2017-2018 Met Opera Season Premiere of La Bohème Is Monday, Oct. 2

Summary: The 2017-2018 Met Opera season premiere of La Bohème is Monday, Oct. 2. October’s first week also offers Bellini, Mozart and Offenbach operas.

Angel Blue makes her Metropolitan Opera debut in the opera house's 1,306th performance of Puccini's La Bohème: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sep. 21, 2017

The 2017-2018 Met Opera season premiere of La Bohème is Monday, Oct. 2. October’s first week, which is the 2017-2018 season’s second week, features two performances of La Bohème, Bellini’s Norma and Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, as well as one staging of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.

The 2017-2018 Met Opera season premiere of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) takes place at 7:30 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time). The week’s second performance of the most performed opera in the Metropolitan Opera’s repertoire is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m.

Met Opera’s La Bohème showcases the classic production designed and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The Italian film, opera and television director’s staging is the week’s oldest production.

Zeffirelli’s production debuted Monday, Dec. 14, 1981, for the 1981-1982 Met Opera season. The Christian Science Monitor’s music critic, Thor Eckert Jr., described the audience’s reaction to the new production’s atmospheric recreation of circa 1840 Montmartre as “. . . a roar of acclaim, amazement, and even disbelief -- a roar that went on for nearly a minute.”

J. Knighten Smit is La Bohème’s revival stage director. The production team comprises Peter J. Hall, costume designer, and Gil Wechsler, lighting director.

The 2017-2018 Met Opera season offers 15 performances of La Bohème. In addition to the season premiere and second performance, five more performances are given in October, two in November, three in February and three in March.

October’s other performances take place Monday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m.

November’s performances are scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m.

February’s performances take place Friday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time); Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee broadcast, Feb. 24, at 12:30 p.m.

March’s performances happen Friday, March 2, at 8 p.m.; Wednesday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 10, at 8:30 p.m.

Three more operas performed during the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s second week had their season premieres during the season’s opening week at the end of September. One of the operas introduces a new production. The other two also debuted in the 21st century.

Norma by Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835) is performed Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m. The Druid-themed opera debuts a new production directed by Scottish opera and theatre director Sir David McVicar.

Les Contes d’Hoffmann by German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (June 20, 1819-Oct. 5, 1880) is staged Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 7, at 8 p.m. The 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s performances of Offenbach’s opéra fantastique (“fantasy opera”) revive American theater director Bartlett Sher’s production, which debuted Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009.

Die Zauberflöte by Salzburg’s most famous composer, Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791), is presented Thursday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. The staging features American film, opera and theater director Julie Taymor’s production. As the week’s second oldest production after Zeffirelli’s La Bohème, Taymor’s production debut dates back to Friday, Oct. 8, 2004, at the Metropolitan Opera.

The takeaways for the 2017-2018 Met Opera season are that the season premiere of the Met’s most performed opera, La Bohème, is Monday, Oct. 2, and that performances of opening week’s season premieres complete the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s second week.

On Oct. 2, 2017, Angel Blue makes her Metropolitan Opera debut and Dmytro Popov reprises his Sep. 28, 2016, debut role as Rodolfo: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sep. 20, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Angel Blue makes her Metropolitan Opera debut in the opera house's 1,306th performance of Puccini's La Bohème: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sep. 21, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10159472885365533/

On Oct. 2, 2017, Angel Blue makes her Metropolitan Opera debut and Dmytro Popov reprises his Sep. 28, 2016, debut role as Rodolfo: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sep. 20, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10159471982860533/

For further information:

Eckert, Thor, Jr. “The Met’s ‘Boheme’ --  a la Zeffirelli.” The Christian Science Monitor > Archive > 1981. Dec. 24, 1981.
Available @ https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/1224/122401.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "2017-2018 Met Opera Season Opens Sept. 25 With Bellini’s Norma." Earth and Space News. Monday, Sept. 18, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/09/2017-2018-met-opera-season-opens-sept.html

Metropolitan Opera. “La Bohème: Set Change Timelapse.” YouTube. Dec. 15, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmybiI-M-IE

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Angel Blue makes her Met debut as Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème, Monday, October 2. Tickets: bit.ly/2pGw4yGn." Facebook. Sept. 21, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10159472885365533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Between arias, the La Bohème cast managed to sneak in a group selfie at today's rehearsal. Angel Blue makes her highly anticipated Met debut on October 2 as Mimì. Dmytro Popov returns as Rodolfo. bit.ly/2pGw4yG Photos by Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. Sept. 20, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10159471982860533/

“New Production: La Bohème.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 266920 La Bohème {823} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/14/1981.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=266920

“New Production: Les Contes d’Hoffmann." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353209 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: Die Zauberflöte." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351036 Die Zauberflöte {343} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/08/2004.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351036

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

UniversityofRedlands @UofRedlands. “We are so proud of @UofRedlands alumna Angel Blue ’05 who will be making her debut @MetOpera in the role of Mimí in La Bohème.” Twitter. Feb. 22, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/UofRedlands/status/834462390674550784