Turandot Is Met Opera's May 7, 2022, Saturday Matinee Opera Broadcast

Summary: Turandot is Met Opera's May 7, 2022, Saturday matinee opera broadcast, airing as 19th of the 2021-2022 season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Their appearances in the 2021-2022 season's five October and four November performances of Turandot mark the third reprisals of Christine Goerke's Turandot and Yusif Eyvazov's Calàf at the Metropolitan Opera; photo credit Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Nov. 16, 2021

Puccini's Turandot is Met Opera's May 7, 2022, Saturday matinee opera broadcast, scheduled as the 19th of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season.

Turandot by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) receives 14 performances in the 2021-2022 season. The opera originally was scheduled for 15 performances, but in July 2021 Met Opera announced that technical preparations pursuant to the opera house's 16-month closure necessitated the cancellation of the Thursday, Oct. 7, performance. Accordingly, the opera's first through ninth autumn performances took place Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time; Saturday, Oct. 16, at 8:00 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 24, at 3:00 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 6, at 8:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time; and Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 p.m.

The 2021-2022 season offers five spring performances of Turandot. The first spring performance took place Saturday, April 30, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The last four spring performances are scheduled for Tuesday, May 3, at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 7, at 1:00 p.m.; Wednesday, May 11, at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, May 14, at 8:00 p.m.

The 2021-2022 season's presentation of Turandot represents the 16th revival of the new production that debuted Thursday, March 12, 1987, under the directorship of Franco Zeffirelli (Feb. 12, 1923-June 15, 2019). The Italian film, opera and television director and producer had made his Met Opera debut Friday, March 6, 1964, in the opera company's 67th performance of Falstaff by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Marco Armiliato conducts Turandot's 16th revival as his sixth reprisal of the opera's conductorship. He added the opera to his Met Opera portfolio in the 2000-2001 season, during the production's seventh revival. His first through fifth reprisals occurred, respectively in seasons 2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007, 2017-2018 and 2019-2020. The Italian conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Monday, Nov. 9, 1998, in the opera company’s 1,048th performance of Puccini's La Bohème.

Anna Netrebko makes her Met Opera role debut in the title role of the riddling princess in the 16th revival's spring performances, including the May 7 Saturday matinee opera broadcast. The Russian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, as Natasha Rostova in the opera company’s premiere of War and Peace by Soviet composer, conductor and pianist Sergei Prokofiev (April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953).

Anna Netrebko withdrew from her performances as spring's Turandot, according to the Metropolitan Opera's tweet Thursday, March 3, 2022. Liudmyla Monastyrska appears in the title role in the opera's five spring performances. The Ukrainian soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 23, 2012, in the title role in the opera company's 1,123rd performance of Verdi's Aida.

Christine Goerke sang the title role, as her second reprisal, in the 16th revival's autumn performances. She added the role to her Met Opera portfolio with four (Sep. 23, 26, 30; Oct. 3) of the 2015-2016 season's performances. Her eight October performances in the 2019-2020 season marked her first reprisal. The American dramatic soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Monday, April 3, 1995, in the ensemble role of Woman with Baby in the opera company’s eighth performance of The Ghosts of Versailles by American classical composer John Corigliano (born Feb. 16, 1938).

Yonghoon Lee sings skilled riddle-solver Calàf in the 16th revival's spring performances, including the May 7 Saturday matinee opera broadcast. The South Korean operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 29, 2010, in the title role in the opera company’s 193rd performance of Verdi’s Don Carlo.

Yusif Eyvazov sang the 16th revival's autumn Calàf as his second reprisal of the role in which he had made his Met Opera debut. His appearances in four (Oct. 3, 6, 9, 12) of the 2019-2020 season's eight performances marked his first reprisal of Calàf. The Azerbaijan dramatic tenor made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, as Calàf in the opera company’s 305th performance of Turandot. His first and second reprisals took place in the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 seasons, respectively.

Ermonela Jaho sings loyal Liù in the 16th revival's spring performances, including the May 7 Saturday matinee opera broadcast. The Albanian soprano had made her Met Opera debut Saturday, March 15, 2008, as Violetta in the opera company's 941st performance of Verdi’s La Traviata.

Ermonela Jaho shares the role with Gabriella Reyes and Michelle Bradley. Gabriella Reyes originally was scheduled to sing Liù in the 16th revival's first four autumn performances (Oct. 12; Oct. 16; Oct. 21; Oct. 24), but she only appeared in the first three performances. The Nicaraguan-American soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Sep. 26, 2018, as the Priestess in the opera company's 1,163rd performance of Verdi's Aida.

Turandot numbers as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Gabriella Reyes. She sang Musetta in the Jan. 22, 2022, Saturday matinee opera broadcast of Puccini's La Bohème.

Michelle Bradley then sang Liù in the 16th revival's fifth through ninth autumn performances. Additionally, she replaced Gabriella Reyes as Liù in October's fourth performance, Sunday, Oct. 24, according to Met Opera's Oct. 21, 2021, tweet. The American soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, March 6, 2017, as a Woman of Crete in the opera company's 68th performance of Idomeneo by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Ferruccio Furlanetto sings Timur, Calàf's vanquished father, formerly King of Tartary, in the 16th revival's spring performances, including the May 7 Saturday matinee opera broadcast. The Italian bass had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Feb. 26, 1980, as the Grand Inquisitor in the opera company's 117th performance of Verdi’s Don Carlo.

James Morris sang Timur in the 16th revival's first four autumn performances as his fourth reprisal of the role in Zeffirelli's production. He had added the role to his Met Opera portfolio Friday, Sep. 20, 1974, in the opera house's 118th performance of Turandot. His first portrayal of Timur in Franco Zeffirelli's production occurred, during the 12th revival, in the 2012-2013 season. His first through third reprisals in Zeffirelli's staging took place, respectively in the 13th through 15th revivals (seasons 2015-2016, 2017-2018, 2019-2020). The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 7, 1971, as the King in the opera company's 782nd performance of Verdi's Aida.

Alexander Tsymbalyuk sang Timur in the 16th revival's fifth through ninth autumn performances. He had added the role to his Met Opera portfolio, during the Zeffirelli production's 13th revival, in the 2015-2016 season. He had made his first reprisal of the role in the 2017-2018 season, in the 14th revival. The Ukrainian bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010, as Ferrando in the opera company’s 615th performance of Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Turandot numbers as the second Saturday matinee opera broadcast in the 2021-2022 season for Alexander Tsymbalyuk. He sang the Night Watchman in May 14 Saturday matinee opera broadcast of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

In addition to directing the production, Franco Zeffirelli designed Turandot's sets. His production team comprised Anna Anni and Dada Saligeri, costume designers; Gil Wechsler, lighting designer; and Chiang Ching, choreographer. Italian costume designer Anna Anni (Nov. 21, 1926-Jan. 1, 2011) had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 17, 1972, in the opera house's 42nd performance of La Fille du Régiment by 19th century-Italian bel canto opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848). Italian costume designer Dada Saligeri and New York-based Chinese choreographer Chiang Ching made their Met Opera debuts in the production's debut Thursday, March 12, 1987. American theatrical lighting designer Gil Wechsler had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Jan. 18, 1977, in the opera company's 74th performance of Le Prophète by German Jewish opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sep. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864).

The Metropolitan Opera's United States premiere of Puccini's Turandot took place Tuesday, Nov. 16, 1926. The opera received 12 performances in the 1926-1927 season.

The takeaways for Turandot as Met Opera's May 7, 2022, Saturday matinee opera broadcast are that Puccini's riddling princess opera airs as the 19th of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season; that the season's presentation of Turandot represents the 16th revival of the new production that debuted in the 1986-1987 season under the directorship of Italian film, opera and television director Franco Zeffirelli; that Marco Armiliato makes his sixth conductorship reprisal; that Christine Georke (Turandot), Yusif Eyvazov (Calàf), James Morris (Timur) and Alexander Tsymbalyuk (Timur) make role reprisals in the production's 16th revival; and that Turandot numbers as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Gabriella Ryes and Alexander Tsymbalyuk.

In the 2021-2022 season, James Morris made his fourth reprisal of vanquished King Timur, Calàf's father, in four October performances of the 16th revival of Franco Zeffirelli's production of Puccini's Turandot: Opera News @OperaNews, via Facebook Oct. 17, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Their appearances in the 2021-2022 season's five October and four November performances of Turandot mark the third reprisals of Christine Goerke's Turandot and Yusif Eyvazov's Calàf at the Metropolitan Opera; photo credit Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Nov. 16, 2021, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10165850900100533

In the 2021-2022 season, James Morris made his fourth reprisal of vanquished King Timur, Calàf's father, in four October performances of the 16th revival of Franco Zeffirelli's production of Puccini's Turandot: Opera News @OperaNews, via Facebook Oct. 17, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/OperaNews/posts/10154839541352466/

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