Marco Armiliato Conducted Four 2017-2018 Met Opera Season Operas

Summary: Italian conductor Marco Armiliato conducted four 2017-2018 Met Opera season operas, with three by Giacomo Puccini and one by Giuseppe Verdi.

Genoese conductor Marco Armiliato with Austrian soprano Martina Serafin, who sings the title role of icy Princess Turandot in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s five spring performances of Puccini’s Turandot: Stage Door @StageDoorAgency, via Twitter March 21, 2018

Italian conductor Marco Armiliato conducted four 2017-2018 Met Opera season operas, with three by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot) and one by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Il Trovatore).

Marco Armiliato’s first conductorship in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season was Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). He conducted all eight of the season’s performances of Verdi’s opera about a vendetta sparking a tragic fratricide.

Opening night Monday, Jan. 22, 2018, marked the Metropolitan Opera’s 648th performance of Il Trovatore. Thursday, Feb. 15, was closing night.

Marco Armiliato’s conductorship of Il Trovatore reprised the Italian conductor’s first appearance with the Metropolitan Opera. His first appearance took place June 16, 1998, during the 32nd year of Met Opera in the Parks.

Marco Armiliato’s second conductorship in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season was La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). He conducted six of the season’s 15 performances of Puccini’s poignant bohemian opera about a poet named Rodolfo and Mimì the sweet seamstress.

Opening night Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, marked the Metropolitan Opera’s 1,306th performance of La Bohème. Marco Armiliato conducted late winter’s three performances in February and early spring’s three performances in March, including closing night Saturday, March 10, 2018.

Marco Armiliato shared the conductorship of La Bohème with Alexander Soddy. The British conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut during the opera’s October opening night. He conducted all nine of the season’s autumn performances of La Bohème.

In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, the Genoese maestro reprised his Met Opera debut role as conductor of Puccini’s La Bohème. His debut as conductor of the bohemian opera happened Nov. 9, 1998, in the Metropolitan Opera’s 1,048th performance of La Bohème.

Marco Armiliato’s third conductorship in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season was Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. He conducted six of the season’s 12 performances of Puccini’s exotic opera about a naïve geisha known as Madama Butterfly.

Opening night Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, marked the Metropolitan Opera’s 869th performance of Madama Butterfly. Marco Armiliato conducted late winter’s three performances in February and early spring’s three performances in March, including closing night Friday, March 16, 2018.

Marco Armiliato shared the conductorship of Madama Butterfly with Italian conductor Jader Bignamini. The Italian co-conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut during the opera’s November opening night. He conducted all six of the season’s late autumn performances.

In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, the Genoese maestro reprised the Met Opera conductor role that he debuted in the 2001-2002 Met Opera season. His first conductorship of Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera took place Nov. 1, 2001, in the opera house’s 760th performance of Puccini’s Japan-themed opera.

Marco Armiliato’s fourth conductorship in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season was Puccini’s Turandot. He conducted five of the season’s 15 performances of Puccini’s exotic opera about the melting of Princess Turandot’s icy heart by riddle-solving Prince Calaf.

Opening night Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, marked the Metropolitan Opera’s 313th performance of Turandot. Marco Armiliato conducted the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s five spring performances, including closing night Thursday, April 5.

Marco Armiliato shared the conductorship of Turandot with Milanese conductor Carlo Rizzi. The Italian co-conductor conducted all 10 of the season’s autumn performances, including opening night.

In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, the Genoese maestro reprised the Met Opera conductor role that he debuted in the 2000-2001 Met Opera season. His first conductorship of Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera took place Sept. 30, 2000, in the opera house’s 210th performance of Puccini’s riddlesome Chinese-themed opera.

Marco Armiliato’s birthplace is Genoa, Liguria, northwestern Italy. He made his conducting debut in 1995 in Venice in Teatro La Fenice’s staging of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by 19th century Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

The takeaway for Marco Armiliato’s conductorship of four 2017-2018 Met Opera season operas is that all four operas comprise reprisals for the Italian conductor, with Verdi’s Il Trovatore having marked his Met Opera first appearance in summer 1998 and Puccini’s La Bohème having marked his 1998-1999 Met Opera season debut.

Prior to his conductorship of Il Trovatore in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Genoese conductor Marco Armiliato most recently conducted Verdi’s fratricidal, vengeful opera at the Metropolitan Opera during the opera house’s 2015-2016 season; Marco Armiliato (center) with 2015-2016 cast, (left) Vitaliy Bilyy (Count Di Luna) and Antonello Palombi (Manrico) and (right) Anna Netrebko (Leonora), Dolora Zajick (Azucena) and Stefan Kocán (Ferrando): Marco Armiliato, the Conductor, via Facebook Oct. 18, 2015

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Genoese conductor Marco Armiliato with Austrian soprano Martina Serafin, who sings the title role of icy Princess Turandot in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s five spring performances of Puccini’s Turandot: Stage Door @StageDoorAgency, via Twitter March 21, 2018, @ https://twitter.com/StageDoorAgency/status/976494290388971520

Prior to his conductorship of Il Trovatore in the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Genoese conductor Marco Armiliato most recently conducted Verdi’s fratricidal, vengeful opera at the Metropolitan Opera during the opera house’s 2015-2016 season; Marco Armiliato (center) with 2015-2016 cast, (left) Vitaliy Bilyy (Count Di Luna) and Antonello Palombi (Manrico) and (right) Anna Netrebko (Leonora), Dolora Zajick (Azucena) and Stefan Kocán (Ferrando): Marco Armiliato, the Conductor, via Facebook Oct. 18, 2015, @ https://www.facebook.com/112473412237462/photos/a.113790888772381.21984.112473412237462/540430539441745/

For further information:

“Debuts: Gregory Lorenz, Marco Armiliato.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 331123 La Bohème {1048} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/09/1998.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=331123

“First Appearance Marco Armiliato.” MetOpera Database > Met Performance] CID: 330663 Il Trovatore {557} Parks ed. Central Park, Great Lawn, Manhattan: 06/16/1998.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330663

Gazzola, Luiz. “The Exclusive Opera Lively Interview With Maestro Marco Armiliato.” Opera Lively > Exclusive Interviews. May 5, 2013.
Available @ https://operalively.com/forums/content.php/823-The-Exclusive-Opera-Lively-Interview-with-Maestro-Marco-Armiliato

Marco Armiliato, the Conductor. “Added a New Photo.” Facebook Oct. 18, 2015.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/112473412237462/photos/a.113790888772381.21984.112473412237462/540430539441745/

Marriner, Derdriu. “La Bohème Is Feb. 24, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Monday, Feb. 19, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/02/la-boheme-is-feb-24-2018-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Madam Butterfly Is March 3, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 26, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/02/madama-butterfly-is-march-3-2018-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Il Trovatore Is Feb. 3, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 29, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/01/il-trovatore-is-feb-3-2018-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Turandot Is March 24, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, March 19, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/03/turandot-is-march-24-2018-met-opera.html

Roche, Colleen; Jennifer Chait. “Mayor Giuliani Opens ‘Il Trovatore’ in Central Park as Part of Met Opera in the Park Series.” City of New York Official Website > Archives of the Mayor’s Press. Office. Tuesday, June 16, 1998.
Available @ http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/98a/pr271-98.html

Stage Door @StageDoorAgency. “Toi toi toi to #MartinaSerafin and #MarcoArmiliato starring in tonight's #Turandot @MetOpera performances on March 21, 24, 28,31 April 5.” Twitter. March 21, 2018.
Available @ https://twitter.com/StageDoorAgency/status/976494290388971520