Blanchard's Champion Is May 27, 2023, Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcast

Summary: Blanchard's Champion is the May 27, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing as 22nd of the 2022-2023 season's 24 Saturday radio broadcasts.

"Breaking Glass Ceilings," portrait of choreographer Camille A. Brown dancing in Lincoln Center Plaza's Revson Fountain against backdrop of the Metropolitan Opera House's lobby chandeliers, by Durham, North Carolina-based artist Jim Keon, has moved from Durham's 5 Points Gallery to Lincoln Square for inclusion in the Metropolitan Opera's permanent art collection: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter Sep. 10, 2022

Blanchard's Champion is the May 27, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time, as the 22nd of the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

American jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) set his musical score for Champion to an English-language libretto by American actor, filmmaker and playwright Michael Cristofer (born Jan. 22, 1945). The opera originally was commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) and co-commissioned by Jazz St. Louis.

Champion premiered Saturday, June 15, 2013, at Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, official home for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The facility is located on the campus of Webster University in Webster Groves, a southwestern suburb of St. Louis, St. Louis County, east central Missouri.

Champion, which numbers as Blanchard's first opera, premiered in the 2022-2023 season at the Metropolitan Opera as the second Blanchard premiere in the opera company's repertoire. Blanchard's second opera, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, was staged in the 2021-2022 season as the first Blanchard premiere in the Metropolitan Opera's repertoire.

In its premiere season at Met Opera, Champion received nine performances. The Metropolitan Opera premiere of Champion took place Monday, April 10, 2023, at 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The second through ninth, closing performances took place Friday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 22, at 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee, April 29, at 1:00 p.m.; Thursday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, May 13, at 8:00 p.m.

The 2022-2023 season's Saturday matinee radio broadcast for May 27 airs the season's sixth performance, which took place Saturday, April 29, at 1:00 p.m.

(left to right) Champion composer Terence Blanchard and Champion conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Metropolitan Opera rehearsal room; photo by Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter April 5, 2023

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducted the first through eighth performances. Met Opera's third music director had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, in the opera company's 946th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin shared the conductorship with Kensho Watanabe, who conducted the ninth, closing performance. The Japanese-American conductor and violinist had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, in the opera company's eighth performance of The Hours by American composer Kevin Matthew Puts (born Jan. 3, 1972).

Ryan Speedo Green appeared in all performances as Young Emile Griffith, whose actions in the past haunt his old, retired self in the present. The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, as a Mandarin in the opera company’s 287th performance of Turandot by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Eric Owens apeared in all performances as Emile Griffith in the present, who suffers from "boxer's brain," trauma-associated dementia, and who seeks healing from such distressing memories as his ferocious pummeling of his boxing opponent, Benny "Kid" Paret, into a coma as an extremely rageous reaction to his homophobic taunts. The American operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, as General Groves in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Doctor Atomic by contemporary American composer John Coolidge Adams (born Feb. 15, 1947).

Latonia Moore appeared in all performances as Emelda Griffith, Emile's estranged mother, whose employment hopes for her son with hat manufacturer Howie Albert occasion Emile's boxing career, with Howie as trainer. The American soprano had made her Met Opera debut Saturday, March 3, 2012, in the title role in the opera company's 1,122nd performance of Aida by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Stephanie Blythe appeared in the first through seventh and ninth, closing performances as Kathy Hagen, a gay bar owner who becomes Emile's confidant. The American mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, April 14, 1995, as the Voice in the opera company’s 273rd performance of Parsifal by 19th-century German composer and librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Stephanie Blythe shared the role with Meredith Arwady, who sang Kathy Hagen in the eighth performance. The American contralto had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, as Pasqualita in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Adams's Doctor Atomic.

Paul Groves appeared in all performances as Howie Albert, hat manufacturer-turned-trainer, who promotes Emile's career but discourages Emile's concerns about Kid Paret's homophobic taunts. The American operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 9, 1992, as the Steersman in the opera house's 127th performance of Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer.

Eric Greene appeared in all performances as Benny "Kid" Paret, whose homophobic taunts register rage in Emile and from whose son, Benny Jr., Emile seeks forgiveness. The American baritone made his Met Opera debut in Champion's opening performance Monday, April 10.

James Robinson directed the new production of Champion for its Metropolitan Opera premiere. The American stage director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Sep. 23, 2019, along with his new Porgy and Bess production, in the opera company's 55th performance of the Catfish Row-set folk opera by American composer and pianist George Gershwin (Sep. 26, 1898-July 11, 1937).

James Robinson's production team for Champion comprised Allen Moyer, set designer; Montana Levi Blanco, costume designer; Donald Holder, lighting designer; Greg Emetaz, projection designer; and Camille A. Brown, choreographer. American designer Allen Moyer's Met Opera debut had occurred Wednesday, May 2, 2007, in the opera company's 83rd performance of Orfeo ed Euridice by German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787). American designer Montana Levi Blanco had made his Met Opera debut in Champion's Metropolitan Opera premiere Monday, April 10, 2023. American designer Donald Holder had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Oct. 8, 2004, in the opera company's 343rd performance of The Magic Flute / Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). American designer Greg Emetaz made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Sep. 27, 2021, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Blanchard's Fire Shut Up In My Bones. American choreographer Camille A. Brown had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Sep. 23, 2019, along with director James Robinson and his new production, in the opera company's 55th performance of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of Saturday matinee broadcasts continues with the June 3, 2023, airing of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, at 1:00 p.m. The matinee performance numbers as the 23rd of the season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Banners for Terence Blanchard's Champion by Chase Hall (born 1993; St. Paul, Minnesota) and Richard Wagner's Lohengrin by Sanya Kantarovsky (born 1982; Moscow, Russia) adorn north and south arches, respectively, of the Metropolitan Opera House's east facade: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter March 29, 2023

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:

"Breaking Glass Ceilings," portrait of choreographer Camille A. Brown dancing in Lincoln Center Plaza's Revson Fountain against backdrop of the Metropolitan Opera House's lobby chandeliers, by Durham, North Carolina-based artist Jim Keon, has moved from Durham's 5 Points Gallery to Lincoln Square for inclusion in the Metropolitan Opera's permanent art collection: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter Sep. 10, 2022, @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1568673951274106880

(left to right) Champion composer Terence Blanchard and Champion conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Metropolitan Opera rehearsal room; photo by Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter April 5, 2023, @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1643727463241994241

Banners for Terence Blanchard's Champion by New York- and Los Angeles-based Chase Hall (born 1993; St. Paul, Minnesota) and Richard Wagner's Lohengrin by New York-based Sanya Kantarovsky (born 1982; Moscow, Russia) adorn north and south arches, respectively, of the Metropolitan Opera House's east facade: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter March 29, 2023, @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1641190770207014914

For further information:

“Debut: Latonia Moore.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354395 Aida {1122} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/03/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354395

"Debut: Paul Groves." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 307060 Der Fliegende Holländer {127} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/9/1992.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=307060

“Debuts: Alan Gilbert, Thomas Glenn, Eric Owens, Roger Honeywell, Meredith Arwady, Penny Woolcock, Brian MacDevitt, Andrew Dawson, Mark Grey.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352614 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Doctor Atomic {1} Broadcast ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 10/13/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352614

"Debuts: Eric Greene, Edward Nelson, Lee Wilkof, Montana Levi Blanco." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357864 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Champion {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/10/2023, Broadcast. (Debuts: Eric Greene, Edward Nelson, Lee Wilkof, Montana Levi Blanco Broadcast). Metropolitan Opera House April 10, 2023 Gala Metropolitan Opera Premiere.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357864

"Debuts: James Robinson, Camille A. Brown, Frederick Ballentine, Chauncey Packer, Reginald Smith, Jr., Jamez McCorkle, Grant Neale, Bobby Mittelstadt, Damien Geter, Chanáe Curtis, David Leong, Arthur Woodley, Michael Lewis, Neo Randall, Jonathan Tuzo." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357253 New Production Porgy and Bess {55} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/23/2019.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357253

"Debuts: Kensho Watanabe." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357778 The Hours {8} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/15/2022. (Debuts: Kensho Watanabe). Metropolitan Opera House. December 15, 2022.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357778

"Debuts: L'ubica Vargicová, Volker Vogel, Kwangchul Youn, Anna Christy, Aiden Bowman, Jason Goldberg, Lev Pakman, Julia Welsh, Julie Taymor, Donald Holder, Michael Curry, Mark Dendy." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351036 New Production Die Zauberflöte {343} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/08/2004. (Debuts: L'ubica Vargicová, Volker Vogel, Kwangchul Youn, Anna Christy, Aiden Bowman, Jason Goldberg, Lev Pakman, Julia Welsh, Julie Taymor, Donald Holder, Michael Curry, Mark Dendy Review). Metropolitan Opera House October 8, 2004 New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351036

“Debuts: Ryan Speedo Green, Oriada Islami Prifti.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354549 Turandot {287} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/26/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354549

“Debuts: Stephanie Blythe, Anthony Dean Griffey.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 320010 Parsifal {273} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/14/1995.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=320010

"Debuts: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Richard Eyre, Rob Howell, Irene Bohan, Elizabeth Caballero, Maria Kowroski, Martin Harvey." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353274 New Production Carmen {946} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2009. Sirius and XM Metropolitan Opera Broadcast New Year's Eve Gala.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355517

Marriner, Derdriu. "Fire Shut Up In My Bones Is Jan. 8, 2022, Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, January 3, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/01/fire-shut-up-in-my-bones-is-jan-8-2022.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2022-2023 Season Has 24 Saturday Matinee Opera Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/met-operas-2022-2023-season-has-24.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Three of Seven 2022-2023 Met Opera Season New Productions Are Premieres." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/three-of-seven-2022-2023-met-opera.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "As part of our Gallery Met initiative, led by Dodie Kazanjian, the Met commissioned artist Chase Hall to create a new work for the eagerly anticipated company premiere of @T_Blanchard and librettist Michael Cristofer’s Champion. Champion opens April 10: http://bit.ly/3Hph3pz." Twitter. March 29, 2023.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1641190770207014914

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "We recently received a portrait of director and choreographer @CamilleABrown by artist Jim McKeon. Brown choreographed Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and will choreograph the Met premiere of Blanchard’s Champion in our upcoming season. Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera." Twitter. Sep. 10, 2022.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1568673951274106880

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “When we’re dealing with older Emile, there’s more of an ethereal sound . . . with young Emile . . . it’s more like present day . . . with the kid . . . there’s a more childlike quality.” -- @T_Blanchard on his score for Champion." Twitter. April 5, 2023.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1643727463241994241

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Champion." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357864 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Champion {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/10/2023, Broadcast. (Debuts: Eric Greene, Edward Nelson, Lee Wilkof, Montana Levi Blanco Broadcast). Metropolitan Opera House April 10, 2023 Gala Metropolitan Opera Premiere.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357864

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Fire Shut Up In My Bones." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357471 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Fire Shut Up In My Bones {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/27/2021, Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park. (Opening Night {136} Peter Gelb General Manager Debuts: Walter Russell III, Terrence Chin-Loy, Briana Hunter, Cierra Byrd, Chris Kenney, Calvin Griffin, Greg Emetaz, Brittany Renee Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park). Metropolitan Opera House. September 27, 2021 Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park. Opening Night (136) Peter Gelb General Manager. Metropolitan Opera Premiere.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357471

Puccini's Tosca Is April 8, 2023, Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcast

Summary: Puccini's Tosca is the April 8, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing as the 15th of the 2022-2023 season's 24 Saturday radio broadcasts.

Angela Gheorghiu sings Tosca in 2022-2023 season's Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8 (fourth spring performance; 13th of season's 15 performances), and Wednesday, April 12 (fifth spring performance; 14th of season's 15 performances): Angela Gheorghiu @angelagheorghiu, via Twitter March 20, 2023

Puccini's Tosca is the April 8, 2023, Saturday matinee radio broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time, as the 15th of the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Nineteenth-century Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) set his musical score for Tosca to an Italian libretto co-written by his La Bohème (1896) librettists, Italian librettist and playwright Giuseppe Giacosa (Oct. 21, 1847-Sep. 1, 1906) and Italian librettist Luigi Illica (May 9, 1857-Dec. 16, 1919). Giacosa and Illica sourced their libretto from a five-act drama, La Tosca, by 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou (Sep. 5, 1831-Nov. 8, 1908). Sardou specifically wrote the historical drama for French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt (Oct. 22/23?, 1844-March 26, 1923).

Puccini’s Tosca premiered Sunday, Jan. 14, 1900, at Teatro Costanzi in Rome, Italy. Tosca was the only Puccini opera with a Roman premiere. Now known as Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and simplified as Teatro dell'Opera, the opera house is located on Piazza Beniamino Gigli in central Rome.

The United States premiere of Tosca took place Monday, Feb. 4, 1901, at the Metropolitan Opera House, located at 1411 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan's Garment District. The opera company offered seven performances of Tosca in the 1900-1901 season.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season presents Tosca as the third revival of the new production debuted by Scottish opera and theatre director Sir David McVicar in the 2017-2018 season. The first revival took place in the 2018-2019 season. The second revival, originally scheduled for the 2019-2020 season but cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic, was held in the 2021-2022 season. Sir David had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, in the opera company's 600th performance of Il Trovatore by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

The third revival of McVicar's Tosca production receives 15 performances, divided between two seasonal casts, in the 2022-2023 season. Opening night Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ushered the season's nine autumn performances of Tosca. The second through ninth performances took place Saturday, Oct. 8, at 1:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 15, at 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 8:00 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31, at 8:00 p.m.; and Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m.

Six spring dates begin Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. The season's last five performances of Tosca are scheduled for Sunday matinee, April 2, at 3:00 p.m.; Wednesday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8, at 1:00 p.m.; Wednesday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m.; and closing, Saturday, April 15, at 8:00 p.m.

Domingo Hindoyan conducts all six spring performances, including the Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8. The Venezuelan-Swiss conductor had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in the opera company's 293rd performance of L'Elisir d'Amore by Italian composer Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Angela Gheorghiu appears in the Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8, and in the fifth spring performance, Wednesday, April 12, as impassioned Floria Tosca. The Romanian soprano had made her Met Opera debut Saturday, Dec. 4, 1993, as Mimì in the opera company's 999th performance of Puccini's La Bohème.

Angela Gheorghiu first added the role to her Met Opera portfolio in the 2015-2016 season's fifth revival of the new Tosca production debuted by Swiss theatre and film director Luc Bondy (July 17, 1948-Nov. 28, 2015) in the 2009-2010 Met Opera season. Swiss theatre and film director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Sep. 21, 2009, in his new Tosca production during the opera company's 892nd performance of Puccini's Rome-set opera.

Angela Gheorghiu shares spring's Tosca with Liudmyla Monastyrska, who sings the title role in the first three and closing, sixth 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.

Liudmyla Monastyrska's spring Tosca adds a second season in the role to her Met Opera portfolio. Her Met Opera role debut as Tosca had occurred in the 2015-2016 season's fifth revival of the 2009-2010 season's new Tosca production by Luc Bondy.

Matthew Polenzani appears in all six spring performances, including the Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8, as Cavaradossi, whose life Tosca naively assumes has been spared and whose murder she avenges. The American lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 19, 1997, as Khrushchov in the opera company’s 251st performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Željko Lučić appears in all six performances as Scarpia, whose broken promise to spare Cavaradossi's life triggers his fatal stabbing by Tosca. The Serbian operatic baritone had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Sep. 26, 2006, as Barnaba in the opera company’s 275th performance of La Gioconda by 19th-century Italian opera composer Amilcare Ponchielli (Aug. 31, 1834-Jan. 16, 1886).

Željko Lučić's appearances in the third revival mark his fifth season as Scarpia. He first added the role to his Met Opera portfolio in the 2015-2016 season's fifth revival of the new Tosca production Luc Bondy had debuted in the 2009-2010 Met Opera season.

Željko Lučić revisited Scarpia in the debut of Sir David's new Tosca production in the 2017-2018 season. His first reprisal of McVicar's Scarpia had occurred, with one performance, in the production's first revival in the 2018-2019 season. His second reprisal of McVicar's Scarpia, which took place in the production's second revival in the 2021-2022 season, marked his fourth season in the role at the Metropolitan Opera.

Patrick Carfizzi appears in all 15 (nine autumn, six spring) performances, including the Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8, as the Sacristan. His appearances in the third revival mark his third reprisal of the role that he had added to his Met Opera portfolio in the new production's debut season, 2017-2018. His first and second reprisals aligned with the production's first and second revivals. The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Christmas Eve, Friday, Dec. 24, 1999, as Count Ceprano in the opera company’s 736th performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto.

David McVicar's Tosca production team comprises John Macfarlane, scenic and costume designer; David Finn, lighting designer; and Leah Hausman, movement director. Scottish designer John Macfarlane had made his Met Opera debut Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24, 2007, in the opera company's 240th performance of Hänsel und Gretel by German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (Sep. 1, 1854-Sep. 27, 1921). American lighting designer David Finn had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, in the opera company's 289th performance of Parsifal by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883). American choreographer Leah Hausman had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, alongside Sir David, in the opera company's 600th performance of Verdi's Il Trovatore.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of Saturday matinee broadcasts continues with the April 15, 2023, airing of Puccini's Tosca at noon, 12:00 p.m. The matinee performance numbers as the 16th of the season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Domingo Hindoyan conducts the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's spring performances of Puccini's Tosca as the second opera in his Met Opera portfolio; his wife, Sonya Yoncheva, sang her ninth Met Opera role in Giordano's Fedora, which opened as a new production for the 2022-2023 season's New Year's Eve gala, and her 10th Met Opera role in spring performances of Bellini's Norma: Domingo Hindoyan, via Facebook Jan. 6, 2023

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:

Angela Gheorghiu sings Tosca in 2022-2023 season's Saturday matinee radio broadcast, April 8 (fourth spring performance; 13th of season's 15 performances), and Wednesday, April 12 (fifth spring performance; 14th of season's 15 performances): Angela Gheorghiu @angelagheorghiu, via Twitter March 20, 2023, @ https://twitter.com/angelagheorghiu/status/1637835799163985926

Domingo Hindoyan conducts the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's spring performances of Puccini's Tosca as the second opera in his Met Opera portfolio; his wife, Sonya Yoncheva, sang her ninth Met Opera role in Giordano's Fedora, which opened as a new production for the 2022-2023 season's New Year's Eve gala, and her 10th Met Opera role in spring performances of Bellini's Norma: Domingo Hindoyan, via Facebook Jan. 6, 2023, @ https://www.facebook.com/domingo.hindoyan/posts/pfbid02kH6dXTzPcXE7z8AsVQNZEQBvJ49LafStNTGQ5PgUcNybsxVCphKn4MV9xCot4Xagl

For further information:

Angela Gheorghiu @angelagheorghiu. "Looking forward to returning at the @MetOpera for two performances of Puccini’s Tosca on April 8 and April 12. Save the dates!" Twitter. March 20, 2023.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/angelagheorghiu/status/1637835799163985926br />

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Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=314670

“Debuts: Christopher Wheeldon, Holly Hynes, Zeljko Lucic, Ricardo Lugo, Letizia Giuliani, Angel Corella, Christian Jeong.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351556 La Gioconda {275} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/26/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351556

“Debuts: Constantin Pluzhnikov, Olga Borodina, Iosef Shalamayev, Nikolai Gassiev, Daniel Sumegi, Matthew Polenzani.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330264 Boris Godunov {251} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/19/1997.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330264

"Debuts: David McVicar, Charles Edwards, Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leah Hausman." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353605 New Production Il Trovatore {600} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/16/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353605

“Debuts: Domingo Hindoyan, Davide Luciano.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356855 L’Elisir d’Amore {290} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/16/2018.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356855

"Debuts: François Girard, Thibault Vancraenenbroeck, David Finn, Peter Flaherty, Serge Lamothe, Lauren McNeese, Jennifer Forni, Heather Johnson, Mario Chang, Rúni Brattaberg, Kiera Duffy." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354861 New Production Parsifal {289} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/15/2013.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354861

"Debuts: Liudmyla Monastyrska, Miklós Sebestyén." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354672 Aida {1123} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/23/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354672

"Debuts: Luc Bondy, Richard Peduzzi, Jonathan A. Makepeace." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353073 New Production Tosca {892} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/21/2009, Sirius and XM Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org. Simulcast on screens at Lincoln Center Plaza and Times Square. (Opening Night {125} Debuts: Luc Bondy, Richard Peduzzi, Jonathan A. Makepeace Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Plazacast). Metropolitan Opera House. September 21, 2009. Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Plazacast. Opening Night {125} Peter Gelb, General Manager. New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353073

“Debuts: Patrick Carfizzi, Gloria Watson, Vladimir Jurowski.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 332264 Rigoletto {736} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/24/1999.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=332264

"Debuts: Richard Jones, John Macfarlane." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352268 New Production Hänsel und Gretel {240} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 12/24/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352268

Domingo Hindoyan. "Feliz año 2023 para todos!" Facebook Jan. 6, 2023.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/domingo.hindoyan/posts/pfbid02kH6dXTzPcXE7z8AsVQNZEQBvJ49LafStNTGQ5PgUcNybsxVCphKn4MV9xCot4Xagl

Marriner, Derdriu. "2018-2019 Met Opera Season Premiere of Tosca Is Thursday, Oct. 25." Earth and Space News. Monday, October 15, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/10/2018-2019-met-opera-season-premiere-of.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Music Director Emeritus James Levine Adds Tosca to 2017-2018 Roster." Earth and Space News. Monday, September 4, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/09/music-director-emeritus-james-levine.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tosca Is Jan. 27, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, January 22, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/01/tosca-is-jan-27-2018-met-opera-saturday.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tosca Is Met Opera's Dec. 11, 2021, Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, December 6, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/12/tosca-is-met-operas-dec-11-2021.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tosca Is the April 6, 2019, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 1, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/04/tosca-is-april-6-2019-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tosca Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Sixth Met Opera Production." Earth and Space News. Monday, July 27, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/07/tosca-was-franco-zeffirellis-sixth-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. "Tosca's Last Two Acts Jan. 12, 1910, Aired as First Met Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, October 4, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/10/toscas-last-two-acts-jan-12-1910-aired.html

"New Production: Tosca." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353073 New Production Tosca {892} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/21/2009, Sirius and XM Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org. Simulcast on screens at Lincoln Center Plaza and Times Square. (Opening Night {125} Debuts: Luc Bondy, Richard Peduzzi, Jonathan A. Makepeace Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Plazacast). Metropolitan Opera House. September 21, 2009. Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Plazacast. Opening Night {125} Peter Gelb, General Manager. New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353073

“New Production: Tosca.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356838 New production Tosca {951} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356838

“United States Premiere: Tosca.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 25960 United States Premiere Tosca {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/4/1901.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=25960

Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore is Jan. 21, 2023, Saturday Radio Broadcast

Summary: Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore is the Jan. 21, 2023, Saturday radio broadcast, airing as sixth of the 2022-2023 season's 24 Saturday radio broadcasts.

Ambrogio Maestri as Met Opera's quacky "Doctor" Dulcamara, who finds success as potion-selling "physician" after his fake love potion enheartens a love-addled villager to succeed in wooing a seemingly inaccessible landowner; set by Michael Yeargan, by costumes by Catherine Zuber: The Girl of the Golden Met, via Facebook Dec. 26, 2022

Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore is the Jan. 21, 2023, Saturday radio broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time as the sixth of the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

In L'Elisir d'Amore by Italian composer Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848), a fake love portion quacked by a medicinal charlatan serves as a romantic talisman in the seemingly hopeless quest of a gullible, hapless villager for the love of a lovely landowner. Italian poet Felice Romani (Jan. 31, 1788-Jan. 28, 1865) based his Italian libretto upon a French libretto that French dramatist and librettist Augustin Eugène Scribe (Dec. 24, 1791-Feb. 20, 1861) had created for Le Philtre (“The Potion”), a two-act opera by French composer Daniel Auber François Esprit Auber (Jan. 29, 1782-May 12, 1871). Le Philtre premiered June 15, 1831, at Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin, located at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris (10e, or Xe, arrondissement de Paris) on the Seine's right bank (rive droite de la Seine). Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin was built as the third opera house for L’Académie Royale de Musique, now known as Opéra National de Paris' National Opera of Paris.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's performances of L'Elisir d'Amore mark the opera company's fourth revival of the new production that Bartlett Sher debuted in the 2012-2013 season. The American theater director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, with the debut of his Rigoletto production, in the opera company's 842nd performance of Rigoletto by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

L'Elisir d'Amore receives 12 performances in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season. The Sher production's fourth revival opened Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The month's five additional performances are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 13, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee broadcast, Saturday, Jan. 21, at 1:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 8:00 p.m.; and Friday, Jan. 27, at 8:00 p.m.

Six performances are scheduled in spring. The season's last six performances of L'Elisir d'Amore will take place Thursday, April 13, at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, April 16, at 3:00 p.m.; Wednesday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 22, at 1:00 p.m.; Wednesday, April 26, at 8:00 p.m.; and closing night, Saturday, April 29, at 8:00 p.m.

The 2022-2023 season's 12 performances of L'Elisir d'Amore are divided among two casts. The winter cast appears in the opera's Saturday matinee broadcast, Jan. 21.

Michele Gamba conducts all 12 performances of L'Elisir d'Amore. The Italian conductor and répétiteur made his Met Opera debut in the fourth revival's opening night, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.

Golda Schultz appears in all six winter performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, as high-spirited Adina, whose indifference to Nemorino transforms into love. The South African soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Sep. 27, 2017, as Pamina in the opera company’s 433rd performance of Die Zauberflöte by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Javier Camarena appears in all six winter performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, as love-addled Nemorino, whose seemingly impossible prospects for requited love improve impressively, thanks to belief in a fake love potion and an uplift in his socioeconomic status. The Mexican operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, as Count Almaviva in the opera house’s 587th performance of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by 19th-century Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

Davide Luciano appears in the first four (including the Saturday matinee broadcast) and sixth winter performances as Sergeant Belcore, who philosphically accepts Adina's cancellation of their wedding in favor of her new-found love for Nemorino. Davide Luciano's portrayal marks his first reprisal of his Met Opera debut role in the opera's third revival. The Italian baritone had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, as Belcore in the opera company's 293rd performance of L'Elisir d'Amore.

Davide Luciano shares the winter role with Michael Sumuel, who sings Belcore in the last of the opera's six winter performances. The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, as the King in the opera company's ninth performance of Cendrillon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912).

Ambrogio Maestri appears in all six winter performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, as "Doctor" Dulcamara, whose socioeconomic status is boosted, from quack medicine hawker to esteemed doctor of best-selling potions by Nemorino's fake love potion-induced, successful wooing of seemingly unattainable Adina. Ambrogio Maestri's Dulcamara marks his first reprisal of the role that he had added to his Met Opera portfolio in the 2012-2013 debut of Bartlett Sher's new production. The Italian operatic baritone had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 15, 2004, as Amonasro in the opera company’s 1,074th performance of Verdi’s Aida.

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of Saturday matinee broadcasts continues with the Jan. 28, 2023, airing of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites. The quasi-historical, French Revolution-based opera is scheduled as the seventh of the season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Met Opera's winter cast for Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore features Golda Schultz as seemingly Nemorino-impervious Adina (upper left), Javier Camarena as lovelorn Nemorino (upper right), Ambrogio Maestri as "Doctor" Dulcamara (lower left) and Davide Luciano as philosophical groom-not-to-be Sergeant Belcore (lower right): Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter Jan. 10, 2023

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:

Ambrogio Maestri as Met Opera's quacky "Doctor" Dulcamara, who finds success as potion-selling "physician" after his fake love potion enheartens a love-addled villager to succeed in wooing a seemingly inaccessible landowner; set by Michael Yeargan, by costumes by Catherine Zuber: The Girl of the Golden Met, via Facebook Dec. 26, 2022, @ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=121971837418037&set=ecnf.100045194088981

Met Opera's winter cast for Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore features Golda Schultz as seemingly Nemorino-impervious Adina (upper left), Javier Camarena as lovelorn Nemorino (upper right), Ambrogio Maestri as "Doctor" Dulcamara (lower left) and Davide Luciano as philosophical groom-not-to-be Sergeant Belcore (lower right): Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter Jan. 10, 2023, @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1612838274824867841

For further information:

“Debut: Javier Camarena.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354056 Il Barbiere di Siviglia {587} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/01/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354056

“Debuts: Ambrogio Maestri, Armando Braswell.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351078 Aida {1074} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/15/2004.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351078

“Debuts: Domingo Hindoyan, Davide Luciano.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356855 L’Elisir d’Amore {293} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/16/2018.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356855

“Debuts: Golda Schultz, Lucas Mann.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356741 Die Zauberflöte {433} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/27/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356741

"Debuts: Matthew Anchel, Jonah Hoskins, Michael Sumuel." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357532 Cendrillon {9} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/17/2021. (Debuts: Matthew Anchel, Jonah Hoskins, Michael Sumuel Broadcast/Streamed). December 17, 2021. Abridged version in English.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357532

The Girl of the Golden Met. "My new post is out! The Met's Winter Operafest: January 2023 A pioneer of 'realism'. A classic tragedy. A rom-com. A Reign of Terror drama. New York’s New Year just got a lot more exciting . . . 𝘍𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘢: Passionate, vivid, and gripping, Fedora will sweep you off your feet. [A] moving verismo drama . . . is a fantastic way to end 2022. 𝘓𝘢 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘢: Verdi’s La Traviata is one of the most beautiful and tragic operas . . . a gorgeous tearjerker. 𝘓'𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘳 𝘥'𝘈𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦: It’s hard to imagine an opera with a more winning combination of liveliness and lovesickness . . . one to enjoy time and time again. 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴: [W]e are confronted with a chilling image: thirteen nuns, lying face-down on a giant cross. Read the full article now at The Girl of the Golden Met's website, girlofthegoldenmet.com!" Facebook. Dec. 26, 2022.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=121971837418037&set=ecnf.100045194088981

Marriner, Derdriu. "The Elixir of Love Opens Feb. 17 as Second 2022-2023 HOT Season Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-elixir-of-love-opens-feb-17-as.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "L’Elisir d’Amore Is Feb. 10, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, February 5, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/02/lelisir-damore-is-feb-10-2018-met-opera.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Join us tonight, Jan 10, for the season premiere of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore! Maestro Michele Gamba conducts an exciting cast in his company debut. On stage Jan 10–27: http://bit.ly/3HoBsLz. Marty Sohl / Met Opera." Twitter. Jan. 10, 2023.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1612838274824867841

"New Production: L'Elisir d'Amore." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354544 New Production L'Elisir d'Amore {268} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/24/2012. Metropolitan Opera Radio Sirius XM channel 74 Broadcast live. Streamed at metopera.org (Opening Night {128} Peter Gelb, General Manager Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast/Plazacast Review). September 24, 2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354544

Medea by Luigi Cherubini is Jan. 7, 2023, Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Medea by Luigi Cherubini is the Jan. 7, 2023, Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as fourth of the 2022-2023 season's 24 Saturday matinee broadcasts.

Sir David McVicar's new production of Luigi Cherubini's Medea dramatically tragedizes Giasone-obsessed Medea's vengeful spree of agonizing deaths for her rival, Giasone's bride-to-be, and her two Giasone-fathered sons: The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook Oct. 18, 2022

Medea by Luigi Cherubini is the Jan. 7, 2023, Saturday matinee broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time, as the fourth of the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's lineup of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Medea by Italian Classical and Romantic composer Luigi Cherubini (Sep. 14, 1760-March 15, 1842) concerns Greek mythology's vengeful Colchian princess, Medea (Ancient Greek: Μήδεια, Mēdeia), daughter of King Aeëtes (Ancient Greek: Αἰήτης; Aiḗtēs) of the eastern Black Sea kingdom of Colchis. French playwright François-Benoît Hoffman (July 11, 1760-April 25, 1828) based his French-language libretto upon two sources, the Medea-titled tragedy by classical Greek tragedian Euripides (Ancient Greek: Εὐριπίδης; Eurīpídēs; ca. 480-ca. 406 BC) and Médée (1635), a dramatic tragedy by 17th-century French tragedian Pierre Corneille (June 6, 1606-Oct. 1, 1684).

Medea is performed in Italian in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season. Italian librettist and playwright Carlo Zangarini (Dec. 9, 1873-July 19, 1943) translated Cherubini's Médée in 1909.

Medea receives eight autumn performances in Met Opera's 2022-2023 season. The opera's opening performance, Tuesday, Sep. 27, at 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time, marked its Metropolitan Opera premiere. The second through eighth, closing performances took place Saturday, Oct. 1, at 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 8, at 8:00 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 22, at 1:00 p.m.; and Friday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m.

Met Opera's Jan. 7, 2023, Saturday matinee broadcast of Cherubini's Medea replays the opera company's autumnal Saturday matinee, which was performed Saturday, Oct. 22, as the seventh of the opera's eight performances in the 2022-2023 season. October's Saturday matinee was scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m., according to the date's program.

Carlo Rizzi conducted all eight performances of Medea. The Italian conductor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, 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).

Sondra Radvanovsky sings Medea, a vengeful Colchian princess and sorceress whose obsession with dispossessed hero Giasone impels her to treacherous actions. She helps Giasone to steal the fabled Golden Fleece of Colchis from her regal father, King Aeëtes; murders and dismembers her brother; magically kills Giasone's half-brother, Pelias; devises an agonizing death via a poisoned golden robe and a diadem for her rival, Giasone's bride-to-be, Glauce (Ancient Greek: Γλαυκή "blue-gray"), daughter of King Creonte (Ancient Greek: Κρέων; Kreōn, "ruler") of Corinth (Greek: Κόρινθος; Kórinthos) in south central Greece's Peloponnese Region (Greek: Περιφέρεια Πελοποννήσου; Periféria Peloponnísou); and stab her two sons, fathered by Giasone, to death. The American-Canadian soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 9, 1996, as Countess Ceprano in the opera company’s 721st performance of Rigoletto by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Janai Brugger appears as Glauce, whose wedding is terminated fatally by her husband-to-be's ex-wife, Medea. The American operatic soprano had made her Metropolitan Opera debut Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, as Liù in the opera company’s 291st performance of Turandot by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Ekaterina Gubanova appears in the first four and last two (including the Oct. 22 Saturday matinee) performances as Neris, who is tasked with conveying Medea's poisoned wedding gifts to Glauce. The Russian mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 10, 2007, as Hélène Bezubenkov in the opera company's 11th performance of War and Peace by Russian-Soviet composer, conductor and pianist Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953).

Ekaterina Gubanova shares Neris with Olivia Vote, who sings Neris in fifth and sixth performances. The American mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, March 1, 2019, as Countess Ceprano in the opera company's 890th performance of Verdi's Rigoletto.

Matthew Polenzani appears in the first four and last three (including the Oct. 22 Saturday matinee) performances as Giasone, a dispossessed hero whose desire for the fabled Golden Fleece of Colchis associates him with Medea and entangles him in the chaos of her vengeful sorcery. The American lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 19, 1997, as Khrushchov in the opera house’s 251st performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Matthew Polenzani shares Giasone with Rafael Davila, who sings the tragic role in the fifth performance. The Puerto Rican tenor had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, as Don José in the opera company's 1,002nd performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

Michele Pertusi sings King Creonte, who trades his daughter, Glauce, in marriage to Giasone in exchange for the stolen Golden Fleece. The Italian bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Jan. 20, 1997, as Count Almaviva in the opera company’s 358th performance of Le Nozze di Figaro by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

The 2022-2023 Met Opera season's next Saturday matinee opera broadcast is scheduled for Jan. 14. Giordano's Fedora airs Jan. 14 at 1:00 p.m. as the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's fifth of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

American-Canadian soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in rehearsal for the title role in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's Medea; the Greek mythology-themed Cherubini opera receives its Metropolitan Opera premiere in a new production by veteran Met Opera director Sir David McVicar: Sondra Radvanovsky @SondraRadvan, via Twitter Sep. 4, 2022

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:

Sir David McVicar's new production of Luigi Cherubini's Medea dramatically tragedizes Giasone-obsessed Medea's vengeful spree of agonizing deaths for her rival, Giasone's bride-to-be, and her two Giasone-fathered sons: The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook Oct. 18, 2022, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/pfbid0Lxv7QScrGc7jbUwv5TmzC8KwrT3JWMZjUYkFr9SwAgnqwJgntEtRuznWzjqrWGpol

American-Canadian soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in rehearsal for the title role in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season's Medea; the Greek mythology-themed Cherubini opera receives its Metropolitan Opera premiere in a new production by veteran Met Opera director Sir David McVicar: Sondra Radvanovsky @SondraRadvan, via Twitter Sep. 4, 2022, @ https://twitter.com/SondraRadvan/status/1566550092676583424

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: Janai Brugger." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354619 Turandot {291} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/02/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354619

"Debut: Olivia Vote." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357163 Rigoletto {890} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/01/2019.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357163

“Debuts: Alastair Miles, Sondra Radvanovsky, Lee Hamilton.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:326720 Rigoletto {721} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/9/1996.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=314310

"Debuts: Aleksei Markov, Marina Poplavskaya, Keith Jameson, Ekaterina Gubanova, Vitaliy Bilyy, Alexander Morozov, Todd Thomas, Lucas Meachem, Jennifer Zetlan, Samuel Dylan Rosner, Jeffrey Roger, Scott Graham, Michael Gomborone, Ashley Kohl." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352228 War and Peace {11} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/10/2007. Sirius Broadcast live. Streamed at metopera.org.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=314310

“Debuts: Clémentine Margaine, Rafael Davila, Shirin Eskandani.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356599 Carmen {1002} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/19/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356599

“Debuts: Constantin Pluzhnikov, Olga Borodina, Iosef Shalamayev, Nikolai Gassiev, Daniel Sumegi, Matthew Polenzani.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330264 Boris Godunov {251} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/19/1997.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330264

“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

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2022-2023 Season Has 24 Saturday Matinee Opera Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/met-operas-2022-2023-season-has-24.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Three of Seven 2022-2023 Met Opera Season New Productions Are Premieres." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/three-of-seven-2022-2023-met-opera.html

The Metropolitan Opera. "The unforgettable mythic power of Cherubini’s Medea is back on stage tonight, October 18, at 7PM, under the direction of Carlo Rizzi. There are only three performances left—get your tickets today! David McVicar’s fiery production features sopranos Sondra Radvanovsky and Janai Brugger, mezzo-sopranos Olivia Vote (October 18) and Ekaterina Gubanova (October 22 and 28), tenor Matthew Polenzani, and bass Michele Pertusi. On stage through October 28: bit.ly/3b7jvVO In cinemas (bit.ly/3O11Ux9) and Live at Home (bit.ly/3eFQHFR) on Saturday, October 22. Photos by Marty Sohl / Met Opera." Facebook. Oct. 18, 2022.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/pfbid0Lxv7QScrGc7jbUwv5TmzC8KwrT3JWMZjUYkFr9SwAgnqwJgntEtRuznWzjqrWGpol

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere Medea." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357695 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Medea {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/27/2022. Broadcast/Streamed/Times Squarecast. (Opening Night {137} Peter Gelb General Manager. Debuts: Doey Lüthi, Jo Meredith. Metropolitan Opera House September 27, 2022.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=3576958

Sondra Radvanovsky @SondraRadvan. "Start on STAGE on Tuesday with @metopera and this SPECTACULAR new production of MEDEA by Sir David McVicar! Can’t wait to see what the full set looks like. Watch out world and get ready for me to unleash my inner MEDEA! Photo: Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera." Twitter. Sep. 4, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/SondraRadvan/status/1566550092676583424