2017-2018 Met Opera Season Opens Sept. 25 With Bellini’s Norma

Summary: The 2017-2018 Met Opera season opens Sept. 25 with Bellini’s Norma and also offers Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Die Zauberflöte in September’s last week.

American-Canadian Sondra Radvanovsky opens the 2017-2018 Met Opera season in the title role of Vincenzo Bellini's conflicted Druid priestess: The Metropolitan Opera (metopera), via Instagram June 16, 2017

The 2017-2018 Met Opera season opens Sept. 25 with Bellini’s Norma and also presents season premieres of Jacques Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Wolfgang Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in September’s last week. Two performances of each opera are scheduled for the season’s first week.

The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Norma by Italian opera composer Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835) premieres Monday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time). September’s last week also stages a second performance, Thursday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m.

Sir David McVicar is the new production’s director. The Scottish opera and theatre director’s production team consists of Robert Jones, set designer; Moritz June, costume designer; Paule Constable, lighting designer.

Sir McVicar's new staging replaces the 2001-2002 Met Opera season's new production directed by Michael Harold John Copley. The British opera and theatre director and producer’s production team comprised John Conklin, production designer; Duane Schuler, lighting designer; Stephen Pickover, stage director.

Met Opera offers 12 performances of the new production during the 2017-2018 season. In addition to September’s two dates, five performances are scheduled for October and five for December.

October’s performances take place Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. EDT.

December’s performances take place Friday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time); Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 16, at 1 p.m. The last performance appears as third in the lineup of 2017-2018 Met Opera Saturday matinee radio broadcasts.

The second opera presented during the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s opening week is Les Contes d’Hoffmann by German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (June 20, 1819-Oct. 5, 1880). On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the day after the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s opener, the Metropolitan Opera stages the season premiere of Offenbach’s opéra fantastique (“fantasy opera”).

Tuesday’s season premiere begins at 7:30 p.m. A second performance of Les Contes d’Hoffmann takes place Saturday, Sept. 30, at 12 p.m.

Bartlett Sher is the production’s director. The American theater director’s production team features Michael Yeargan, set designer; Catherine Zuber, costumer designer; James F. Ingalls, lighting designer; Dou Dou Huang, choreographer.

The 2017-2018 Met Opera season revives Sher’s staging, which premiered as a new production during the 2009-2010 season. Sher’s staging last appeared during Met Opera’s 2014-2015 season.

Met Opera gives nine performances of Les Contes d’Hoffmann during the 2017-2018 season. In addition to September’s two dates, seven performances are scheduled for October.

October’s performances take place Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 21, at 12 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 28, at 12 p.m.

The third opera presented during the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s opening week is Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). The season premiere of Die Zauberflöte takes place Wednesday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. The 2017-2018 season’s opening week ends with a second performance of Mozart’s fairytale opera about Prince Tamino’s magic flute on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m.

Julie Taymor is the production’s director, costumer director and co-puppet designer. The American film, opera and theater director’s staging of Die Zauberflöte premiered as a new production during Met Opera’s 2004-2005 season.

Her production team consists of George Tsypin, set designer; Donald Holder, lighting director; Michael Curry, co-puppet designer; Mark Dendy, choreographer.

Met Opera offers five performances of Julie Taymor’s production during the 2017-2018 season. In addition to September’s two dates, three performances are scheduled for October.

October’s performances take place Thursday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m.

The takeaway for the 2017-2018 Met Opera season is that Bellini’s Norma opens the season Monday, Sept. 25, as a new production and shares opening week with season premieres of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.

Adalgisa (Sondra Radvanovsky) with two sets of twins who play Norma's (Joyce DiDonato) two sons in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season's production of Bellini's Norma: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sep. 13, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

American-Canadian Sondra Radvanovsky opens the 2017-2018 Met Opera season in the title role of Vincenzo Bellini's conflicted Druid priestess: The Metropolitan Opera (metopera), via Instagram June 16, 2017, @ https://www.instagram.com/p/BVx8v1angql/

Adalgisa (Sondra Radvanovsky) with two sets of twins who play Norma's (Joyce DiDonato) two sons in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season's production of Bellini's Norma: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sep. 13, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10159440039765533/

For further information:

Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera. "Met Opera Gala 2017 Norma." Twitter. July 2, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/881651012108513281

The Metropolitan Opera. “On Stage 2017-18.” The Metropolitan Opera > Season.
Available @ http://www.metopera.org/Season/2017-18-Season/

Metropolitan Opera. "Sandra Radvanovsky and Sir David McVicar on the Met's New Production of Norma." YouTube. Feb. 15, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCAo2rIf3nc&t=3s

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Erin Morley and Tara Erraught are in NYC and in rehearsal for Les Contes d'Hoffmann! Erin Morley returns to the role of Olympia and Tara Erraught makes her Met debut on Sep 26. Learn more: bit.ly/2tBOS09 Photos by Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. Sept. 11, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10159431501710533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Playing the roles of Norma’s children are 6 year old identical twins Gavin & Hunter Kline (far left and far right) from Huntington, Long Island, and 7 year old twins John & Chris Reynolds from Tewksbury, MA. The new production of Norma starring Sondra Radvanovsky opens the season on Sep 25. bit.ly/2qkjAZX Photo by Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. Sept. 13, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10159440039765533/

“New Production: Les Contes d'Hoffmann.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353209 New production Les Contes d'Hoffmann {241} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/03/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353209

"New Production Norma." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356744 New Production Norma {157} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/25/2017, Metropolitan Opera Radio Sirius XM channel 75 Broadcast live. Streamed at metopera.org Times Squarecast. (Opening Night {133} Peter Gelb General Manager. Debuts: Christopher Reynolds, John Reynolds. Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast). Metropolitan Opera House. September 25, 2017 Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast. Opening Night {133} Peter Gelb, General Manager. New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356744