Cyrano de Bergerac Is the May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Cyrano de Bergerac, a heroic comic opera by Italian composer Franco Alfano.

Roberto Alagna sings the title role in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac: New York Times Arts @nytimesarts, via Twitter April 30, 2017

Cyrano de Bergerac, a heroic comic opera centering on a big-nosed, fearless protagonist by Italian composer and pianist Franco Alfano (March 8, 1875-Oct. 27, 1954), is the May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

French dramatist and librettist Henri Cain (Oct. 11, 1857-Nov. 21, 1937) wrote the French libretto for Cyrano de Bergerac. The literary source is Cyrano de Bergerac, a five-act play by French dramatist and poet Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (April 1, 1868-Dec. 2, 1918).

Filippo Brusa and Cesare Meano (Dec. 22, 1899-Nov. 24, 1957) are credited with the translation of the French libretto into Italian. The premiere of Cyrano de Bergerac performed the Italian libretto.

The premiere took place Jan. 22, 1936. The venue was Il Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House), also known as Costanzi Theatre.

Commissioned by contractor Domenico Costanzi (1810-1898), Milanese architect Achille Sfondrini (1836-1900) designed the opera house in the Neo-Renaissance, also known as Renaissance Revival, style. Roman architect Marcello Piacentini (Dec. 8, 1881-May 19, 1960) directed the building’s two 20th century renovations. Piacentini’s second renovation, completed in 1960, included the façade’s 20th century restyling.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season performs the original French libretto of Alfano’s heroic comedy. This season’s production represents the Met’s second staging of Cyrano de Bergerac.

The Met’s 2004-2005 season hosted the opera’s North American premiere. Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo is credited with launching the premiere by way of his request to honor Cyrano as the 121st role of his career. The Metropolitan Opera included the little-known opera in the repertoire for the next season, 2005-2006.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Cyrano de Bergerac begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (4:30 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 2 hours 53 minutes.

The setting for Alfano’s opera is 17th century France. Acts I, II and IV take place in Paris. Act III takes place in Arras, northern France.

Marco Armiliato conducts all performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Cyrano de Bergerac. His birthplace is Genoa, Liguria, northwestern Italy. The Genoese conductor debuted with the Met’s 1998 production of La Bohème by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). Marco Armiliato reprises his conducting debut with this season’s production of La Bohème and also conducts Aida by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) and Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.

Roberto Alagna appears in the opera’s title role. He was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, Île-de-France, northern France. The French tenor of Sicilian descent debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1996 as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème.

Jennifer Rowley appears as Roxane, Cyrano’s distant cousin who realizes too late her misguided attraction to the handsome, tongue-tied Christian. Her birthplace is Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, northwestern Ohio. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème. She replaces operatic soprano Patricia Racette, whose withdrawal from the principal role, due to an abdominal hernia, was announced March 31. On Sunday, May 28, two weeks after Cyrano's closing night, Jennifer's marriage to Ray Diaz takes place in her hometown.

Atalla Ayan appears as Christian, a new cadet in the Guards of Gascoyne, who forms a love triangle with Cyrano and Roxane. He was born in Belem, Pará, northeastern Brazil. The Brazilian operatic tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera this season as Alfredo Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata.

Juan Jesús Rodríguez appears as De Guiche, a vexatious guardsman who later repents his shenanigans. His birthplace is Madrid, central Spain. The Spanish baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2016 as Count di Luna in Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Operabase, an online database, places Franco Alfano at number 719 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Cyrano de Bergerac places at 1637 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Cyrano de Bergerac holds place 200, with nine performances, for the period from first Met performance, May 13, 2005, to last performance, March 16, 2006. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Cyrano de Bergerac as the May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the appeal of a big-nosed, big-hearted swashbuckler whose eloquence defies his unattractive face and attracts his beloved, albeit too late.

Jennifer Rowley appears as Roxane in all performances, including the May 6, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast, of the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac: Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1, via Twitter April 27, 2017

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Roberto Alagna sings the title role in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac: New York Times Arts @nytimesarts, via Twitter April 30, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/status/858824103381397504

Jennifer Rowley appears as Roxane in all performances, including the May 6, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast, of the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac: Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1, via Twitter April 27, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/LaRowley1/status/857602278722850816

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Holland, Bernard. “A Big Nose Must Go On Without the Big Star.” The New York Times > Arts > Music > Metropolitan Opera Review. Jan. 28, 2006.
Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/28/arts/music/a-big-nose-must-go-on-without-the-big-star.html

Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1. "Off to war to find my love!! (In an insanely awesome dress!) 2nd orchestra dress this am of #cyrano @MetOpera!" Twitter. April 27, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/LaRowley1/status/857602278722850816

Metropolitan Opera. "Cyrano de Bergerac: Act IV Excerpt." YouTube. May 1, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGQVpKiCa2k

Metropolitan Opera. "Cyrano de Bergerac: Final Scene." YouTube. May 1, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evJ1-tcom_c

Metropolitan Opera. “Cyrano de Bergerac: 'Je jette avec grâce mon feutre.” YouTube. April 26, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGNOVKB5As8

New York Times Arts @nytimesarts. "Singing at the Met, where mics are not allowed, is hard enough. Try it in a fake nose." Twitter. April 30, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/status/858824103381397504

“Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml

Roberto Alagna @roberto_alagna. "Just Announced: New York, NY - May 13 at Cyrano de Bergerac (Metropolitan Opera)." Twitter. Feb. 17, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/roberto_alagna/status/700059825745567744

"Soprano Patricia Racette Withdraws From Upcoming Metropolitan Opera Performances of Alfano's Cyrano; Jennifer Rowley to Sing Role of Roxanne." Opera News. March 31, 2017.
Available @ https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2017/3/News/Patricia_Racette_Cyrano_Masterclass.html

Tommasini, Anthony. “Long-Nosed but Handy With a Pen and a Song.” The New York Times > Arts > Music > Met Opera Review. May 16, 2005.
Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/arts/music/longnosed-but-handy-with-a-pen-and-a-song.html