Marnie Is the Jan. 26, 2019, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Nico Muhly’s Marnie is the Jan. 26, 2019, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, numbering ninth of 24 in the 2018-2019 season’s schedule.

Marnie’s composer, Nico Muhly, with American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who sings the opera’s title role: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Sept. 13, 2018

Nico Muhly’s Marnie is the Jan. 26, 2019, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as the ninth of 24 scheduled Saturday matinee radio broadcasts during the 2018-2019 Met Opera season.

American contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly set his musical score for Marnie to an English libretto by British dramatist Nicholas Wright. The literary source for the Muhly-Wright opera is the same-named English novel first published in 1961 by English novelist Winston Graham (June 30, 1908-July 10, 2003).

Graham’s novel also inspired a same-named suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Aug. 13, 1899-April 29, 1980) and released July 22, 1964. Hitchcock’s film, scripted by American screenwriter Jay Presson Allen (March 3, 1922-May 1, 2006), transposed the setting from England to the United States and also changed plot details.

The world premiere of Muhly and Wright’s Marnie took place Nov. 18, 2017, at the English National Opera in London, England. The London-based opera company’s home is the London Coliseum, sited at St Martin’s Lane in the Inner London borough of the City of Westminster.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s opening night for Marnie took place Friday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Opening night marked the psychological opera’s North American premiere.

Including the opening night, seven performances take place during the 2018-2019 Met Opera season. Four performances happened in October. In addition to opening night, the month’s four other performance dates were Monday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m.; and Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m.

Three performances took place in November. The month’s first performance, Saturday, Nov. 3, began at 8 p.m. EDT. The month’s two remaining performances were scheduled according to Eastern Standard Time: Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. and closing night, Saturday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m.

Marnie airs as ninth in the 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s schedule of 24 Saturday matinee radio broadcasts. The broadcast begins Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, at 1 p.m. EST.

The Metropolitan Opera’s production has an estimated run time of 2 hours 52 minutes during the 2018-2019 Met Opera season. Act I spans 70 minutes. An intermission of 30 minutes follows. Act II covers 72 minutes.

Robert Spano conducts all seven performances. The American conductor and pianist marks his Metropolitan Opera debut with his autumn and winter conductorship of Marnie.

Isabel Leonard appears in the female title role for all performances. The American operatic mezzo-soprano’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Sept. 25, 2007, as Stéphano in the opera house’s 312th performance of Roméo et Juliette by 19th century French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893). In the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Isabel Leonard also sings the title role in Pelléas et Mélisande by French Impressionist composer Achille-Claude Debussy (Aug. 22, 1862-March 25, 1918) and appears as Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites by French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc (Jan. 7, 1899-Jan. 30, 1963).

Janis Kelly appears in all performances as Mrs. Rutland, Marnie’s mother-in-law. The Scottish soprano’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Feb. 2, 2011, as Pat Nixon in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Nixon in China by American composer, clarinetist and conductor John Coolidge Adams (born Feb. 15, 1947).

Denyce Graves appears in all performances as Marnie’s invalid mother. The American mezzo-soprano’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Oct. 7, 1995, in the title role in the opera house’s 828th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

Iestyn Davies appears in all performances as Terry Rutland, playboy, poker-playing brother of Marnie’s husband. The British classical countertenor’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Nov. 14, 2011, as Unulfo in the opera house’s 15th performance of Rodelinda by German-British baroque composer George Frideric Handel (Feb. 23, 1685-April 14, 1759).

Christopher Maltman appears in all performances as Mark Rutland, a widowed business owner who is fascinated with Marnie despite her embezzling career. The British operatic baritone’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Sept. 24, 2005, as Harlekin in the opera house’s 79th performance of Ariadne auf Naxos by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Michael Mayer is production director for the 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s performances of Marnie. The American film and stage director’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Jan. 28, 2013, in the opera house’s 842nd performance of Rigoletto by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). In the 2018-2019 Met Opera season, Michael Mayer also directs a new staging of La Fanciulla del West by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Michael Mayer’s production team comprises Arianne Phillips, costume designer; Julian Crouch and 59 Productions, set and production designers; Kevin Adams, lighting director; Lynne Page, choreographer; and Paul Cremo, dramaturg. Oscar-nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips created 15 costumes for the title role.

The takeaway for Nico Muhly’s Marnie as the Jan. 26, 2019, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that the American contemporary classical music composer’s psychological opera airs as the ninth of the 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s 24 scheduled Saturday matinee radio broadcasts.

Costume designer Arianne Phillips, dramaturg Paul Cremo and choreographer Lynne Page make their Metropolitan Opera debuts in Marnie’s opening night performance Friday, Oct. 19, 2018: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Aug. 27, 2018

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Marnie’s composer, Nico Muhly, with American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who sings the opera’s title role: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Sept. 13, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10161027503155533/

Costume designer Arianne Phillips, dramaturg Paul Cremo and choreographer Lynne Page make their Metropolitan Opera debuts in Marnie’s opening night performance Friday, Oct. 19, 2018: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook Aug. 27, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10160950651255533

For further information:

“Debut: Isabel Leonard.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352067 Roméo et Juliette {312} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/25/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352067

“Debuts: John Adams, Peter Sellars, James Maddalena, Janis Kelly, Haruno Yamazaki, Kanji Segawa.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353786 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Nixon in China {1} Broadcast ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 02/02/2001.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353786

“Debuts: Denyce Graves, Barbara Frittoli, Richard Bernstein.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 322060 Carmen {828} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/07/1995.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=322060

“Debuts: Iestyn Davies, Moritz Linn.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354154 Rodelinda {15} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/14/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354154

“Debuts: Jon Villars, Diana Damrau, Christopher Maltman.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351297 Ariadne auf Naxos {79} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 09/24/2005.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351297

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018-2019 Met Opera Premiere of Nico Muhly’s Marnie Is Friday, Oct. 19.” Earth and Space News. Monday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/2018-2019-met-opera-premiere-of-nico.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. “Pelléas et Mélisande Is the Jan. 19, 2019, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday. Jan. 14, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/08/joseph-urban-designed-sets-for-10.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Check out Marnie in early rehearsals with the cast and creative team! Nico Muhly's thrilling opera stars Isabel Leonard in the title role and is based on the Winston Graham novel which inspired a film by Alfred Hitchcock. Michael Mayer directs this new production. Marnie premieres October 19. Tickets at bit.ly/2O3jOA9. Photo by Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera.” Facebook. Sept. 13, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10161027503155533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “’Costumes intrinsically are about creating character . . . Marnie herself has 15 costume changes, which is not that many for a film, but I’ve been told is pretty epic for an opera.’ Oscar-nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips created the costumes for the title heroine. Nico Muhly's Marnie has its US premiere October 19. Tickets: bit.ly/2O3jOA9 Illustrations by Nicole Guice.” Facebook. Aug. 27, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10160950651255533

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Marnie.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357028 United States Premiere Marnie {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/19/2018.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357028