Earth and Space News: 2019-2020 Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcasts

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Monday, May 4, 2020

Maria Stuarda Was To Be the May 9, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast

Summary: Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda was to be the May 9, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing as 23rd in the season’s 23 radio matinees.

Ten days away from opening night, New Year’s Eve, Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, for the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, with David McVicar (left) as production director and Maurizio Benini (right) as conductor: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 21, 2012

Gaetano Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda was to be the May 9, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and closing the 2019-2020 Met Opera season of Saturday matinee broadcasts as the 23rd and last of the season’s 23 radio matinees.

Nineteenth-century Italian bel canto opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848) set his musical score for Maria Stuarda to an Italian libretto by Italian magistrate and writer Giuseppe Bardari (May 27, 1817-Sept. 22, 1861). The libretto’s literary source was Maria Stuarda, a play published in 1829 by Italian librettist and poet Andrea Maffei (April 19, 1798-Nov. 27, 1885).

Maffei’s Maria Stuarda was an Italian translation of Maria Stuart, a five-act verse play by German polymathic philosopher, physician, playwright and poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (Nov. 10, 1759-May 9, 1805). Schiller’s Maria Stuart premiered June 14, 1800, at central Germany’s Weimarer Hoftheater.

After dress rehearsals for Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies (Jan. 12, 1810-May 22, 1859) banned the opera’s performance. Donizetti recruited Italian librettist Pietro Salatino (1817-1861) for extensive revisions to Bardari’s libretto, including an action reset to 15th century Florence. The revised opera premiered Oct. 18, 1834, under the new title of Buondelmonte, at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, the regional capital of Campania in Southern Italy.

French mezzo-soprano Maria Felicia Malibran (March 24, 1808-Sept. 23, 1836) intervened to arrange for the premiere of Donizetti’s original opera, Maria Stuarda. With Malibran in the title role, Maria Stuarda premiered Dec. 30, 1835, at Teatro alla Scala, the prestigious opera house located in north central Italy’s fashionable metropolis of Milan.

Maria Stuarda received its Metropolitan Opera premiere Dec. 31, 2012, for the opera house’s New Year’s Eve Gala. The opera received eight performances in the 2012-2013 Met Opera season.

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda receives six performances. The season’s first performance took place Sunday, April 19, at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Three additional performances were offered in April: Thursday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.; and Thursday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m.

The production’s last two performances are scheduled for May. The month’s first performance takes place Sunday, May 3, at 3 p.m. The Saturday matinee broadcast, May 9, starting at 1 p.m., closes the season’s performances of Maria Stuarda.

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced via Facebook Thursday, March 12, 2020, the cancellation of the rest of the 2019-2020 season due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) entry of March 12, 2020, noted the cancellation of 58 performances. Operas affected by the cancellation were identified as La Bohème, La Cenerentola, Così Fan Tutte, Der Fliegende Holländer, Kát'a Kabanová, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Maria Stuarda, Simon Boccanegra, Tosca, La Traviata, Turandot and Werther.

Update: The opera company's coronavirus-occasioned closure affected all performances of La Traviata scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. The opera was not performed in the 2019-2020 season.

The two-act opera has an estimated run time of 2 hours 46 minutes. Act I runs for 70 minutes. An intermission of 33 minutes follows. Act II is estimated at 63 minutes.

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Maurizio Benini had been scheduled to reprise his role as conductor of Maria Stuarda’s 2012-2013 Metropolitan Opera premiere. The Italian conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Monday, Jan. 19, 1998, in the opera company’s 231st performance of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Maurizio Benini also conducts Manon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912).

Diana Damrau had been scheduled to perform the title role as Maria Stuarda. The German operatic soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005, as Zerbinetta in the opera company’s 79th performance of Ariadne auf Naxos (“Ariadne on Naxos”) by German composer Richard Georg Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Jamie Barton had been scheduled to appear as Elisabetta (Queen Elizabeth I), whom Donizetti’s opera presents in a face-to-face meeting with Mary Stuart that never happened. The American mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, as the second of three ladies in the opera company’s 393rd performance of Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Jamie Barton also performs in the title trouser role of Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice by German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787).

Stephen Costello had been scheduled to appear as Roberto, Earl of Leicester, whom Donizetti’s opera presents as loving Maria Stuarda and seeking her release from prison. The American operatic tenor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Sept. 24, 2007, as Arturo in the opera company’s 558th performance of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.

Andrzej Filonczyk had been scheduled to appear as Lord Gugielmo Cecil, Chancellor of the Exchequer, who presented Queen Elizabeth (Elisabetta) with the warrant for Maria Stuarda’s execution for her involvement in assassination plots against the Queen. The Polish baritone’s appearance in the season’s first performance, Sunday, April 19, marked his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Michele Pertusi had been scheduled to appear as Giorgio Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who served as Maria Stuarda’s keeper and whom Donizetti’s opera presents as message bearer between his prisoner and Roberto, Earl of Leicester. The Italian bass made his Metropolitan Opera debut Monday, Jan. 20, 1997, as Count Almaviva in the opera house’s 358th performance of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s presentation of Maria Stuarda would have marked the second revival of staging by Sir David McVicar. The Scottish opera and theatre director’s new production of Maria Stuarda for the Metropolitan Opera debuted Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of the opera. The production’s first revival took place in the 2015-2016 Met Opera season.

Sir David’s production team comprises set and costume designer John Macfarlane and lighting designer Jennifer Tipton. The production’s choreographer is Leah Hausman.

The takeaway for Maria Stuarda as the May 9, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Donizetti’s opera would have closed the 2019-2020 Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast season as the 23rd and last of the season’s 23 weekly radio broadcasts.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s performances of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda mark the second revival of Sir David McVicar’s staging, which debuted in the opera house’s 2012-2013 season and last revived in the 2015-2016 season: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 25, 2016

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

“Debut: Maurizio Benini.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330354 L’Elisir d’Amore {231} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 01/19/1998.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330354

“Debut: Stephen Costello, Mary Zimmerman, Daniel Ostling, Mara Blumenfeld, T. J. Gerckens, Daniel Pelzig.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352065 New Production Lucia di Lammermoor {558} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/24/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352065

“Debuts: Bernard Labadie, Matthias Klink, Jamie Barton, Georg Zeppenfeld.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353076 Die Zauberflöte {393} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/23/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353076

“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

“Debuts: Michele Pertusi, Robin Guarino.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 327140 Le Nozze di Figaro {358} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/20/1997.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=327140

helcatj. "The Metropolitan Opera Company 2019-2020 Season." Showcase Opera and Events blog. Aug. 13, 2019.
Available @ https://showcaseoperaandeventsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/13/the-metropolitan-opera-company-2019-2020-season/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Der Fliegende Holländer Was To Be March 14, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 9, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/kata-kabanova-is-may-2-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Káťa Kabanová Was To Be the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 27, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/kata-kabanova-is-may-2-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "La Cenerentola Was To Be March 21, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 16, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/03/orfeo-ed-euridice-is-april-4-2020-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Orfeo ed Euridice Was To Be April 4, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 30, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/03/orfeo-ed-euridice-is-april-4-2020-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Simon Boccanegra Was To Be April 18, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 13, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/simon-boccanegra-is-april-18-2020-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tosca Was To Be April 11, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 6, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/tosca-is-april-11-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Turandot Was To Be April 25, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 20, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/turandot-is-april-25-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Werther Was To Be March 28, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 23, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/03/werther-is-march-28-2020-met-opera.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Act I of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. http://bit.ly/1ZNJort Photo: Ken Howard/Met Opera.” Facebook. Jan. 25, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10156565518595533/10156565518810533/

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Another peek at the process: Director David McVicar and conductor Maurizio Benini conferring during a rehearsal for MARIA STUARDA. http://bit.ly/T5kuDo Photo: Ken Howard/Met Opera.” Facebook. Dec. 21, 2012.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10152332670730533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "In light of the circumstances involving the coronavirus and in consultation with the Office of the Mayor of New York City, we regret to inform our audience that all Met performances have been canceled through March 31, including tonight’s planned performance of La Cenerentola. This Saturday’s Live in HD cinema presentation of Der Fliegende Holländer has also been canceled. Thank you for your understanding. Learn More: www.metopera.org/updates." Facebook. March 12, 2020.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/10163327604920533

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Maria Stuarda.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354759 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Maria Stuarda {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354759

"Season Cancellation." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357448 Season Cancellation March 12-May 9, 2020. Metropolitan Opera House: 03/12/2020.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357448

Woolfe, Zachary. "The Metropolitan Opera Season That Vanished." The New York Times > Arts > Music. May 13, 2020.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-coronavirus.html

Monday, April 27, 2020

Káťa Kabanová Was To Be the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast

Summary: Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová was to be the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing as 22nd in the season’s 23 radio matinees.

Sir Jonathan Miller’s production of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová features costumes and sets by Robert Israel and lighting by Gil Wechsler: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook July 3, 2019

Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová was to be the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and numbering as the 22nd of the season’s 23 radio matinees.

Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928) set his musical score for Káťa Kabanová to a Czech libretto that he co-wrote with Czech journalist and translator Vincenc Červinka (Aug. 2, 1877-Oct. 2, 1942). The libretto’s literary source was Гроза (Russian: groza, “storm, thunderstorm”), a five-act drama by 19th-century Russian realist playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (April 12, 1823-June 14, 1886). Ostrovsky’s play premiered Nov. 16, 1859, at Maly Theatre (Малый театр, “Small Theatre”), located on central Moscow’s Teatralnaya Square (Theatre Square; Russian: Театральная площадь, Teatralnaya ploshchad).

Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová premiered Nov. 23, 1921, at the National Theatre Brno (Czech: Národní divadlo Brno) in the South Moravian Region of the modern-day Czech Republic. Brno’s major theatre house now comprises three stages: Mahen Theatre (Mahenovo divadlo), Janáček Theatre (Janáčkovo divadlo) and Reduta Theatre (Divadlo Reduta). Káťa Kabanová premiered in Mahen Theatre.

Káťa Kabanová received its Metropolitan Opera premiere Feb. 25, 1991. The opera received eight performances in the 1990-1991 Met Opera season.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season offers three performances of Káťa Kabanová. The season’s first performance takes place May 2, 2020, at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) as the 22nd of 23 radio matinees. The season’s second performance is schedued for Wednesday, May 6, at 8 p.m. The opera’s closing night performance Saturday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m., also closes the 2019-2020 Met Opera season.

Update: The opera company's coronavirus-occasioned closure affected all performances of Káťa Kabanová scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. The opera was not performed in the 2019-2020 season.

The three-act opera has an estimated run time of 2 hours 11 minutes. Acts I and II run for 69 minutes. An intermission of 32 minutes follows. Act III spans 30 minutes.

Lothar Koenigs had been scheduled to conduct all three performances. The German conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 1, 2008, in the opera house’s 506th performance of Don Giovanni by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Lothar Koenigs also conducts Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Susanna Phillips had been scheduled to sing the title role as Káťa, unhappily married to Tichon Kabanová and in love with Boris, a merchant’s nephew. The American lyric soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 15, 2008, as Musetta in the opera house’s 1,201st performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Susanna Phillips performs as the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and also reprises her debut role as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème.

Daniela Mack had been scheduled to appear as Varvara, a foundling, fostered by the Kabanová family, who leaves with schoolteacher Vanya for a new life in Moscow. The Argentine mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Feb. 2, 2017, as the Kitchen Boy in the opera house’s 28th performance of Rusalka by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (Sept. 8, 1841-May 1, 1904).

Dolora Zajick had been scheduled to appear as Kabanicha, Káťa’s mother-in-law, who prevents her son from rescuing the drowning Káťa. The American mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 8, 1988, as Azucena in the opera house’s 515th performance of Il Trovatore by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). Opera News magazine’s Sept. 5, 2019, issue announced Dolora Zajick’s intention to retire after her role debut as Kabanicha in the 2019-2020 season.

Pavel Cernoch had been scheduled to appear as Boris, who is merchant Dikoi’s nephew and who loves Káťa. The Czech tenor’s appearance in Káťa Kabanová’s season premiere, Saturday, May 2, marks his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Stefan Margita had been scheduled to appear as Tichon, Káťa’s husband, who blames his mother for his wife’s suicidal drowning. The Slovak tenor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 12, 2009, as Filka Morozov/Kuzmich in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Janáček’s From the House of the Dead.

Paul Appleby had been scheduled to appear as Vanya, a schoolteacher who finds happiness with Varvara, the Kabanová family’s foster daughter. The American operatic tenor’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened May 7, 2011, as Brighella in the opera house’s 89th performance of Ariadne auf Naxos by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Sir John Tomlinson had been scheduled to appear as Dikoi, a merchant, who decides to send his nephew, Boris, away after Káťa’s public confession of her assignation with Boris. The English bass made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 8, 1999, as Moses in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Moses und Aron by Austrian composer and music theorist Arnold Schoenberg (Sept. 13, 1874-July 13, 1951).

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s presentation of Káťa Kabanová would have marked the opera house’s third revival of staging by Sir Jonathan Miller. The English opera and theatre director made his Metropolitan Opera debut with his production of Káťa Kabanová for the opera’s Metropolitan Opera premiere. The opera’s first and second revivals took place in the 1998-1999 and 2004-2005 seasons.

Sir Jonathan’s production team comprises set and costume designer Robert Israel and lighting director Gil Wechsler.

The takeaways for Káťa Kabanová as the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast are that, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Janáček’s opera would have numbered as the 22nd of 23 weekly radio broadcasts; that the opera’s end-of-season run had been scheduled to close the 2019-2020 season; and that the opera's closing night performance had been intended to mark the retirement of American mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick.

Act III's storm shelter in Sir Jonathan Miller's production of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová at the Metropolitan Opera: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook May 28, 2019

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Seeking shelter from a storm in Act III of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová does not shelter the occupants from mental upsets, such as merchant Dikoi’s thundering prediction of storms as God’s punishment and Káťa Kabanová’s explosive revelation of her affair with Boris: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook May 28, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/pcb.10161990202300533/10161990173930533/

For further information:

"Debut: Dolora Zajick." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 294140 Il Trovatore {515} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/8/1988.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=294140

“Debut: Susanna Phillips.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352749 La Bohème {1201} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/15/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352749

“Debuts: Hyesang Park, Anthony Clark Evans, Daniela Mack, Austin McCormick.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356617 New production Rusalka {28} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/02/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356617

“Debuts: John Tomlinson, Malin Fritz.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 331393 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Moses und Aron {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/08/1999.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=331393

“Debuts: Lothar Koenigs, Mark Thomsen.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352723 Don Giovanni {506} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/01/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352723

“Debuts: Paul Appleby, Noah Baetge.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353993 Ariadne auf Naxos {89} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 05/07/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353993

Ken Howard to The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Dolora Zajick has announced her retirement from the stage during the short run of KATYA KABANOVA at the end of this season. She has been a memorable singer in telecasts and HDs of AIDA, TROVATORE, and RUSALKA. Could the Met not see their way to add KATYA as an HD?” Facebook. Sept. 11, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/dolora-zajick-has-announced-her-retirement-from-the-stage-during-the-short-run-o/10162441754500533/

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Happy Birthday to Czech composer Leoš Janáček, who was born on July 3, 1854. Experience Janáček's engrossing opera Káťa Kabanová, whose domestic drama was loosely inspired by the composer's own life experience, on stage next season. Tickets on sale now: bit.ly/2XgO6IF Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera.” Facebook. July 3, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10162144909415533

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “The Met’s 2019–20 season features many of opera’s orchestral wonders . . . Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera.” Facebook. May 28, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/pcb.10161990202300533/10161990173930533/

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Káťa Kabanová.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 303530 Metropolitan Opera Premiere {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/25/1991.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=303530

Monday, April 13, 2020

Simon Boccanegra Was To Be April 18, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast

Summary: Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra was to be the April 18, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing as 20th in the season’s 23 radio matinees.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season revives Giancarlo del Monaco’s Simon Boccanegra production, which was last performed in the 2015-2016 season; sets and costumes designed by Michael Scott: Joseph Calleja @JosephCalleja.tenor, via Facebook March 22, 2016

Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra was to be the April 18, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and numbering as the 20th of 23 scheduled Saturday radio matinees during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season.

Nineteenth-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) set his musical score for Simon Boccanegra to an Italian libretto by Italian opera librettist Francesco Maria Piave (May 18, 1810-March 5, 1876). Piave based his libretto upon Simón Bocanegra, a five-act historical play published in 1843 by Spanish Romantic dramatist Antonio María de los Dolores García Gutiérrez (July 5, 1813-Aug. 6, 1884). Gutiérrez’s play concerned Simone Boccanegra (1301-March 14, 1363), the first Doge of Genoa.

Verdi’s opera about the 14th century historical figure premiered March 12, 1857, at Teatro La Fenice (The Phoenix Theatre) in northeastern Italy’s canal capital, Venice, in the Veneto region. The premiere took place in the second of three opera houses sited on rio de la Fenice in Venice’s San Marco district, or neighborhood (sestiere di San Marco).

Verdi’s publisher, Italian editor and musician Giulio Ricordi (Dec. 19, 1840-June 6, 1912), convinced him to revisit his Genoese opera and to allow Italian composer and librettist Arrigo Boito (Feb. 24, 1842-June 10, 1918) to make revisions to the libretto. Verdi’s revised Simon Boccanegra premiered March 24, 1881, at Teatro alla Scala in north central Italy’s fashionable capital, Milan, in the Lombardy region.

The Metropolitan Opera hosted the United States premiere of Simon Boccanegra on Jan. 28, 1932. The opera received seven performances in the 1931-1932 season.

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Simon Boccanegra receives five performances. The season’s first performance took place Friday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The four other performances are all offered in April. The month’s last four performances are scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee broadcast, April 18, at 12:30 p.m.; Wednesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m.; and closing night, Saturday, April 25, at 8 p.m.

Update: The opera company's coronavirus-occasioned closure affected all performances of Simon Boccanegra scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. The opera was not performed in the 2019-2020 season.

The three-act opera has an estimated run time of 3 hours 13 minutes. The prologue and Act I are estimated at 94 minutes. An intermission of 38 minutes follows. Acts II and III run for 61 minutes.

Carlo Rizzi had been scheduled to conduct all performances of Simon Boccanegra. The Italian conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 29, 1993, in the opera company’s 989th performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Carlo Rizzi also conducts Puccini’s Turandot.

Ailyn Pérez had been scheduled to appear as Amelia Grimaldi, who is actually Maria Boccanegra, Simon Boccanegra’s daughter and granddaughter of Simon’s aristocratic enemy, Jacopo Fiesco. The American operatic soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Feb. 6, 2015, as Micaëla in the opera company’s 994th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875). During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Ailyn Pérez also performs as Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème.

Joseph Calleja had been scheduled to appear as Gabriele Adorno, a Genoese nobleman who, with the blessings of Amelia/Maria’s father and grandfather, marries her and becomes Simon Boccanegra’s designated successor as Doge of Genoa. The Maltese tenor would have reprised his role debut as Adorno from the 2015-2016 season’s revival of Simon Boccanegra.

Joseph Calleja’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened Oct. 25, 2006, as the Duke of Mantua in the opera house’s 806th performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto. In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Joseph Calleja also had been scheduled as Rodolfo for the season's last three performances of Puccini’s La Bohème.

Carlos Álvarez had been scheduled to appear in the title role as Simon Boccanegra. The Spanish baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 2, 1996, as Germont in the opera company’s 805th performance of Verdi’s La Traviata. During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Carlos Álvarez also performs as Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème.

Elchin Azizov had been scheduled to appear as Paolo Albiani, Simon Boccanegra’s councilor, whose rejection by Amelia infuriates him and impels him to poison the Doge. The Azerbaijani operatic baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Jan. 29, 2015, as Ibn-Hakia in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Iolanta by Russian late-Romantic composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840-Nov. 6, 1893). In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Elchin Azizov also had been scheduled to perform as Lescaut in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.

Dmitry Belosselskiy had been scheduled to appear as Jacopo Fiesco, who learns in reconciling with dying, poisoned Simon Boccanegra that his adopted daughter, Amelia, is really his granddaughter, Maria. The Ukrainian bass made his Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 5, 2011, as Zaccaria in the opera company’s 54th performance of Verdi’s Nabucco.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s presentation of Simon Boccanegra would have marked the sixth revival of staging by Giancarlo del Monaco. The Italian stage director’s new production of Simon Boccanegra for the Metropolitan Opera debuted Jan. 19, 1995, in the opera company’s 105th performance of the opera.

The first staging’s first revival took place in the 1998-1999 season. Four subsequent revivals were launched in the 2006-2007, 2009-2010, 2010-2011 and 2015-2016 seasons.

Giancarlo del Monaco’s production team comprises set and costume designer Michael Scott and lighting designer Wayne Chouinard.

The takeaway for Simon Boccanegra as the April 18, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that Verdi’s opera about opposition and reconciliation would have aired as the 20th of 23 Saturday matinees broadcast weekly through Saturday, May 9, 2020.

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja reprises his 2015-2016 season role debut as Verdi’s Gabriele Adorno: Joseph Calleja @JosephCalleja.tenor, via Facebook April 1, 2016

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja reprises his 2015-2016 season role debut as Verdi’s Gabriele Adorno: Joseph Calleja @JosephCalleja.tenor, via Facebook April 1, 2016, @ https://www.facebook.com/JosephCalleja.tenor/photos/a.398691393479604/1305578702790864/

For further information:

“Debut: Carlo Rizzi.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 314310 > La Bohème {989} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/29/1993.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=314310

“Debut: Dmitry Belosselskiy.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354136 Nabucco {54} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/05/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354136

“Debuts: Ailyn Pérez, Gábor Bretz.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355797 Carmen {994} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/06/2015.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355797

“Debuts: Ekaterina Siurina, Joseph Calleja, Friedrich Haider.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351611 Rigoletto {806} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/25/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351611

“Debuts: Ilya Bannik . . . Eichin [sic] Azizov.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355785 Metropolitan Opera Premiere (Iolanta) New Production (Bluebeard’s Castle) Iolanta {1} Bluebeard’s Castle {25} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/29/2015.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355785

“Debuts: Victoria Loukianetz, Carlos Alvarez, Vaclovas Daunoras .” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 326020 La Traviata {805} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/2/1996.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=326020

Gutiérrez, Antonio García. Simón Bocanegra: Drama en cuatro actos, precedido de un prólogo. Madrid, Spain: Imprenta de Yenes, 1843.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/simnbocanegradr00goog/

Joseph Calleja @JosephCalleja.tenor. “First stage orchestra of Simon Boccanegra The Metropolitan Opera this is a spectacular production -- run to the box office...” Facebook. March 25, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1296753823673352

Joseph Calleja @JosephCalleja.tenor. “Last time I'm in this armour! The Metropolitan Opera #simonboccanegra.” Facebook. April 16, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/JosephCalleja.tenor/photos/a.333138150034929/1318014078213993/

Joseph Calleja @JosephCalleja.tenor. “My office for today... #boccanegramet #delmonacoproduction.” Facebook. March 22, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/JosephCalleja.tenor/photos/a.333138150034929/1292995170715884/

Joseph Calleja @JosephCalleja.tenor. “Updated their cover photo. (Photo: Ken Howard / The Metropolitan Opera).” Facebook. April 1, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/JosephCalleja.tenor/photos/a.398691393479604/1305578702790864/

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “A scene from "Orfeo ed Euridice. http://www.metoperafamily.org/metop…/season/production.aspx… Photo: Marty Sohl/Met Opera.” Facebook. Dec. 18, 2008.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.63777700532/104674870532/

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Ferruccio Furlanetto and Joseph Calleja in a scene from Simon Boccanegra, opening April 1. bit.ly/1VVpvQB.” Facebook. April 1, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10156852113780533/10156852116520533/

“New Production: Simon Boccanegra.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351862 New Production Simon Boccanegra {105} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/19/1995.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351862

“United States Premiere: Simon Boccanegra.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 110120 United States Premiere Simon Boccanegra {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/28/1932.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=110120helcatj. "The Metropolitan Opera Company 2019-2020 Season." Showcase Opera and Events blog. Aug. 13, 2019.
Available @ https://showcaseoperaandeventsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/13/the-metropolitan-opera-company-2019-2020-season/

Monday, March 30, 2020

Orfeo ed Euridice Was To Be April 4, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast

Summary: Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice was to be the April 4, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as 18th in the season’s 23 radio matinees.

American choreographer, dancer and director Mark Morris produced and choreographed the 2006-2007 Met Opera season’s new staging of Christoph von Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 18, 2008

Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice was to be the April 4, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and numbering as the 18th of 23 scheduled Saturday radio matinees during the 2019-2020 Met Opera season.

German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787) set his musical score for Orfeo ed Euridice to an Italian libretto by Italian librettist and poet Ranieri de’ Calzabigi (Dec. 23, 1714-July 1795). The libretto considered the ancient Greek myth of the fateful love of Orpheus the Thracian musician for his wife, Eurydice the oak nymph.

Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice premiered Oct. 5, 1762, at eastern Austria’s Burgtheater in Vienna. The opera’s premiere took place in the theater’s first building, which adjoined the Hofburg, the Habsburg dynasty’s imperial palace, at Michaelerplatz. The theater’s founder, Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa (May 13, 1717-Nov. 29, 1780), attended the premiere.

Orfeo ed Euridice received its Metropolitan Opera premiere April 11, 1885. The premiere, which was sung in German, was the season’s only performance. MetOpera Database, the Metropolitan Opera’s online archives, lists the libretto’s translator as unknown. The premiere, which was staged during the opera company’s 1884-1885 tour, took place at Boston Theatre, 361 Washington Street, in Boston, northeastern Massachusetts.

In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Orfeo ed Euridice received seven performances. The season’s first performance took place Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The month’s two additional performances happened Thursday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m.

The season’s last four performances were offered in November. The month’s performances were scheduled according to Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). November’s performances took place Friday, Nov. 1, at 8 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m.; and closing night, Sunday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m.

Update: The opera company's coronavirus-occasioned closure only affected the Saturday matinee broadcast of Orfeo ed Euridice scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. The opera's four autumn and four winter performances had already taken place.

Mark Wigglesworth conducts all performances of Orfeo ed Euridice. The English conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 2, 2005, in the opera house’s 419th performance of Le Nozze di Figaro by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Hei-Kyung Hong appears in the title role of Euridice, brought back to life twice by Orfeo’s love. The South Korean-American lyric soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 17, 1984, as Servilia in the opera house’s eighth performance of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito. In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Hei-Kyung Hong also performs as Mimì in La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Hera Hyesang Park appears as Amore, the cupid who twice reunites Orfeo and Euridice. The South Korean lyric coloratura soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Feb. 2, 2017, as the First Wood Sprite in the opera house's 28th performance of Rusalka by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (Sept. 8, 1841-May 1, 1904).

Jamie Barton appears in the title trouser role as Orfeo, whose fateful backward glance at Euridice is cancelled by cupid Amore. The American mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Sept. 23, 2009, as the second of three ladies in the opera house’s 393rd performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Jamie Barton also performs as Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda by 19th century Italian bel canto opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s presentation of Orfeo ed Euridice marks the third revival of staging by Mark Morris. The American choreographer, dancer and director’s staging debuted May 2, 2007, as a new Met Opera production in the opera house’s 83rd performance of Gluck’s operatic Underworld journey. The first and second revivals were staged during the 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 seasons, respectively.

Mark Morris’ production team comprises Allen Moyer, set designer; Isaac Mizrahi, costume designer; and James F. Ingalls, lighting designer. Mark Morris is the production’s choreographer.

The takeaway for Orfeo ed Euridice as the April 4, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that Christoph von Gluck’s opera about the triumph of love over death would have aired as the 18th of 23 Saturday matinees broadcast weekly through Saturday, May 9, 2020.

Mark Morris’ production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice features the director’s choreography, set designs by Allen Moyer, costume designs by Isaac Mizrahi and lighting designs by James F. Ingalls: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Dec. 18, 2008

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

“Debut: J. David Jackson.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352325 Hänsel und Gretel {248} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/31/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352325

“Debuts: Hei-Kyung Hong, Nancy Ticotin.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 278610 La Clemenza di Tito {8} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 11/17/1984.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=278610

“Debuts: Mark Wigglesworth, Maurizio Muraro, Joyce DiDonato . . .” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351338 Le Nozze di Figaro {419} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/02/2005.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351338

Marriner, Derdriu. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Eighth Week Has Glass, Gluck, Mozart, Puccini.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/11/2019-2020-met-opera-seasons-eighth-week.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Fifth Week Has Gluck, Massenet and Puccini.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 4, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/11/2019-2020-met-opera-seasons-eighth-week.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Ninth Week Has Glass, Mozart and Puccini.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 11, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/11/2019-2020-met-opera-seasons-ninth-week.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Seventh Week Has Glass and Puccini.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 28, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/10/2019-2020-met-opera-seasons-seventh.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2019-2020 Met Opera Season’s Sixth Week Offers Gluck and Puccini.” Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 21, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/10/2019-2020-met-opera-seasons-sixth-week.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “A scene from "Orfeo ed Euridice. http://www.metoperafamily.org/metop…/season/production.aspx… Photo: Marty Sohl/ Met Opera.” Facebook. Dec. 18, 2008.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.63777700532/104674870532/

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “A scene from "Orfeo ed Euridice. http://www.metoperafamily.org/metop…/season/production.aspx… Photo: Marty Sohl/ Met Opera.” Facebook. Dec. 18, 2008.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.63777700532/104674865532/

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Orfeo ed Euridice.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 3930 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Orfeo ed Euridice {1} Boston Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts: 04/11/1885.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=3930

“New Production: Orfeo ed Euridice.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352019 New Production Orfeo ed Euridice {83} Metropolitan Opera House: 05/02/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352019

Tompkins, Eugene; and Quincy Kilby, comp. The History of the Boston Theatre 1854-1901. Boston MA; New York NY: Houghton Mifflin Company; Cambridge MA: Riverside Press, 1908.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyofbostont01tomp/