La Rondine Is April 20, 2024, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: La Rondine is the April 20, 2024, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as 20th of the 2023-2024 season's 27 Saturday matinee radio broadcasts.

The second revival of French opera director and opera house administrator Nicolas Joël's production of Puccini's La Rondine takes place in Met Opera's 2023-2024 season; the new production's Met Opera debut had occurred New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2008, with Art Deco sets designed by Italian set designer Ezio Frigerio and costumes by Italian costume designer Franca Squarciapino: The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook May 2, 2021

Puccini's La Rondine is the April 20, 2024, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time as the 20th of the 2023-2024 season's lineup of 27 Saturday matinee radio broadcasts.

La Rondine by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) receives eight performances in the 2023-2024 season. The first through sixth performances were held Tuesday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time; Saturday, March 30, at 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday matinee, April 13, at 1:00 p.m. The seventh through eighth, closing performances are scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday radio matinee, April 20 at 1:00 p.m.

Speranza Scappucci conducts all eight performances. Her conductorship of La Rondine adds a second opera to her Met Opera portfolio. The Italian conductor and pianist had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in the opera company's 913th performance of Rigoletto by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Angel Blue appears in all eight performances as Magda, who fulfills a palm-reading that she will leave her wealthy lover Rambaldo for true love, just as the swallow (la rondine) flies south annually, and who ultimately returns to her old life as Rambaldo's mistress, just as the swallow returns home. The American operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, as Mimì in the opera company’s 1,306th performance of Puccini's La Bohème.

Jonathan Tetelman appears in all eight performances as Ruggero, for whom Magda leaves Rambaldo and whose marriage proposal occasions Magda to return to Rambaldo rather than embarrass Ruggero's family by her past. The American operatic tenor's appearance in the 2023-2024 season's first Rondine performance, Tuesday, March 26, marked his Met Opera debut.

Emily Pogorelc appears in all eight performances as Lisette, Magda's maid, who also leaves her life in Rambaldo and Magda's household for a while but also gives up her new life to return as a maid, just as with the swallow's annual southward flights. The American operatic soprano's appearance in the 2023-2024 season's first Rondine performance, Tuesday, March 26, marked her Met Opera debut.

Bekhzod Davronov appears in all eight performances as Prunier, Lisette's poetic lover, whose reading of Magda's palm occasions Magda's swallowlike flight. The Uzbekistani tenor's appearance in the 2023-2024 season's first Rondine performance, Tuesday, March 26, marked his Met Opera debut.

The 2023-2024 season's presentation of La Rondine marks the second revival of the new production that debuted Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008, under the directorship of Nicolas Joël (Feb. 6, 1953-June 18, 2020). The French opera director and opera house administrator had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, April 6, 1996, in the opera company's 152nd performance of Andrea Chénier by Italian composer Umberto Giordano (Aug. 28, 1867-Nov. 12, 1948).

Nicolas Joël's production team comprises Ezio Frigerio, set designer; Franca Squarciapino, costume designer; and Duane Schuler, lighting designer. Italian stage designer Ezio Frigerio (July 16, 1930-Feb. 2, 2022) and Italian costume designer Franca Squarciapino (born 1940) had made their Met Opera debuts Friday, March 9, 1984, in the opera company's 12th performance of Francesca da Rimini by Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai (May 28, 1883-June 5, 1944). American theatrical lighting designer Duane Schuler had made his Met Opera debut Monday, March 21, 1994, in the opera house's 268th performance of Verdi's Otello.

Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones airs April 27, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time as the 21st of the 2023-2024 season's 27 Saturday matinee radio broadcasts. The April 27 Saturday radio matinee plays one of the seven performances taking place in spring 2024 for the opera's first revival.

French opera director and opera house administrator Nicolas Joël's production of Puccini's La Rondine features Art Deco sets designed by Italian set designer Ezio Frigerio (July 6, 1930-) and costumes designed by Italian costume designer Franca Squarciapino (born 1940); (left to right) image of Ezio Frigerio, Franca Squarciapino (born 1940) and Russian TV and video director Nikita Sergeyevich Tikhonov, obtained Monday, May 28, 2007, 16:41:47, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, western Lombardy region, north central Italy: Terentiyeva, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

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

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

The second revival of French opera director and opera house administrator Nicolas Joël's production of Puccini's La Rondine takes place in Met Opera's 2023-2024 season; the new production's Met Opera debut had occurred New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2008, with Art Deco sets designed by Italian set designer Ezio Frigerio and costumes by Italian costume designer Franca Squarciapino: The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook May 2, 2021, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10165223321425533/

French opera director and opera house administrator Nicolas Joël's production of Puccini's La Rondine features Art Deco sets designed by Italian set designer Ezio Frigerio (July 6, 1930-) and costumes designed by Italian costume designer Franca Squarciapino (born 1940); (left to right) image of Ezio Frigerio, Franca Squarciapino (born 1940) and Russian TV and video director Nikita Sergeyevich Tikhonov, obtained Monday, May 28, 2007, 16:41:47, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, western Lombardy region, north central Italy: Terentiyeva, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2007-Эццо_Фриджерио_(Ezio_Frigerio)-Франка_Скуарчапино_(Franca_Squarciapino)_-_Тихонов_Никита_Сергеевич_-_Tikhonov_Nikita-Милан-Ла_Скала.jpg

For further information:

"Debut: Alexander Soddy, Angel Blue, Duncan Rock." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356748 La Bohème Metropolitan Opera House, Mon, October 2, 2017 Broadcast. Debut: Alexander Soddy, Angel Blue, Duncan Rock. La Bohème (1306) Giacomo Puccini / Luigi Illica/Giuseppe Giacosa.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0386230

"Debut: Piero Faggioni, Ezio Frigerio, Franca Squarciapino." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 275700 New Production Francesca da Rimini Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, March 9, 1984. Debut: Piero Faggioni, Ezio Frigerio, Franca Squarciapino. Francesca da Rimini (12) Riccardo Zandonai / Tito Ricordi.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0378097

"Debut: Valery Gergiev, Duane Schuler." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351014 New Production Otello Metropolitan Opera House, Mon, March 21, 1994. Debut: Valery Gergiev, Duane Schuler. Otello (268) Giuseppe Verdi / Arrigo Boito.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0383083

“Debuts: Alexander Soddy, Angel Blue, Duncan Rock.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356747 La Bohème {1306} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/2/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356747

"Debuts: Michael Chioldi, Larissa Diadkova, Nicolas Joël, Hubert Monloup." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 323860 New Production Andrea Chénier {152} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/6/1996.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=323860

"Debuts: Valery Gergiev, Duane Schuler." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351014 New Production Otello {268} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/21/1994.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351014

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Calendars 2023-2024 Season Operas Sep. 26 Through June 8." Earth and Space News. Monday, Sep. 18, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/09/met-opera-calendars-2023-2024-season.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Newly Stages Carmen and La Forza del Destino in 2023-2024." Earth and Space News. Monday, Sep. 11, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/09/met-opera-newly-stages-carmen-and-la.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "The Metropolitan Opera Performs 18 Operas in the 2023-2024 Season." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-metropolitan-opera-performs-18.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Metropolitan Opera Revives 12 Productions in 2023-2024 Season." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/metropolitan-opera-revives-12.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Only Two of 11 Zeffirelli Productions Are Still Revived at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, May 25, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/05/only-two-of-11-zeffirelli-productions.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Saturday Matinee Broadcasts Include Six Special Programs in 2023-2024." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 27, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/11/saturday-matinee-broadcasts-include-six.html

The Metropolitan Opera. "On New Year’s Eve 2008, Puccini’s La Rondine returned to the Met stage after an absence of more than 70 years. In tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream, enjoy Nicolas Joël’s sumptuous staging, which resets this bittersweet love story to the Roaring Twenties. The full Live in HD transmission is available tonight, September 21, starting at 7:30PM ET until tomorrow, September 22, at 6:30PM ET. Enhance your viewing experience with curated supplementary content—including Playbills, articles, and more—at metopera.org/PucciniWeek and access the stream on the metopera.org and on all Met Opera on Demand apps. Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera." Facebook. Sep. 21, 2020.
Available via Facebook Sep. 21, 2020, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10164334914500533/
Available via Facebook Sep. 21, 2020, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10164334914500533/
Available via Facebook Sep. 21, 2020, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/pb.100044543344646.-2207520000/10164334914500533/

The Metropolitan Opera. "The Metropolitan Opera announces its 2023–24 season, with the most new works in the company’s modern history." The Metropolitan Opera > About > Press Releases. Feb. 22, 2023.
Available @ https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/the-metropolitan-opera-announces-its-202324-season-with-the-most-new-works-in-the-companys-modern-history/

The Metropolitan Opera. "One of Puccini’s most lighthearted creations—though not without a suitably melancholy ending -- La Rondine returned to the Met on New Year’s Eve 2008, following an absence of more than 70 years. In tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream, enjoy Nicolas Joël’s enchanting staging, which re-sets the opera to Paris in the 1920s. The full Live in HD transmission is available tonight, May 2, starting at 7:30PM ET until tomorrow, May 3, at 6:30PM ET. Access the stream on metopera.org and on all Met Opera on Demand apps. Enhance your viewing experience with curated supplementary content—including Playbills, articles, and more—at metopera.org/CityofLight. Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera." Facebook. May 2, 2021.
Available via Facebook May 2, 2021, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10165223321425533/
Available via Facebook May 2, 2021, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10165223321425533/
Available via Facebook May 2, 2021, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/pb.100044543344646.-2207520000/10165223321425533/

“New Production: La Rondine." [Met Performance] CID: 352796 New Production La Rondine Metropolitan Opera House, Wed, December 31, 2008 Broadcast. Debut: Marius Brenciu, Elizabeth DeShong. La Rondine (19) Giacomo Puccini / Giuseppe Adami.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0384167