2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Fourth Week Has Gershwin, Massenet and Puccini

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

Jules Massenet's Manon was last performed at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2014-2015 season with German operatic soprano Diana Damrau singing the title role to Italian operatic tenor Vittorio Grigolo's Des Grieux: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook March 9, 2015

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s fourth week has Gershwin, Massenet and Puccini operas in continuing performances of Porgy and Bess, Manon, Madama Butterfly and Turandot.

The season’s fourth week opens with the season’s second Sunday matinee. Porgy and Bess by American composer and pianist George Gershwin (Sept. 26, 1898-July 11, 1937) is performed as a Sunday matinee, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

The fourth week also stages a second performance of Porgy and Bess. The week’s second performance of Gershwin’s folk opera is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m.

Madama Butterfly by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) receives two performances during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s fourth week. The week’s first performance of Madama Butterfly takes place Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The week’s second offering of Madama Butterfly is slated for Friday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m.

Puccini’s Turandot receives one performance during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s fourth week. Puccini’s riddle-themed opera is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19, at 12:30 p.m.

Manon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912) receives one performance in the 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s fourth week. Manon appears as the fourth week’s last opera, with a Saturday, Oct. 19, performance at 8 p.m.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s fourth week has two “dark days” of no performances. No operatic performances are scheduled for either Monday, Oct. 14, or Thursday, Oct. 17.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season expands upon the opera house’s successful Saturday matinees by initiating Sunday matinees of staged operas. The season balances Sunday matinee weeks with a dark day or days in which no operas are performed. The 2019-2020 Met Opera season features 16 Sunday matinees.

Michael Cooper, a classical music and dance reporter at The New York Times, noted in his Sept. 14, 2018, article that the 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s initiation of Sunday matinees of staged operas arises from new contracts ratified by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 802 and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). AFM Local 802 represents assistant conductors, music staff and regular and associate musicians of the MET Orchestra. AGMA represents the chorus, soloists, stage directors and managers, staff performers, dancers and choreographers.

The unions’ approval of the new contract was announced Sept. 14, 2018, in a press release by Laura Dolan of Geto & de Milly, Inc., for Local 802 and by Randy Whatley of Cypress Media Group, Inc., for AGMA. The press release identified the addition of Sunday performances as “integral” for Met Opera’s “long-term stability” and for new audience reach.

In the Sept. 14, 2018, press release, Jessica Phillips, clarinetist and chair of the MET Orchestra Committee, praised the contract as providing an empowered partnership for musicians and artists with the Metropolitan Opera. She stated: “We believe that the future of the Met Opera is bright and we’re looking forward to the exciting new season ahead, particularly as we welcome our new Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin.”

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season marks Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s second season as the opera house’s Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director. In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Maestro Nézet-Séguin is scheduled to conduct three operas (Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, Jules Massenet’s Werther, Alban Berg’s Wozzeck) as well as the New Year’s Eve gala performance.

Maestro Nézet-Séguin’s conductorship includes two Sunday matinees. His first Sunday matinee appearance takes place Sunday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m. EDT in the season’s third week’s performance of Puccini’s Turandot. His second Sunday matinee appearance occurs at 3 p.m. EST in the Jan. 19, 2020, performance of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.

The takeaways for the 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s fourth week are that Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is performed as the season’s second Sunday matinee and that the fourth week also continues performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Turandot and of Massenet’s Manon.

a long view of Italian director Franco Zeffirelli's staging of Puccini's Turandot: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sept. 10, 2012

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Jules Massenet's Manon was last performed at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2014-2015 season with German operatic soprano Diana Damrau singing the title role to Italian operatic tenor Vittorio Grigolo's Des Grieux: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook March 9, 2015, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10155371656890533/10155371657025533/

a long view of Italian director Franco Zeffirelli's staging of Puccini's Turandot: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Sept. 10, 2012, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10152074762750533/

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

Dolan, Laura (Geto & de Milly, Inc.); and Randy Whatley (Cypress Media Group, Inc.). “Statement From The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, AFM, and The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) on New Metropolitan Opera Contract and Initiatives.” American Guild of Musical Artists. Sept. 14, 2018.
Available @ http://www.musicalartists.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/802-AGMA-Met-Contract-Ratification-Statement-9-14-18-final.pdf

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. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Third Week Has Gershwin, Massenet, Puccini, Verdi.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Sept. 30, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/09/2019-2020-met-opera-seasons-third-week.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

Rosenfeld, Drew. “Statement From The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, AFM, and The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) on New Metropolitan Opera Contract and Initiatives.” American Guild of Musical Artists. Sept. 14, 2018.
Available @ https://www.musicalartists.org/statement-from-the-associated-musicians-of-greater-new-york-local-802-afm-and-the-american-guild-of-musical-artists-agma-on-new-metropolitan-opera-contract-and-initiatives/