Don Carlos Is Met Opera's March 26, 2022, Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Don Carlos is Met Opera's March 26, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as 13th of the 2021-2022 season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Met Opera's new 2021-2022 season staging of Verdi's Don Carlos reunites the production's director, Sir David McVicar, with Matthew Polenzani in the title role; they last worked together at Met Opera in the 2015-2016 season's presentation of Donizetti's Roberto Devereaux: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook March 24, 2016

Verdi's Don Carlos is Met Opera's March 26, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast, scheduled as the 13th of the 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts on the 2021-2022 season's roster.

Don Carlos by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) receives eight performances in the 2021-2022 season. The first six performances took place Monday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time; Thursday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. EST; Sunday, March 6, at 2:00 p.m. EST; Thursday, March 10, at 6:30 p.m. EST; Sunday, March 13, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time; and Friday, March 18, at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The seventh and eighth, closing performances are scheduled for Tuesday, March 22, at 7:00 p.m. EDT and Saturday, March 26, at 12:00 p.m. noon EDT.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin originally was scheduled to conduct Don Carlos in the first five and seventh through eighth, closing performances. Met Opera's third music director had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, in the opera house’s 946th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

Yannick Nézet-Séguin shares the conductorship of Don Carlos with Swiss conductor Patrick Furrer, who conducted the sixth performance, Friday, March 18. The Swiss conductor had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in the opera company's 463rd performance of The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), Met Opera's abridged, English language holiday presentation of Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced, via Twitter Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at 10:52 a.m., the replacement of Yannick Nézet-Séguin with Patrick Furrer as conductor for the evening's performance. This places Maestro Nézet-Séguin's conductorship of the opera at six of eight performances.

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced, via Twitter March 25, 2022, at 6:08 p.m., the replacement of Yannick Nézet-Séguin with Patrick Furrer as conductor for the closing performance, Saturday, March 26, of Don Carlos. This places Maestro Nézet-Séguin's conductorship of the opera at five of the first eight and Maestro Furrer's conductorship of the opera at the season's last three Don Carlos performances.

Matthew Polenzani sings the title role of Don Carlos, whose betrothed, Élisabeth de Valois, becomes his stepmother according to a peace treaty between France and Spain. The American lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 19, 1997, as boyar Khrushchov in the opera company’s 251st performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Don Carlos numbers as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Matthew Polenzani. He sang Tamino for the Dec. 18 Saturday matinee opera broadcast of The Magic Flute, Met Opera's abridged, English language holiday presentation of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

Sonya Yoncheva sings Élisabeth de Valois, the French princess whose marriage to Philippe II, King of Spain, consolidates peace between France and Spain but overrides her betrothal to the king's heir. The Bulgarian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013, as Gilda in the opera company’s 859th performance of Verdi's Rigoletto.

Günther Groissböck originally was scheduled for all eight performances as King Philippe II, whose continued kingship depends upon the Grand Inquisitor's approval. The Austrian bass made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010, as Colline in the opera company’s 1,224th performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Update: The New York Times classical music editor, Zachary Woolfe, announced, via Twitter Thursday, Sep. 2, 2021, at 2:06 p.m., the replacement of Günther Groissböck by Eric Owens as King Philippe II in all eight performances. 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).

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced, via Twitter Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at 5:40 p.m. the replacement of Eric Owens with Matthew Rose as Philippe II for the evening's performance. The English operatic bass made his Metropolitan Opera debut Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, as Colline in the opera company’s 1,240th performance of Puccini’s La Bohème.

Elīna Garanča originally was scheduled to sing Princess Eboli, whose jealous realization of Don Carlos' love for his stepmother as his former betrothed motivates her destructive scheme against Élisabeth de Valois. The Latvian operatic mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Jan. 12, 2008, as Rosina in the opera company’s 565th performance of Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

Jamie Barton replaces Elīna Garanča as Princess Eboli for all eight performances, according to The Metropolitan Opera's announcement Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, via Twitter. The American mezzo-soprano made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, as the second of three ladies in the opera company’s 393rd performance of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

Etienne Dupuis sings Rodrigue, Marquis of Posa, who incriminates himself to save his friend, Don Carlos. The French-Canadian baritone had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, as Marcello in the opera company’s 1,321st performance of Puccini's La Bohème.

Don Carlos numbers as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Etienne Dupuis. He sang Oreste in the Feb. 26 Saturday matinee opera broadcast of Iphigénie en Tauride by 18th-century German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787).

John Relyea sings the Grand Inquisitor, who controls the Spanish throne. The Canadian operatic bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Feb. 24, 2000, as Alidoro in the opera company's 13th performance of Rossini's La Cenerentola.

The 2021-2022 season's presentation of Verdi's Don Carlos debuts a new Met Opera production by Sir David McVicar. Sir David's new staging numbers as his 11th Met Opera production, according to the opera's page on the Metropolitan Opera website. The Scottish opera and theatre director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, in the opera company's 600th performance of Verdi's Il Trovatore.

Sir David's production team comprises Charles Edwards, set designer; Brigitte Reiffenstuel, costume designer; Adam Silverman, lighting designer; and Leah Hausman, movement director. Charles Edwards, Brigitte Reiffenstuel and Leah Hausman all made their Met Opera debuts Feb. 16, 2009, alongside Sir David. Adam Silverman made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, in the opera company's 288th performance of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.

The Metropolitan Opera website page for the 2021-2022 season's staging of Verdi's Don Carlos announces that the new production presents, as a first in the opera company's history, the opera with its original, five-act French libretto. The Metropolitan Opera premiere of Don Carlos took place Thursday, Dec. 23, 1920. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) notes that the premiere's Italian libretto was the Lauzières-Zanardini translation. The 1883 translation of Verdi's revised, four-act French libretto by Angelo Zanardini (April 9, 1820-March 7, 1893) incorporated the 1866 translation of Verdi's original, five-act French libretto by Achille De Lauzières (1818-1894).

The opera's original French title is Don Carlos. The Italian libretto bears the title of Don Carlo. Met Opera's Italian version of the opera retained the opera's French title for its first three seasons at the opera house, according to MetOpera Database's notes on the opera's Metropolitan Opera premiere page.

The takeaways for Don Carlos as Met Opera's March 26, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast are that Verdi's opera airs as the 2021-2022 season's 13th of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts; that the season's presentation of Don Carlos introduces the opera's original, five-act libretto, for the first time, into the company's repertoire; that the season's staging of Don Carlos debuts a new Met Opera production by Scottish opera and theatre director Sir David McVicar; that the production numbers as Sir David's 11th Met Opera staging; and that Don Carlos numbers as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts for Matthew Polenzani and Etienne Dupuis.

Met Opera's new 2021-2022 season staging of Verdi's Don Carlos reunites Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Met Opera's third music director, with Sonya Yoncheva; their last operatic coincidence at Met Opera occurred in the 2015-2016 season's new Bartlett Sher production of Verdi's Otello: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook June 6, 2020

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:

Met Opera's new 2021-2022 season staging of Verdi's Don Carlos reunites the production's director, Sir David McVicar, with Matthew Polenzani in the title role; they last worked together at Met Opera in the 2015-2016 season's presentation of Donizetti's Roberto Devereaux: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook March 24, 2016, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/director-sir-david-mcvicar-and-matthew-polenzani-in-an-early-rehearsal-for-doniz/10156752633700533/

Met Opera's new 2021-2022 season staging of Verdi's Don Carlos reunites Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Met Opera's third music director, with Sonya Yoncheva; their last operatic coincidence at Met Opera occurred in the 2015-2016 season's new Bartlett Sher production of Verdi's Otello: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook June 6, 2020, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10163849152715533

For further information:

Agenda Cultural de Lima @agendaculturaldelima. "Opera: Otello Giuseppe Verdi Opera en cuatro actos cantada en italiano, con música de Verdi y libreto de Arrigo Boito, basada en Othello de William Shakespeare. Aleksandr Antonenko Sonya Yoncheva Orquesta del MET Yannick Nezet-Seguin Sábado 29 de mayo 12:00am. https://elblogdelaagenda.tumblr.com/.../elescenariodelmun. . ." Facebook. May 28, 2021.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/agendaculturaldelima/photos/t.100044398810534/10158630186522832/

“Debut: Elina Garanca, José Manuel Zapata, John Moore.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352298 Il Barbiere di Siviglia {565} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/12/08.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352298

“Debut: Matthew Rose.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354168 La Bohème {1240} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/18/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354168

“Debut: Sonya Yoncheva.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355145 Rigoletto {859} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/21/2013.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355145

“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: 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: 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: Dimitri Tiliakos, Günther Groissböck, Brandon Mayberry.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353654 La Bohème {1224} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/01/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353654

“Debuts: James Gaffigan, Nicole Car, Etienne Dupuis.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356999 La Bohème {1321} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/25/2018.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356999

"Debuts: John Relyea, Bruno Campanella." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 332447 La Cenerentola {13} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/24/2000.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=332447

“Debuts: Nicholas Hytner, Bob Crowley, Mark Henderson, Anna Smirnova, Layla Claire, Alexei Tanovitski, Keith Harris, Tyler Simpson, Eric Jordan, Tommaso Matelli, Anne Dyas.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353609 New Production Don Carlo {191} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/22/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353609

"Debuts: Paul Steinberg, Adam Silverman, Maxine Braham." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354641 New Production Un Ballo in Maschera {288} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/08/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354641

“Debuts: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Richard Eyre, Rob Howell, Irene Bohan, Elizabeth Caballero, Maria Kowroski, Martin Harvey.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353274 Carmen {946} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353274

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2021-2022 Season Has 28 Saturday Matinee Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/11/met-operas-2021-2022-season-has-28.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Director Sir David McVicar and Matthew Polenzani in an early rehearsal for Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, opening March 24. bit.ly/1VP0lAY." Facebook. March 24, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/director-sir-david-mcvicar-and-matthew-polenzani-in-an-early-rehearsal-for-doniz/10156752633700533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Don’t miss the next encore Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcast: Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts Verdi’s extraordinary late masterpiece Otello, leading a cast that features tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko in the title role, soprano SONYA YONCHEVA as Desdemona, and baritone Željko Lučić as Iago. Listen to the stirring 2015 performance on the Toll Brothers–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network tomorrow, May 29, at 1PM ET. Check your local listings. For more information, visit metopera.org/radio. Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera." Facebook. May 28, 2021.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10165320381215533

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "For the upcoming performances of Verdi’s Don Carlos February 28–March 26, the role of La Princesse Eboli will be sung by Jamie Barton. #CastChange." Twitter. Jan. 27, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1486813923298971650?cxt=HHwWhMC4ldjYnKIpAAAA

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "For tonight’s performance of Verdi’s Don Carlos, the role of Phillippe II will be sung by Matthew Rose, and the role of the Monk will be sung by Matthew Anchel. #CastChange." Twitter. March 22, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1506385339711172608

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Otello New production: Bartlett Sher. Featuring: Yannick Nézet Séguin, Sonya Yoncheva, Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Željko Lučić. Opens September 21, 2015 http://bit.ly/1DCZ3BU." Facebook. Feb. 18, 2015.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10155294640520533/10155294642615533/

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Tomorrow’s performance of Verdi’s Don Carlos, which will also be transmitted Live in HD, will be conducted by Patrick Furrer. #CastChange." Twitter. March 25, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1507479621251567619

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Tonight’s free Nightly Met Opera Stream: Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a powerful 2015 performance of Otello. Verdi’s final tragedy stars tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko in the title role, soprano SONYA YONCHEVA as Desdemona, and baritone Željko Lučić as Iago. Stream the full Live in HD transmission tonight, June 6, starting at 7:30PM EDT until tomorrow, June 7, at 6:30PM EDT. . . . Watch Now: bit.ly/3gXlSc2 Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera." Facebook. June 6, 2020.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10163849152715533

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Tonight’s performance of Verdi’s Don Carlos will be conducted by Patrick Furrer. #CastChange." Twitter. March 22, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1506282789032890371

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Don Carlo." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID:76450 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Don Carlo {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/23/1920.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=76450

"New Production: Don Carlo." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353609 New Production Don Carlo {191} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/22/2010. Sirius and XM Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org November 22, 2010 Broadcast/Streamed In Italian.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353609

"New Production: Don Carlos." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357580 New Production Don Carlos {218} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/28/2022. Broadcast/Stream (Broadcast/Stream Debut: Vladyslav Buialskyi, Samson Setu ). Metropolitan Opera House. February 28, 2022. In French. New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357580

Zachary Woolfe @zwoolfe. "Günther Groissböck, last seen withdrawing from Wotan at the last minute this summer at Bayreuth, is now dropping out of the Met’s first-ever French 'Don Carlos this season 'for personal reasons.' Eric Owens will replace him." Twitter. Sep. 2, 2021.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/zwoolfe/status/1433491566522470408

Rodelinda Is Met Opera's March 19, 2022, Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: Rodelinda is Met Opera's March 19, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as 12th of the 2021-2022 season's 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

In Met Opera's 2021-2022 season, Iestyn Davies returns to the opera in which he made his 2011 Met Opera debut, as Unulfo, but in the production's third revival he upgrades to King Bertarido: i i davies @iestyn_davies, via Twitter April 18, 2021

Handel's Rodelinda is Met Opera's March 19, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast, numbering as the 12th of the 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season.

Rodelinda by German-British baroque composer George Frideric Handel (Feb. 23, 1685-April 14, 1759) receives six performances in the 2021-2022 season. The season's first performance of Rodelinda took place Friday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The second through sixth, closing performances are scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee, March 19, at 12 p.m. noon; Thursday, March 24, at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, March 27, at 3:00 p.m.; and Thursday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m.

Harry Bicket conducts all 2021-2022 season performances of Rodelinda. The British conductor, harpsichordist and Baroque interpreter had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004, in the Rodelinda's Metropolitan Opera premiere.

Elza van den Heezer sings the title role of the historical, seventh-century queen who reveals resilience amid the opera's love and power struggles. The South African soprano made her Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, as Elisabetta in the opera company’s premiere of Maria Stuarda by 19th-century Italian bel canto opera composer Gaetano Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848).

Iestyn Davies sings Bertarido, historical King of Lombardy, whom Grimoaldo deposes but then ultimately restores to kingship. The British classical countertenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, as Unulfo in the opera company’s 15th performance of Rodelinda.

Paul Appleby sings Grimoaldo, Duke of Benevento, who ultimately rejects his usurpitous designs in favor of love with Eduige, the king's sister. The American operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, May 7, 2011, as Brighella in the opera company’s 89th performance of Ariadne auf Naxos by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sep. 8, 1949).

Rodelinda numbers as the first of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Paul Appleby. He sings David in the May 14 Saturday matinee opera broadcast of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Jamie Barton sings Eduige, Rodelinda's sister-in-law, whose difficult relationship with usurpitous Grimoaldo ultimately has a happy resolution. The American mezzo-soprano made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Sep. 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).

Update: BWW Opera World and Sasha Cooke announced, via their respective Twitter accounts Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, replacement of Jamie Barton by Sasha Cooke as Eduige in all performances. The American mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, as The Second Priestess in the opera company's sixth performance of Iphigénie en Tauride by 18th-century German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787).

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced, via Twitter Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 12:11 p.m. the replacement of Sasha Cooke by Sarah Mesko as Eduige in the evening's performance. The American mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, as The Second Lady in the opera company's 426th performance of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (abridged, English-language version).

Anthony Roth Costanza sings Unulfo, Bertarido's trustworthy counselor. The American countertenor reprises the role in which he had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, during the opera company’s 21st performance of Rodelinda.

Rodelinda numbers as the first of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts for Anthony Roth Costanza in the 2021-2022 season. He sings the title role in the May 28 Saturday matinee opera broadcast of Akhnaten by American composer Philip Glass (born Jan. 31, 1937).

Adam Plachetka sings Garibaldo, Grimoaldo's counselor, who has his own ambitions for King Bertarido's throne. The Czech bass-baritone made his Metropolitan Opera debut Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, as Masetto in the opera company’s 539rd performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

The 2021-2022 season's staging of Rodelinda marks the opera house's third revival of Stephen Wadsworth's production. The Wadsworth-directed production of Rodelinda received its Metropolitan Opera premiere in the 2004-2005 season and its first and second revivals in the 2005-2006 and 2011-2012 seasons, respectively. Stephen Wadsworth (born April 3, 1953, as Stephen Wadsworth Zinsser) had made his Met Opera debut with Rodelinda's Metropolitan Opera premiere, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004.

Rodelinda's production team comprises Thomas Lynch, set designer; Martin Pakledinaz, costume designer; and Peter Kaczorowski, lighting designer. Thomas Lynch and Peter Kaczorowski had made their Met Opera debuts in the opera's Metropolitan Opera premiere. Martin Pakledinaz had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Nov. 19, 1992, in the opera company's 475th performance of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Rodelinda numbers as the third of three Wadsworth productions in the 2021-2022 season's Saturday matinee opera broadcast series. The American opera and theater director's production of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881) aired Feb. 19 as the season's ninth Saturday matinee opera broadcast. Wadsworth's production of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride played Feb. 26 as the season's 10th Saturday matinee opera broadcast.

The takeaways for Rodelinda as Met Opera's March 19, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast are that Handel's opera numbers as the 2021-2022 season's 12th of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts; that the season's staging of Rodelinda marks the third revival of Stephen Wadsworth's production, which received its Metropolitan Opera premiere in the 2004-2005 season; and that Rodelinda numbers as the first of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Anthony Roth Costanza and Paul Appleby.

In Met Opera's 2021-2022 season, Baroque interpreter Harry Bicket reprises his conductorship of Handel's Rodelinda from the opera's Metropolitan Opera premiere in the 2004-2005 season and its second revival in the 2010-2011 season: Divas & Scholars @DivasScholar, via Twitter July 22, 2020

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:

In Met Opera's 2021-2022 season, Iestyn Davies returns to the opera in which he made his 2011 Met Opera debut, as Unulfo, but in the production's third revival he upgrades to King Bertarido: i i davies @iestyn_davies, via Twitter April 18, 2021, @ https://twitter.com/iestyn_davies/status/1383832897820319761

In Met Opera's 2021-2022 season, Baroque interpreter Harry Bicket reprises his conductorship of Handel's Rodelinda from the opera's Metropolitan Opera premiere in the 2004-2005 season and its second revival in the 2010-2011 season: Divas & Scholars @DivasScholar, via Twitter July 22, 2020, @ https://twitter.com/DivasScholar/status/1286000232363438081

For further information:

BWWOperaWorld @BWWOperaWorld. "Sasha Cooke to Replace Jamie Barton as Eduige in The Met's RODELINDA." Twitter. Feb. 3, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/BWWOperaWorld/status/1489319783350915075

“Debut: Anthony Roth Costanzo.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354199 Rodelinda {21} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/07/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354199

“Debut: Elza van den Heever.” 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

"Debut: Francesca Zambello, Martin Pakledinaz, Pat Collins." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 310600 New Production Lucia di Lammermoor {475} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/19/1992.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=310600

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: Dmitry Korchak, Adam Plachetka.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355791 Don Giovanni {539} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/04/2015.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355791

“Debuts: Iestyn Davies, Moritz Linn.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354154 Rodelinda {15} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/14/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354154

"Debuts: Jessica Pratt, Sarah Mesko, Misha Grossman, Dylan Hansen Hamme." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356569 Die Zauberflöte {426} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/20/2016.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356569

"Debuts: Kobie van Rensburg, Zachary Vail Elkind, Harry Bicket, Stephen Wadsworth, Thomas Lynch, Peter Kaczorowski." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351094 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Rodelinda {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/02/2004.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351094

"Debuts: Louis Langrée, Sasha Cooke, Michele Losier, Jacqueline Antaramian, Mark Capri." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352202 New Production Iphigénie en Tauride {6} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/27/2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352202

“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

Divas & Scholars @DivasScholar. "Harry Bicket, renowned conductor does my q&a from his splendid isolation in remote Scotland. Has he enjoyed this pause in his work with @EnglishConcert @santafeopera which he directs? When will he perform again @MetOpera & elsewhere? What’s next? Message me if you’d like to hear." Twitter. July 22, 2020.
Available @ https://twitter.com/DivasScholar/status/1286000232363438081

i i davies @iestyn_davies. "Dare I post this for fear of Covid-Jinx, but hooray for next season, singing Bertarido in Handel’s Rodelinda. @MetOpera @paulappleby @jbartonmezzo @A_R_Costanzo." Twitter. April 18, 2021.
Available @ https://twitter.com/iestyn_davies/status/1383832897820319761

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2021-2022 Season Has 28 Saturday Matinee Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/11/met-operas-2021-2022-season-has-28.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "For this evening’s performance of Handel’s Rodelinda, the role of Eduige will be sung by Sarah Mesko. #CastChange." Twitter. March 15, 2022.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/1503765953850576902

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Rodelinda." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351094 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Rodelinda {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/02/2004.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351094

The Opera Pod @TheOperaPod. "On today’s episode I’m chatting to the conductor Harry Bicket, from being shouted at by Charles MacKerras on his 1st day @E_N_O to jumping in @glyndebourne as a young assistant, we chat through the highs & lows of his journey . . . @EnglishConcert @santafeopera." Twitter. May 27, 2021.
Available @ https://twitter.com/TheOperaPod/status/1397838403115356162

Sasha Cooke. "Some exciting news. Looks like I'll be headed back to the Met a little earlier than planned! Can't wait to sing with this incredible cast and team. https://www.metopera.org/season/2021-22-season/rodelinda/." Facebook. Feb. 3, 2022.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/sashamezzo/posts/351104690350781

Tyler Barton @TylerBarton27. "Replying to @RMillennielle. Handel's 'Rodelinda' was my first opera I ever heard on the radio. Sir Harry Bicket conducts, @elzasoprano (cake baker extraordinaire) stars as the rightful queen, and we get *two* countertenors here, @iestyn_davies and @A_R_Costanzo. @jbartonmezzo is a wonderful surprise." Twitter. April 18, 2021.
Available @ https://twitter.com/TylerBarton27/status/1383821109708017669