2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Third Week Has Gershwin, Puccini and Verdi

Summary: The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s third week has Gershwin, Puccini and Verdi operas of Porgy and Bess, Madama Butterfly, Turandot and Macbeth.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season revives Italian director Anthony Minghella's vivid staging of Puccini's Madama Butterfly: ‎The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 13, 2014

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s third week has Gershwin, Puccini and Verdi operas in continuing performances of Porgy and Bess, Turandot and Macbeth and with the season’s premiere of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s third week initiates the introduction of Sunday matinees into the Metropolitan Opera’s weekly schedule. Monday is the designated “dark day” for weeks with Sunday matinees.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s first Sunday matinee features Turandot by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). The opera’s season premiere happened Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The first Sunday matinee takes place Sunday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s third week offers two additional performances of Turandot. The week’s second performance of Turandot, which numbers as the season’s third performance of Puccini’s riddle-themed opera, takes place Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. The week’s next performance of Turandot is slated as a Saturday matinee, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m.

The second opera performed during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s third week is Macbeth by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). The opera’s season premiere happened Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m. The week’s first performance of Macbeth, which numbers as the season’s fifth performance of Verdi’s Shakespearean Macbeth, takes place Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. The third week’s next performance of Macbeth is offered Saturday, Oct. 12, at 8:30 p.m.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s third week includes one performance of Porgy and Bess by American composer and pianist George Gershwin (Sept. 26, 1898-July 11, 1937). Gershwin’s folk opera opened the 2019-2020 Met Opera season as a new production Monday, Sept. 23. The third week’s performance of Porgy and Bess takes place Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly makes its 2019-2020 Met Opera season premiere in the third week. Madama Butterfly opens Friday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m.

Beyond its season premiere, Madama Butterfly receives 13 additional performances during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season. Including the season premiere, 10 performances are scheduled for the autumn. Four performances are slated for spring 2020.

Beyond opening night, October hosts two additional performances of Madama Butterfly. The month’s last two performances take place Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m.

Autumn’s seven remaining performances are offered in November. The month’s performances take place Saturday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. EDT; Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time; Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 25, at 7:30 p.m.

Spring’s four performances all happen in April. The month’s performances take place Wednesday, April 1, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. EDT; Saturday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s performances of Madama Butterfly revive the 2006-2007 Met Opera season’s new production directed by Anthony Minghella (Jan. 6, 1954-March 18, 2008). The Italian film, opera and television director and producer’s staging debuted Sept. 25, 2006, as a new production at Met Opera in the opera house’s 799th performance of Puccini’s Japan-themed opera.

Carolyn Choa, Minghella’s widow, heads the production team as director and choreographer. The production team also comprises Michael Levine, set designer; Han Feng, costume designer; Peter Mumford, lighting designer; Blind Summit Theatre, puppetry.

The Metropolitan Opera has staged six revivals of Minghella’s production. The last revival occurred during the 2017-2018 Met Opera season. The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s performances of Madama Butterfly number as the opera house’s seventh revival of Minghella’s production.

The takeaways for the 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s third week are Puccini’s Turandot numbers as the season’s first Sunday matinee and that the third week also includes the season’s premiere of the seventh revival of Anthony Minghella’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly as well as continuing performances of season opener Porgy and Bess and of Verdi’s Macbeth.

Russian operatic soprano Anna Netrebko and Serbian operatic baritone Željko Lučić reprise their 2014 Met Opera roles as Lady and Lord Macbeth in the 2019-2020 Met Opera season's revival of British theatre director Adrian Noble's production of Verdi's Macbeth: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Oct. 11, 2014

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season revives Italian director Anthony Minghella's vivid staging of Puccini's Madama Butterfly: ‎The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 13, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10153722939155533/

Russian operatic soprano Anna Netrebko and Serbian operatic baritone Željko Lučić reprise their 2014 Met Opera roles as Lady and Lord Macbeth in the 2019-2020 Met Opera season's revival of British theatre director Adrian Noble's production of Verdi's Macbeth: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Oct. 11, 2014, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10154764462890533/

For further information:

Cooper, Michael. “For the First Time, the Met Will Perform Opera on Sundays.” The New York Times > Arts > Music. Sept. 14, 2018.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/arts/music/met-opera-contract-sunday.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season Opens Monday, Sept. 23, With Porgy and Bess.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Sept. 16, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/09/2019-2020-met-opera-season-opens-monday.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Second Week Has Gershwin, Puccini and Verdi.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Sept. 23, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/09/2019-2020-met-operas-second-week-has.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Madama 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

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "New during the 2019–20 season: We’re presenting 16 Sunday matinee performances, giving you more opportunities to enjoy opera on the weekend. Explore the full season: http://bit.ly/2VdNCNL. Photo by Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera." Facebook. Feb. 24, 2019.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1099763017854738433

“New Production: Madama Butterfly.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351555 New Production Madama Butterfly {799} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/25/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351555