscar Tang Additional funding from The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Endowment Fund and William R. Miller
Even an Orgy Scene Can’t Save the Met Opera’s Dull Take on ‘Samson et Dalila’ By James Jorden • 09/25/18
Review: The Met’s New ‘Samson’ Succeeds Only as Kitsch by Antonio Tommasini 9/25/18
Puccini
Original Air Date: 10/12/2018
Armiliato; Westbroek, Eyvazov, Bosi, Lucic, Simpson, Rose, Gradus
SID.18410535
*
Live Broadcast Program
*
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.
Parterre’s Porgy Amor on FANCIULLA: All about the ‘Girl’ who came to Stay
SAMSON ET DALILA:Saint-Saens
Original Air Date: 10/16/2018
Elder; Garanca, Alagna, Naouri, Azizov, Belosselskiy
Live Broadcast SID.18420214
When mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča and tenor Roberto Alagna joined forces for a new production of Carmen at the Met, the results were electrifying. Now this star duo reunites for another sensual French opera when they open the season in the title roles of Saint-Saëns’s biblical epic Samson et Dalila. Darko Tresnjak, who won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2014 for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, makes his Met debut directing a vivid, seductive staging, featuring a monumental setting for the last-act Temple of Dagon, where the hero crushes his Philistine enemies. Sir Mark Elder conducts the first new Met production of the work in 20 years.
Production a gift of the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa, and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, PhD. and Oscar Tang
Additional funding from The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Endowment Fund and William R. Miller
MARNIE : Nico Muhly
Original Air Date: 10/19/2018
Cast: Spano; Leonard, Kelly, Graves, Davies, Maltman
SID.18420535
* Live Broadcast on Siriusxm * Program * Synopsis *
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, 1842cinematic 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 
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST : Puccini
Armiliato; Westbroek, Kaufmann, Bosi, Lucic, Simpson, Rose, Gradus
Live Broadcast on SIRIUSXM
PROGRAM Synopsis
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
BWWReview: Kaufmann Returns to the Met with a ‘Heigh-ho Silver’ in Puccini’s FANCIULLA DEL WEST
Live Broadcast SID.18430214 
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 10/25/2018
Rizzi; Radvanovsky, Calleja, Koch, Carfizzi
SID.18430428
Live Broadcast * Program
Met favorite Sondra Radvanovsky and rising star Jennifer Rowley share the title role of the volatile diva at the heart of Puccini’s operatic thriller. Joseph Calleja brings his stylish tenor to the role of Cavaradossi, and Wolfgang Koch and Claudio Sgura share the role of the nefarious police chief Scarpia. Carlo Rizzi conducts Sir David McVicar’s resplendent production.
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
Revival a gift of NPD Group, Inc.
CARMEN:Bizet
Original Air Date: 10/30/2018
Wellber; Yu, Margaine, Lee, Ketelsen
SID.18440214
Live Broadcast * PROGRAM
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.
TOSCA:Puccini
Original Air Date: 11/02/2018
Rizzi; Radvanovsky, Calleja, Koch, Carfizzi
Live Broadcast SID.18440535
MARNIE : Nico Muhly
Original Air Date: 11/07/2018
Cast: Spano; Leonard, Kelly, Graves, Davies, Maltman
Media: Live Broadcast SID.
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
Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera
A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera
By special arrangement with Universal Pictures
MEFISTOFELE : Boito
Original Air Date: 11/08/2018
Cast: Rizzi; Meade, Fabiano, Van Horn, Check
SID.18450000
* Live Broadcast * Program
The spectacular Robert Carsen production returns to the Met for the first time since 2000, with bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the diabolical title character, tenor Michael Fabiano as Faust, and soprano Angela Meade as Margherita. Mefistofele is the celebrated and only completed opera by Arrigo Boito—who famously collaborated with Verdi on the libretti for Otello and Falstaff.
Production co-owned by the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco
OperaProduction a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Julian H. Robertson, Jr. and Mrs. and
Mrs. Wilmer J. Thomas, Jr.
Additional funding by the Rose and Robert Edelman Foundation, Inc.
LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES : Bizet
Original Air Date: 11/14/2018
Cast: Villaume; Yende, Camarena, Kwiecien, Testé
Live Broadcast SID.18460000
Penny Woolcock’s breathtaking production, a highlight of the 2015–16 season, makes its much awaited return with an all-star cast. Soprano Pretty Yende is the beautiful priestess Leïla, with tenor Javier Camarena and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as rivals for her forbidden love. Emmanuel Villaume conducts Bizet’s sensual score.
Co-production originally created by English National Opera
Production a gift of the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa
Additional funding from The Annenberg Foundation; Mr. William R. Miller, in memory of Irene D. Miller; and American Express
MEFISTOFELE : Boito
Original Air Date: 11/19/2018
Cast: Colaneri; Meade, Fabiano, Van Horn, Check
SID.18470000
Live Broadcast * Program
The spectacular Robert Carsen production returns to the Met for the first time since 2000, with bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the diabolical title character, tenor Michael Fabiano as Faust, and soprano Angela Meade as Margherita. Mefistofele is the celebrated and only completed opera by Arrigo Boito—who famously collaborated with Verdi on the libretti for Otello and Falstaff.
Production co-owned by the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco
OperaProduction a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Julian H. Robertson, Jr. and Mrs. and
Mrs. Wilmer J. Thomas, Jr.
Additional funding by the Rose and Robert Edelman Foundation, Inc.
IL TRITTICO : Puccini
Original Air Date: 11/23/2018
Cast: de Billy; Wagner, Blythe, Álvarez, Gagnidze, Muraro, Opolais, McKay, Blythe, Mkhitaryan, Blythe, Ayan, Domingo, Muraro
SID.18470000
Live Broadcast
Jack O’Brien’s epic production of Puccini’s triple bill features first-class casting: tenor Marcelo Álvarez and soprano Amber Wagner are the illicit lovers of Il Tabarro; soprano Kristine Opolais sings the shattering title role of Suor Angelica; and the ageless Plácido Domingo takes an unusual comedic turn in the baritone title role of Gianni Schicchi. The performances mark the centennial of the work’s world premiere at the Met. Bertrand de Billy conducts.
Production a gift of Karen and Kevin Kennedy
Additional funding from the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa, The Annenberg Foundation, Hermione Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Miller, and M. Beverly and Robert G. Bartner
LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES : Bizet
Original Air Date: 11/28/2018
Cast: Villaume; Yende, Camarena, Kwiecien, Testé
Media: Live Broadcast SID.18480000
Penny Woolcock’s breathtaking production, a highlight of the 2015–16 season, makes its much awaited return with an all-star cast. Soprano Pretty Yende is the beautiful priestess Leïla, with tenor Javier Camarena and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as rivals for her forbidden love. Emmanuel Villaume conducts Bizet’s sensual score.
Co-production originally created by English National Opera
Production a gift of the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa
Additional funding from The Annenberg Foundation; Mr. William R. Miller, in memory of Irene D. Miller; and American Express
MEFISTOFELE : Boito
Original Air Date: 11/08/2018
Cast: Rizzi; Meade, Fabiano, Van Horn, Check
SID.18480000
Live Broadcast –Program 120118-mefistofele
First Intermission
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Michael Fabiano
Host Mary Jo Heath interviews General Manager Peter Gelb
Host Mary Jo Heath interviews Chorus Master Donald Palumbo
Second Intermission
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Christian Van Horn
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Jennifer Check and Angela Meade
Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is interviewed by Host Mary Jo Heath
The spectacular Robert Carsen production returns to the Met for the first time since 2000, with bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the diabolical title character, tenor Michael Fabiano as Faust, and soprano Angela Meade as Margherita. Mefistofele is the celebrated and only completed opera by Arrigo Boito—who famously collaborated with Verdi on the libretti for Otello and Falstaff.
Production co-owned by the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco
OperaProduction a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Julian H. Robertson, Jr. and Mrs. and
Mrs. Wilmer J. Thomas, Jr.
Additional funding by the Rose and Robert Edelman Foundation, Inc.
LA TRAVIATA : Verdi
Original Air Date: 12/04/2018
Cast: Nézet-Séguin; Damrau, Flórez, Kelsey
Live Broadcast Program
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, in his debut as Met Opera Music Director, conducts Michael Mayer’s richly textured new production, featuring a dazzling 18th-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 in five seasons 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.
Production a gift of Eva-Marie and Ray Berry / The Paiko Foundation
Major additional funding from Mercedes T. Bass, Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Montrone, and Rolex
IL TRITTICO : Puccini
de Billy; Wagner, Blythe, Álvarez, Gagnidze, Muraro, Opolais, McKay, Blythe, Mkhitaryan, Blythe, Ayan, Domingo, Muraro
Live Saturday Matinee Broadcast – Program 120818-Trittico
First Intermission
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Amber Wagner
TOLL BROTHERS – METROPOLITAN OPERA QUIZ
Guest Artist: Morris Robinson
Host: Gerald Martin Moore
Panelists: Suzanne Martinucci, Rob Marx, and Jonathan Tolins
Feature: Puccini/Il Trittico Musical Language w/host Mary Jo Heath
Second Intermission
Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Kristine Opolais about Suor Angellica; Host Mary Jo Heath interviews Stephanie Blythe Suor Angellica and Gianni Schicchi; Host Mary Jo Heath interviews Diana Damrau about La Traviata; Feature: Domingo – 50th Anniversary at the Met; Backstage Pass: Loren Toolajian interviews Plácido Domingo
Jack O’Brien’s epic production of Puccini’s triple bill features first-class casting: tenor Marcelo Álvarez and soprano Amber Wagner are the illicit lovers of Il Tabarro, with baritone George Gagnidze as the spurned husband; soprano Kristine Opolais sings the shattering title role of Suor Angelica, alongside mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as the Principessa; and the ageless Plácido Domingo takes an unusual comedic turn in the baritone title role of Gianni Schicchi. The performances mark the centennial of the work’s world premiere at the Met. Bertrand de Billy conducts.
Production a gift of Karen and Kevin Kennedy
Additional funding from the Gramma Fisher Foundation, Marshalltown, Iowa, The Annenberg Foundation, Hermione Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Miller, and M. Beverly and Robert G. Bartner
LA BOHÈME : Puccini
Original Air Date: 12/10/2018
Cast: Gaffigan; Car, Phillips, Grigolo, Dupuis, Arrey, Rose, Maxwell
LIVE Broadcast PROGRAM
“A thrilling La Bohème … radiating warmth … luxury cast” (New York Times). Puccini’s timeless masterpiece of love and loss features two casts of young stars. Sopranos Nicole Car (in her highly anticipated Met debut) and Ailyn Pérez share the role of the ill-fated Mimì, opposite tenors Vittorio Grigolo and Michael Fabiano as the ardent poet Rodolfo. After a celebrated Met debut as Mimì in 2017, Angel Blue returns as the spitfire Musetta, and Etienne Dupuis (in his Met debut) and Lucas Meachem share the role of Marcello. James Gaffigan conducts.
Production a gift of Mrs. Donald D. Harrington
OTELLO : Verdi
Dudamel; Yoncheva, Johnson Cano, Skelton (cancelled), Tanner (role debut), Dolgov, Lucic, Morris
SEASON PREMIERE – Live Broadcast
SYNOPSIS – PROGRAM
MET OPERA PRESS RELEASE: Carl Tanner will sing the title role in Verdi’s Otello in tonight’s season premiere performance, replacing Stuart Skelton, who is ill. American tenor Carl Tanner makes his Met role debut as Otello. He made his Met debut as Dick Johnson in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West in 2010, followed by performances as Radamès in Verdi’s Aida and Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Recent performances have included Radamès at Washington National Opera, Otello at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and Luigi in Puccini’s Il Tabarro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He was seen earlier this season singing the title role of Otello at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and at the Savonlinna Festival in Finland.
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.
*(cancelled for opening night, replaced by Carl Tanner)
Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr.
Revival a gift of Rolex
LA TRAVIATA : Verdi
Cast: Nézet-Séguin; Damrau, Flórez, Kelsey
Live in HD
First Intermission
Backstage Pass: HD Host Anita Rachvelishvili interviews Juan Diego Floréz
TOLL BROTHERS – METROPOLITAN OPERA QUIZ
Guest Artist: Bartlett Sher Host: Gerald Martin Moore; Panelists: Neal Goren, Roger Pines, and Melanie Spector
Second Intermission
Backstage Pass: HD Host Anita Rachvelishvili interviews Diana Damrau
Backstage Pass: HD Host Anita Rachvelishvili interviews Quinn Kelsey
Radio Host Mary Jo Heath interviews Erin Morley about Magic Flute
Backstage Pass: General Manager Peter Gelb interviews Music Director Yannick Nézet-SéguinRAM
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.
Production a gift of The Paiko Foundation
Major additional funding from Mercedes T. Bass, Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Montrone, and Rolex
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