2018-2019 Met Opera Season Premiere of Les Pêcheurs de Perles Is Wednesday, Nov. 14

Summary: The 2018-2019 Met Opera season premiere of Les Pêcheurs de Perles is Wednesday, Nov. 14, during the season’s eighth week.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season premiere of Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles takes place Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Feb. 15, 2018

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season premiere of Les Pêcheurs de Perles is Wednesday, Nov. 14, amid the continuing performances of Bizet’s Carmen, Boito’s Mefistofele and Puccini’s Tosca during the season’s eigthth week.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s eighth week opens with the first of the week’s two performances of Mefistofele by Italian composer and librettist Arrigo Boito (Feb. 24, 1842-June 10, 1918). The week’s first Mefistofele performance starts at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday, Nov. 12. The eighth week’s second performance of Mefistofele takes place Friday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m.

Mefistofele ushers in the 2018-2019 Met Opera Saturday matinee radio broadcast season. The Metropolitan Opera transmits Boito’s Faustian opera to Saturday matinee radio listeners Saturday, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s eighth week also includes two performances of Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). The week’s first Tosca performance takes place Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. The eighth week’s second Tosca performance is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season premiere of Les Pêcheurs de Perles by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875) is Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. The season’s eighth week also features a second performance of Bizet’s Ceylon-based opera, Saturday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m.

Including the season premiere and Saturday’s performance, the Metropolitan Opera offers seven performances of Les Pêcheurs de Perles during the 2018-2019 season. Three additional November performances are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m.; and Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season also gives two winter performances. December’s two performances are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 8, at 8:30 p.m.

The Metropolitan Opera expands the audience for Les Pêcheurs de Perles by inclusion of Bizet’s opera in the 2018-2019 Met Opera Saturday matinee radio broadcast schedule. Les Pêcheurs de Perles airs Saturday, 4, 2019, as the season’s closing opera.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s staging of Les Pêcheurs de Perles revives Penny Woolcock’s production. The British filmmaker, opera director and screenwriter’s new production debuted Dec. 31, 2015, in the Metropolitan Opera’s fifth performance of Les Pêcheurs de Perles.

Woolcock’s production team comprises Dick Bird, set designer; Kevin Pollard, costume designer; Jen Schriever, lighting designer; 59 Productions, production design; and Andrew Dawson, movement director. Stephen Pickover is the revival stage director.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s performances of Les Pêcheurs de Perles constitute the opera house’s first revival of the 2015-2016 season’s new production. Woolcock’s new production replaced staging by Jules Speck, the Metropolitan Opera’s stage manager for French and Italian operas from 1908 to 1917.

Speck’s staging debuted Nov. 13, 1916, as a new production in the Metropolitan Opera’s second performance of Les Pêcheurs de Perles. Speck’s production only enjoyed three performances, all restricted to its debut season. The third performance, given Dec. 13, 1916, closed the production.

Les Pêcheurs de Perles languished in the Metropolitan Opera’s inactive repertoire for 99 years between Speck’s production and Woolcock’s production. Nine performances of Woolcock’s staging were offered during the new production’s debut season.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s eighth week also includes a performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875). The eighth week’s Carmen performance is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m.

The takeaway for the 2018-2019 Met Opera season premiere of Les Pêcheurs de Perles Wednesday, Nov. 14, is that Bizet’s pearl fisher opera joins continuing performances of Bizet’s Carmen, Boito’s Mefistofele and Puccini’s Tosca in the 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s eighth week.

Metropolitan Opera’s French and Italian opera stage manager Jules Speck’s 1916-1917 Met Opera season debut of his new production of Les Pêcheurs de Perles featured Italian operatic tenor Enrico Caruso (Feb. 25, 1873-Aug. 2, 1921) in the lead role of Nadir: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook May 29, 2015

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season premiere of Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles takes place Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m.: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Feb. 15, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160137120440533/

Metropolitan Opera’s French and Italian opera stage manager Jules Speck’s 1916-1917 Met Opera season debut of his new production of Les Pêcheurs de Perles featured Italian operatic tenor Enrico Caruso (Feb. 25, 1873-Aug. 2, 1921) in the lead role of Nadir: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook May 29, 2015, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10155683430685533/

For further information:

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018-2019 Met Opera Season Premiere of Mefistofele Is Thursday, Nov. 8.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 29, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/2018-2019-met-opera-season-premiere-of_29.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018-2019 Met Opera Season Premiere of Carmen Is Tuesday, Oct. 30.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 22, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/2018-2019-met-opera-season-premiere-of_22.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018-2019 Met Opera Season Premiere of Tosca Is Thursday, Oct. 25.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 15, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/2018-2019-met-opera-season-premiere-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera Season Presents Four New Productions.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 25, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/2018-2019-metropolitan-opera-season_25.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera Season Stages 29 Operas.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 18, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/2018-2019-metropolitan-opera-season.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Carmen Is the Feb. 11, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 6, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/02/carmen-is-feb-11-2017-metropolitan.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Tosca Is Jan. 27, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 22, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/01/tosca-is-jan-27-2018-met-opera-saturday.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Check us out on Instagram today for #FBF! 100 years ago. . . .” Facebook. May 29, 2015.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10155683430685533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Penny Woolcock’s breathtaking production, a highlight of the 2015-16 season, makes its much awaited return with an all-star cast. . . .” Facebook. Feb. 15, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160137120440533/

“New Production: Carmen.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353274 New Production Carmen {946} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353274

“New Production: Mefistofele.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 332117 New Production Mefistofele {55} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/05/19999.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=332117

“New Production: Les Pêcheurs de Perles.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356215 New Production Les Pêcheurs de Perles {5} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2015.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356215

“New Production: Tosca.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356838 New Production Tosca {951} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356838