Earth and Space News: Metropolitan Opera 2016-2017 season

Showing posts with label Metropolitan Opera 2016-2017 season. Show all posts

Monday, May 8, 2017

Der Rosenkavalier Is the May 13, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The May 13, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Der Rosenkavalier, a three-act comic opera by Richard Strauss.

The 2016-2017 Met Opera season's new production of Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss airs as the Met Opera's Saturday matinee broadcast May 13, 2017: Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera, via Twitter Nov. 25, 2016

Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose), a three-act, late Romantic-style, comic opera by German composer Richard Georg Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949), is the May 13, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Austrian librettist and writer Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (Feb. 1, 1874-July 15, 1929) (Oct. 11, 1857-Nov. 21, 1937) wrote the original German libretto. The literary sources are Les Amours du Chevalier de Faublas, a novel styled as a memoir (roman-mémoires) by French playwright and writer Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai (June 12, 1760-Aug. 25, 1797) and Monsieur de Pourceaugnac, a three-act comédie-ballet by Molière, stage name of French actor and playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Jan. 15, 1622-Feb. 17, 1673).

The premiere took place Thursday, Jan. 26, 1911. The venue was Königliches Opernhaus (Royal Opera House), now known as Semperoper, the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Opera of the Saxon State of Dresde), located in the historic center of Dresden, Saxony, east central Germany.

Der Rosenkavalier premiered in the opera house’s second building. German architect Manfred Semper (May 3, 1838-Sept. 13, 1913), built the second opera house in the Neo-Renaissance style, according to his father's designs. The second building replaced the first building, designed by Manfred’s father, Gottfried Semper (Nov. 29, 1803-May 15, 1879), and destroyed by fire in 1869.

The building that premiered Der Rosenkavalier was gutted during the bombing of Dresden, an American and British aerial bombing occurring during the Second World War (Sept. 1, 1939-Sept. 2, 1945) between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15, 1945. Reconstruction of the current, third Semperoper was completed Feb. 13, 1985, exactly four decades after the devastating bombing.

Strauss and his librettist set Der Rosenkavalier in 18th-century Vienna, Austria. The plot unfolds during the early years of the reign of Empress Maria Theresa (May 13, 1717-Nov. 29, 1780), the only female Habsburg ruler and also the last ruler of the House of Habsburg.

Canadian opera director Robert Carsen seeks to retain the opera's fin-de-siècle atmosphere, with its awareness of change and of the passage of time. He fast forwards the 2016-2017 season's production of Der Rosenkavalier to 1910, the year in which Richard Strauss and Hugo Hofmannsthal created the opera.The decades from the 1880 to 1910 witnessed the transition from 19th century Victorianism to 20th century modernism.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Cyrano de Bergerac begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (4:30 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 4 hours 12 minutes. The performance, sung in the original German, comprises three acts and two intermissions.

Act I is timed at 73 minutes. A 30-minute intermission follows Act I.

Act II is timed at 57 minutes. A 30-minute intermission follows Act II.

Act III is timed at 62 minutes. The Saturday matinee broadcast performance ends with Act III’s final notes.

Sebastian Weigle conducts all performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Der Rosenkavalier. His birthplace is Berlin, northeastern Germany. The German conductor debuted in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2000 production of Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). This season Sebastian Weigle also conducts Fidelio by Ludwig von Beethoven (bapt. Dec. 17, 1770-March 26, 1827).

Renée Fleming appears as Princess Marie Therese von Werdenberg, titled as the Marschallin, a Field Marshal’s wife. She was born in Indiana, west central Pennsylvania. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1991 as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Elīna Garanča appears in the trouser role of Octavian, Count Rofrano, the Marschallin’s young lover, whose role as the Knight of the Rose, the bearer of a traditional silver engagement rose, leads him to his true love, Sophie von Faninal. Her birthplace is Riga, Latvia. The Latvian operatic mezzo-soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2008 as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Italian composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

Erin Morley appears as Sophie von Faninal, whose wealthy, bourgeois father seeks an advantageous marriage for her with the Marschallin’s country cousin, the financially-distressed, lecherous, older Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau. She was born in Salt Lake City, northeastern Utah. The American coloratura soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2008 as the First Madrigal in Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Erin Morley shares the role of Sophie this season with Kathleen Kim. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kathleen Kim appears in the April 28 and May 1 performances of Der Rosenkavalier. The Korean-American operatic coloratura soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2007 as Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

Günther Groissböck appears as Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau, whose lechery foils his pursuit of Sophie von Faninal. He was born in Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Lower Austria, northeastern Austria. The Austrian bass debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010 as Colline in Puccini’s La Bohème. This season Günther Groissböck also appears as Don Fernando in Beethoven’s Fidelio.

Marcus Brück appears Herr von Faninal, Sophie’s wealthy parvenu father. His birthplace is Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, southwestern Germany. The role of Herr von Faninal marks the German baritone’s Metropolitan Opera debut this season.

Matthew Polenzani appears as a singer whose aria is interrupted by Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau’s greedy wranglings of his marriage contract with the Marschallin’s notary. Matthew Polenzani was born in Evanston, Cook County, northeastern Illinois. The American lyric tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1997 as Boyar Kruschov in Boris Godunov by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881). This season Matthew Polenzani also appears as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and in the title role of Mozart’s Idomeneo.

Operabase, an online database, places Richard Strauss at number 10 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Der Rosenkavalier places at 38 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Der Rosenkavalier holds place 22, with 384 performances, for the period from first Met performance, Dec. 9, 1913, to last performance, Dec. 13, 2013. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Der Rosenkavalier as the May 13, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the Marschallin’s awareness of the passage of time and her generous retirement from the opera’s love triangle, the finding of true love by Octavian and Sophie, and the avaricious, lechery buffoonery of clueless Baron Ochs auf Lerchenau.

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

The 2016-2017 Met Opera season's staging of Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss debuts as a new production by Canadian opera director Robert Carsen: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook April 12, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10158641118665533.1073741934.20807115532/10158641120245533

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Louvet de Couvray, Jean-Baptiste. Amours du Chevalier de Faublas. Tome premier. Paris, France: Boulland, 1825.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433045611880

Louvet de Couvray, Jean-Baptiste. Amours du Chevalier de Faublas. Tome second. Paris, France: Boulland, 1825.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433082120621

Louvet de Couvray, Jean-Baptiste. Amours du Chevalier de Faublas. Tome troisième. Paris, France: Boulland, 1825.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433082123260

Louvet de Couvray, Jean-Baptiste. Amours du Chevalier de Faublas. Tome quatrième. Paris, France: Boulland, 1825.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433082123278

Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera. "Six New Productions #MetOpera. Der Rosenkavalier, Renée Fleming and Elina Garanca. Metropolitan Opera 2016-17." Twitter. Nov. 25, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/802274759933329411

Metropolitan Opera. “Robert Carsen on His New Production of Der Rosenkavalier.” YouTube. May 5, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6s4QcLnE-w

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Rosenkavalier: Act II Duet." YouTube. April 14, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bbzTQ-lDuo

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Rosenkavalier: Act III Duet." YouTube. April 14, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waSk776rZEo

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Rosenkavalier: Act III Trio." YouTube. April 14, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWoXyXH4KPE

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera." YouTube. April 13, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_XMRABIArc

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Rosenkavalier Promo." YouTube. March 29, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-6y-rYtdjk

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Rosenkavalier: Renée Fleming Interviews Elīna Garanča and Günther Groissböck." YouTube. May 4, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG4r907iqT4

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Der Rosenkavalier opens tomorrow, April 13! Renée Fleming sings the Marschallin opposite the Octavian of Elina Garanca. Erin Morley is Sophie, Günther Groissböck is Baron Ochs, and Sebastian Weigle conducts the sparkling score. . . .Photos by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. April 12, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10158641118665533.1073741934.20807115532/10158641120245533

“Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml

Monday, May 1, 2017

Cyrano de Bergerac Is the May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Cyrano de Bergerac, a heroic comic opera by Italian composer Franco Alfano.

Roberto Alagna sings the title role in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac: New York Times Arts @nytimesarts, via Twitter April 30, 2017

Cyrano de Bergerac, a heroic comic opera centering on a big-nosed, fearless protagonist by Italian composer and pianist Franco Alfano (March 8, 1875-Oct. 27, 1954), is the May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

French dramatist and librettist Henri Cain (Oct. 11, 1857-Nov. 21, 1937) wrote the French libretto for Cyrano de Bergerac. The literary source is Cyrano de Bergerac, a five-act play by French dramatist and poet Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (April 1, 1868-Dec. 2, 1918).

Filippo Brusa and Cesare Meano (Dec. 22, 1899-Nov. 24, 1957) are credited with the translation of the French libretto into Italian. The premiere of Cyrano de Bergerac performed the Italian libretto.

The premiere took place Jan. 22, 1936. The venue was Il Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House), also known as Costanzi Theatre.

Commissioned by contractor Domenico Costanzi (1810-1898), Milanese architect Achille Sfondrini (1836-1900) designed the opera house in the Neo-Renaissance, also known as Renaissance Revival, style. Roman architect Marcello Piacentini (Dec. 8, 1881-May 19, 1960) directed the building’s two 20th century renovations. Piacentini’s second renovation, completed in 1960, included the façade’s 20th century restyling.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season performs the original French libretto of Alfano’s heroic comedy. This season’s production represents the Met’s second staging of Cyrano de Bergerac.

The Met’s 2004-2005 season hosted the opera’s North American premiere. Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo is credited with launching the premiere by way of his request to honor Cyrano as the 121st role of his career. The Metropolitan Opera included the little-known opera in the repertoire for the next season, 2005-2006.

The setting for Alfano’s opera is 17th century France. Acts I, II and IV take place in Paris. Act III takes place in Arras, northern France.

Marco Armiliato conducts all performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Cyrano de Bergerac. His birthplace is Genoa, Liguria, northwestern Italy. The Genoese conductor debuted with the Met’s 1998 production of La Bohème by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). Marco Armiliato reprises his conducting debut with this season’s production of La Bohème and also conducts Aida by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) and Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.

Roberto Alagna appears in the opera’s title role. He was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, Île-de-France, northern France. The French tenor of Sicilian descent debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1996 as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème.

Jennifer Rowley appears as Roxane, Cyrano’s distant cousin who realizes too late her misguided attraction to the handsome, tongue-tied Christian. Her birthplace is Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, northwestern Ohio. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème. She replaces operatic soprano Patricia Racette, whose withdrawal from the principal role, due to an abdominal hernia, was announced March 31. On Sunday, May 28, two weeks after Cyrano's closing night, Jennifer's marriage to Ray Diaz takes place in her hometown.

Atalla Ayan appears as Christian, a new cadet in the Guards of Gascoyne, who forms a love triangle with Cyrano and Roxane. He was born in Belem, Pará, northeastern Brazil. The Brazilian operatic tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera this season as Alfredo Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata.

Juan Jesús Rodríguez appears as De Guiche, a vexatious guardsman who later repents his shenanigans. His birthplace is Madrid, central Spain. The Spanish baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2016 as Count di Luna in Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Operabase, an online database, places Franco Alfano at number 719 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Cyrano de Bergerac places at 1637 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Cyrano de Bergerac holds place 200, with nine performances, for the period from first Met performance, May 13, 2005, to last performance, March 16, 2006. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Cyrano de Bergerac as the May 6, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the appeal of a big-nosed, big-hearted swashbuckler whose eloquence defies his unattractive face and attracts his beloved, albeit too late.

Jennifer Rowley appears as Roxane in all performances, including the May 6, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast, of the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac: Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1, via Twitter April 27, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Roberto Alagna sings the title role in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac: New York Times Arts @nytimesarts, via Twitter April 30, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/status/858824103381397504

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Holland, Bernard. “A Big Nose Must Go On Without the Big Star.” The New York Times > Arts > Music > Metropolitan Opera Review. Jan. 28, 2006.
Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/28/arts/music/a-big-nose-must-go-on-without-the-big-star.html

Jennifer Rowley @LaRowley1. "Off to war to find my love!! (In an insanely awesome dress!) 2nd orchestra dress this am of #cyrano @MetOpera!" Twitter. April 27, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/LaRowley1/status/857602278722850816

Metropolitan Opera. "Cyrano de Bergerac: Act IV Excerpt." YouTube. May 1, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGQVpKiCa2k

Metropolitan Opera. "Cyrano de Bergerac: Final Scene." YouTube. May 1, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evJ1-tcom_c

Metropolitan Opera. “Cyrano de Bergerac: 'Je jette avec grâce mon feutre.” YouTube. April 26, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGNOVKB5As8

New York Times Arts @nytimesarts. "Singing at the Met, where mics are not allowed, is hard enough. Try it in a fake nose." Twitter. April 30, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/status/858824103381397504

Roberto Alagna @roberto_alagna. "Just Announced: New York, NY - May 13 at Cyrano de Bergerac (Metropolitan Opera)." Twitter. Feb. 17, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/roberto_alagna/status/700059825745567744

"Soprano Patricia Racette Withdraws From Upcoming Metropolitan Opera Performances of Alfano's Cyrano; Jennifer Rowley to Sing Role of Roxanne." Opera News. March 31, 2017.
Available @ https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2017/3/News/Patricia_Racette_Cyrano_Masterclass.html

Tommasini, Anthony. “Long-Nosed but Handy With a Pen and a Song.” The New York Times > Arts > Music > Met Opera Review. May 16, 2005.
Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/arts/music/longnosed-but-handy-with-a-pen-and-a-song.html

Monday, April 24, 2017

Der Fliegende Holländer Is the April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Der Fliegende Holländer, a German-language opera by Richard Wagner.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin rarely spends more than two weeks away from his feline trio: Rafa, a two-year-old Highland Lynx (above), four-year-old Rodolfo and 14-year-old Mélisande: Yannick Nézet-Séguin @nezetseguin, via Twitter March 29, 2017

Der Fliegende Holländer (“The Flying Dutchman”), an opera concerning redemptive love by German composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883), is the April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Unlike many opera composers, Richard Wagner tackled both the libretti and the scores for his operas. The literary source for Wagner’s German libretto is The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski (Aus den Memoiren des Herrn von Schnabelewopski), 19th century German writer Heinrich Heine’s 1834 retelling of the legend of a sea captain doomed to sail the oceans for eternity.

Wagner’s personal inspiration for Der Fliegende Holländer was a hapless sea voyage from Riga, Latvia, to London, England, that lasted for three and one-half weeks instead of its projected eight days. He recalled the storm-riddled, protracted voyage in his Autobiographical Sketch, published in 1843:

“This voyage I never shall forget as long as I live; it lasted three and a half weeks, and was rich in mishaps. Thrice did we endure the most violent of storms, and once the captain found himself compelled to put into a Norwegian haven. The passage among the crags of Norway made a wonderful impression on my fancy; the legends of the Flying Dutchman, as I heard them from the seamen’s mouths, were clothed for me in a distinct and individual colour, borrowed from the adventures of the ocean through which I then was passing.” (pp. 13-14)

Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer premiered Jan. 2, 1843. The venue was Semperoper, the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera), in the historic center of Dresden, Saxony, east central Germany. The premiere took place in Semperoper’s first building, a medley of Early Renaissance, Baroque and Greek classical revival styles designed by German architect Gottfried Semper (Nov. 29, 1803-May 15, 1879). A fire destroyed the first building in 1869. Today’s Semperoper is the third building, reconstructed around the second building’s World War II-gutted shell.

Wagner sets his opera along the Norwegian coast. The time is not specified.

The exacting composer intended for intermission-free performance of Der Fliegende Holländer. Opera houses either follow Wagner’s directive or observe a three-act version. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 production honors Wagner’s directive.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Aida begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (5 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 2 hours 21 minutes.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts all performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Der Fliegende Holländer. His birthplace is Montreal, Quebec, eastern Canada. The Canadian conductor debuted with the Met’s 2009 production of Carmen by Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

On Thursday, June 2, 2016, the Metropolitan Opera confirmed Yannick Nézet-Séguin as the Met's new music director. The Montrealer assumes the title of music director designate for the 2017-2018 season. His busy schedule, which includes serving through the 2025-2026 season as the Philadelphia Orchestra's eighth music director, keeps Yannick Nézet-Séguin from assuming the official title as the Met's music director before the 2020-2021 season.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin's predecessor, James Levine, who has held the position since 1976, conducted Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791) on May 7, 2016, for his final performance as the Met's music director. James Levine has returned during the 2016-2017 as Music Director Emeritus.

Michael Volle appears in the opera’s title role. He was born in Freudenstadt, Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. The German baritone opera singer debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Mandryka in Arabella by Richard Georg Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Amber Wagner appears as Norwegian sea captain Daland’s daughter, Senta, whose self-effacing love breaks the Flying Dutchman’s curse. Amber Wagner’s birthplace is Santa Barbara, California. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 as Anna in Nabucco by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Franz-Josef Selig appears as Daland, the Norwegian sea captain who agrees to marry his daughter, Senta, to a stranger, the accursed Flying Dutchman, in exchange for a treasure chest. He was born in Mayen, Rhineland-Palatinate, west central Germany. The German bass opera singer debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1998 as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Dolora Zajick appears as Mary, Senta’s nurse. Her birthplace is Salem, Marion County, northwestern Oregon. The American mezzo-soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1989 as Amneris in Verdi’s Aida.

Jay Hunter Morris appears as Erik, a huntsmen who wishes to marry Senta. He was born in Paris, Lamar County, northeastern Texas. The American operatic tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2007 as Števa in Jenufa by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928).

Ben Bliss appears as the young steersman whose sleepy watch allows the other-worldly Flying Dutchman to drop anchor alongside Daland’s ship. His birthplace is Prairie Village, Johnson County, northeastern Kansas. The American tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Vogelgesang in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (“The Master-Singers of Nuremberg”). This season Ben Bliss also appears as Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute.

Operabase, an online database, places Richard Wagner at number 5 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Der Fliegende Holländer places at 24 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Der Fliegende Holländer holds place 48, with 154 performances, for the period from first Met performance, Nov. 27, 1889, to last performance, May 14, 2010. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Der Fliegende Holländer as the April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the composer’s presentation of his cherished female and male archetypes who push redemptive love beyond death.

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts all performances, including the April 29, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast, of Richard Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook April 12, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158637537195533/

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Cooper, Michael. "Yannick Nézet-Séguin to Succeed James Levine as Met Opera's Music Director." The New York Times. June 2, 2016.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/arts/music/yannick-nezet-seguin-to-succeed-james-levine-as-met-operas-music-director.html?

Le German Blog. "Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Symphonic Rise." Le Germain Hotels > Le Germain Blog. April 1, 2017.
Available @ https://www.legermainhotels.com/en/blog/85/yannick-nezet-seguin-symphonic-rise

Metropolitan Opera. “The 2016-17 Live in HD Season.” YouTube. July 11, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEUgcdapvKg

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Fliegende Holländer: Overture." YouTube. March 30, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYgLhJz1vJY

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) opening April 25. . . .Photo by Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera." Facebook. April 12, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158637537195533/

The New York Times @nytimes. "Yannick Nézet-Séguin will succeed James Levine as the Metropolitan Opera's music director." Twitter. June 2, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/738351471788462080

Tommasini, Anthony. "James Levine Ends a Climactic Season With the Met Orchestra." The New York Times. May 27, 2016.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/arts/music/james-levine-ends-a-climactic-season-with-the-met-orchestra.html?

Wagner, Richard. “Autobiographic Sketch (Autobiographische Skizze).” Richard Wagner’s Prose Works. Vol. I: The Art-Work of the Future, Etc.: 1-19. Translated by William Ashton Ellis. Second edition. London, England: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/richardwagnerspr011341mbp#page/n37/mode/1up

Yannick Nézet-Séguin @nezetseguin. "Tomorrow 1st orchestra rehearsal of Flying Dutchman . . . . Excited beyond belief! (Nice help studying)." Twitter. March 29, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nezetseguin/status/847244514968215553

Monday, April 17, 2017

Eugene Onegin Is the April 22, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 22, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Eugene Onegin, a three-act opera by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Anna Netrebko appears as Tatiana in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin: Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera, via Twitter Feb. 19, 2017

Eugene Onegin, a three-act opera concerning a dandy’s youthful foolishness by Russian late-Romantic composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840-Nov. 6, 1893), is the April 22, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

The composer collaborated with Russian librettist Konstantin Shilovsky (1849-May 22, 1893) in organizing the Russian libretto. The literary source is Eugene Onegin, a novel in verse by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (June 6, 1799-Feb. 10, 1837).

Eugene Onegin premiered March 29, 1879. The venue was Moscow’s Maly Theatre (“Small Theatre”). Designed by Italian-Russian neoclassical architect Joseph Bové (Nov. 4, 1784-June 28, 1834), Maly Theatre opened Oct. 14, 1824, on Theatre Square in central Moscow. Maly Theatre appeared on the list of nationally significant properties approved Feb. 20, 1995, by Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (Feb. 1, 1931-April 23, 2007), as First President of the Russian Federation (July 10, 1991-Dec. 31, 1999).

The composer and librettist honored Pushkin's setting of his novel around 1820 in St. Petersburg and the surrounding countryside. The Metropolitan Opera's 2016-2017 production fast forwards the opera's time setting to the late 19th century, around the time of the opera's premiere in 1879.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Eugene Onegin begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (5 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 3 hours 38 minutes.

The opera, sung in the original Russian, comprises three acts and two intermissions. Act I is timed for 78 minutes. A 33-minute intermission succeeds Act I.

Act II is timed for 44 minutes. A 25-minute intermission follows Act II.

Act III is timed for 38 minutes. The opera ends with Act III’s final notes.

Robin Ticciati is scheduled to conduct all performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Eugene Onegin. His birthplace is London, United Kingdom. The British conductor of Italian ancestry debuted with the Met’s 2011 production of Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (Sept. 1, 1854-Sept. 27, 1921).

Illness prevents Robin Ticciati from conducting two of the Russian opera's seven performances. American conductor Joel Revzen makes his Metropolitan Opera debut by leading performances on April 15 and 18.

Peter Mattei appears in the title role for performances from April 12 through the Saturday matinee broadcast. He was born in Piteå, Norrbotten County, northeastern Sweden. The Swedish operatic baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2002 as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). This season Peter Mattei also appears as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Antonio Rossini (Feb. 29, 1792-Nov. 13, 1868).

Peter Mattei shares the title role this season with Mariusz Kwiecien. Born in Kraków, southern Poland, Mariusz Kwiecien debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1999 as Kuligin in Kátá Kabanová by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928). The Polish operatic baritone also appears this season in the title role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Anna Netrebko appears as Tatiana Larin, a young girl whose affections the youthful Eugene Onegin rejects. Her birthplace is Krasnodar, southwestern Russia. The Russian operatic soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2002 as Natasha Rostova in War and Peace by Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953). This season Anna Netrebko also appears in the title role of Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Elena Maximova appears as Tatyana’s younger sister, Olga, whose fiancé is killed in a foolishly-motivated duel with his friend, Eugene Onegin. Elena Maximova was born in Perm, west central Russia. The Russian mezzo-soprano reprises her 2013 Metropolitan Opera debut role.

Alexey Dolgov appears as Lenski, Olga Larin’s fiancé. His birthplace is Moscow, northwestern Russia. The Siberian tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2013 as Cassio in Otello by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Štefan Kocán appears as Prince Gremin, whom Tatyana Larin grows up to auspiciously marry. He was born in Trnava, western Slovakia. The Slovak operatic bass debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2009 as the King of Egypt in Verdi’s Aida. This season Štefan Kocán also appears as the Commendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and as Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Operabase, an online database, places Pyot at number 9 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Eugene Onegin places at 16 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Eugene Onegin holds place 49, with 148 performances, for the period from first Met performance, March 24, 1920, to last performance, Dec. 12, 2013. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Eugene Onegin as the April 22, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast are Eugene’s missteps as a foolish youth that cost him the life of his friend Lenski and true love with Tatiana, who traces a fulfilling character arc from sentimental adolescent to mature, successful young woman.

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Anna Netrebko appears as Tatiana in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin: Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera, via Twitter Feb. 19, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/833225331700006912

Tatiana (Anna Netrebko) wisens to Eugene Onegin's character flaws in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook March 30, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10158568574120533.1073741932.20807115532/10158568574550533

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

“The List of Properties of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Federal (All-Russian) Significance Approved.” Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library > History. Feb. 20, 1995.
Available @ http://www.prlib.ru/en-us/History/Pages/Item.aspx?itemid=424

Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera. "Anna Netrebko Leading Soprano at the Leading Opera Houses Across the Globe: Season 2016/17." Twitter. Feb. 19, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/833225331700006912

Metropolitan Opera. "Anna Netrebko on Eugene Onegin." YouTube. March 29, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J_NSvOcQhA

Metropolitan Opera. “Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera.” YouTube. Feb. 28, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eSeHgiJwEE&spfreload=5

Metropolitan Opera. "Eugene Onegin: Lenski's Aria." YouTube. March 29, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjpUw1isGEM

Metropolitan Opera. "Eugene Onegin: Letter Scene -- Anna Netrebko." YouTube. Sept. 20, 2013.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56MMagyMXs

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "The Metropolitan Opera added 11 new photos to the album: Eugene Onegin Starring Anna Netrebko. March 30, 2017 · Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin starring Anna Netrebko as Tatiana and Peter Mattei in the tile role is on stage tonight, Apr 18! Live in HD worldwide, April 22. . . .Photos by Marty Sohl/Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. March 30, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.10158568574120533.1073741932.20807115532/10158568574550533

"Picturing Onegin." The Metropolitan Opera > Discover > Articles > Interviews. April 1, 2017.
Available @ https://www.metopera.org/Discover/Articles/Interviews/picturing-onegin-peter-mattei/

Monday, April 10, 2017

Aida Is the April 15, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 15, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Aida, a four-act tragic opera by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi.

Verdi's Aida airs as the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday matinee broadcast April 15, 2017: Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera, via Twitter Nov. 26, 2016

Aida, a four-act opera by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) that clashes civilizations and patriotic duty with a love triangle set on the west bank of the Nile in the Ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, is the April 15, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Italian librettist, poet and writer Antonio Ghislanzoni (Nov. 25, 1824-July 16, 1893) wrote the Italian libretto. A scenario by French Egyptologist François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette (Feb. 11, 1821-Jan. 19, 1881) is usually credited as the source for Ghislanzoni’s libretto.

Aida premiered Dec. 24, 1871, at Khedivial Opera House, also known as Royal Opera House, in Cairo, northeastern Egypt. Four years earlier, on Nov. 1, 1869, the opera house had opened with a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The wooden opera house’s design by Italian émigré architect Pietro Avoscani (1816-March 1, 1891) was reminiscent of Teatro alla Scala, in Milan, Lombardy, northwestern Italy, by neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini (July 18, 1734-Feb. 18, 1808). A multi-story concrete car garage now marks the site of Khevidial Opera House, which burned to the ground Oct. 28, 1971.

On Feb. 8, 1872, La Scala hosted the European premiere of Verdi’s Egyptian-themed opera. Whereas Auguste Mariette controlled the staging of the Cairo premiere, the composer was closely involved in La Scala’s production. Also unlike the Cairo premiere, Verdi attended the La Scala premiere.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Aida begins at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (4:30 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 3 hours 45 minutes.

The opera, sung in the original Italian, comprises four acts and two intermissions.

Act I is timed for 41 minutes. A 35-minute intermission succeeds Act I.

Act II is timed for 43 minutes. A 36-minute intermission follows Act II.

Acts III and IV are timed for 70 minutes. The opera ends with Act IV’s final notes.

Daniele Rustioni conducts the Saturday matinee broadcast performance of Aida. His birthplace is Milan, Italy. The Italian conductor makes his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting the spring performances of Aida for the 2016-2017 season.

Daniele Rustioni shares the role of conductor with Marco Armiliato this season. He was born in Genoa, Liguria, northwestern Italy. The Genoese conductor debuted in the Metropolitan Opera’s 1998 production of La Bohème by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Krassimira Stoyanova appears in the title role of the conflicted Ethiopian princess for the Saturday matinee broadcast performance. Her birthplace is Veliko Tarnovo, north central Bulgaria. The Bulgarian soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2001 as Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s La Traviata.

Krassimira Stoyanova shares the title role with Liudmyla Monastyrska and Latonia Moore this season. Liudmyla Monastyrska was born in Kiev, north central Ukraine. This season the Ukrainian lirico-spinto (“pushed lyric”) soprano reprises her 2012 debut role as Aida. Liudmyla Monastyrska also appears as Abigaille in Verdi’s Nabucco during the 2016-2017 season.

Latonia Moore reprises her 2012 debut role as Aida. Her birthplace is Houston, Harris County, southeastern Texas.

Riccardo Massi appears in the Saturday matinee broadcast performance as Radamès, captain of the King of Egypt’s Guard upon whom the opera’s love triangle is centered. He was born in Sarnano, Marche, central Italy. The Italian operatic tenor reprises his 2012 debut role.

Riccardo Massi shares the role of Radamès this season with Marco Berti and Jorge de León. Marco Berti appears in the 2016-2017 season’s late autumn and early winter performances. Jorge de León appears in the season’s spring performances.

Marco Berti’s birthplace is Como, Lombardy, northwestern Italy. The Italian tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004 as Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

Jorge de León marks his Metropolitan Opera debut this season as Radamès, who loves and is loved by Aida and who also is loved by Amneris, daughter of the King of Egypt. Jorge de León was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, western Canary Islands.

Violeta Urmana appears as Egyptian Princess Amneris for the opera’s Saturday matinee broadcast and spring performances. Her birthplace is Kazlu Rodos, southwestern Lithuania. The Lithuanian mezzo-soprano and soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2001 as Kundry in Parsifal by Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Violeta Urmana shares the role of Amneris with Ekaterina Gubanova, who appears in the opera’s late autumn and early winter performances. Her birthplace is Moscow, northwestern Russia. The Russian mezzo-soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2007 as Hélène Bezubenkov in War and Peace by Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (April 23, 1891-March 5, 1953). This season Ekaterina Gubanova also appears as Brangäne in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.

George Gagnidze appears as Aida’s father, Ethiopian King Amonasro, for the opera’s Saturday matinee broadcast and spring performances. He was born in Tbilisi, Central Valley, Republic of Georgia. The Georgian operatic baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2009 in the title role of Verdi’s Rigoletto.

George Gagnidze shares the role of Ethiopian King Amonasro with Mark Delavan. Mark Delavan’s birthplace is Princeton, Mercer County, west central New Jersey. The American operatic bass-baritone reprises his 2001 debut role.

James Morris appears as Egyptian High Priest Ramfis for the opera’s Saturday matinee broadcast and spring performances. He was born in Baltimore, north central Maryland. The American bass-baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971 as the King in Verdi's Aida. Also this season James Morris appears as Don Fernando in Beethoven’s Fidelio.

James Morris shares the role of Ramfis this season with Dmitry Belosselskiy. Dmitry Belosselskiy was born in Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian bass debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 as Zaccaria in Verdi’s Nabucco. Dmitry Belosselskiy also reprises his debut role for this season's production of Nabucco.

Soloman Howard appears as the King of Egypt for the opera’s Saturday matinee broadcast, late autumn, Dec. 2 and spring performances. His birthplace is Washington, D.C. The American bass reprises his 2014 debut role.

Soloman Howard shares the role of the King of Egypt with Morris Robinson this season. Born in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, Morris Robinson debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2002 as the Second Prisoner in Fidelio by Ludwig von Beethoven (bapt. Dec. 17, 1770-March 26, 1827). This season the American bass opera singer also appears as Sarastro in The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Operabase, an online database, places Giuseppe Verdi as number one in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Aida places at 12 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Aida claims second place, with 1,148 performances, for the period from first performance, Nov. 9, 1900, to last performance, April 20, 2015. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Aida as the April 15, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the emotional and historical appeal of a compelling love triangle that is entangled with a clash of ancient civilizations and a strong current of patriotic duty.

Daniele Rustioni conducts the April 15, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast for the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Verdi's Aida: METOrchMusicians @METOrchestra, via Twitter March 28, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Verdi's Aida airs as the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's Saturday matinee broadcast April 15, 2017: Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera, via Twitter Nov. 26, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/802627094618501120

Daniele Rustioni conducts the April 15, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast for the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Verdi's Aida: METOrchMusicians @METOrchestra, via Twitter March 28, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/METOrchestra/status/846740971387801600

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera. "Plans tonight in #NewYork? Aida at #MetOpera tonight." Twitter. Nov. 26, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/802627094618501120

Metropolitan Opera. “Aida: 'I sacri nomi di padre, d'amante' -- Liudmyla Monastyrska (Met Opera).” YouTube. Sept. 30, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zbhwu6nU30

METOrchMusicians ‏@METOrchestra. "Aida was even more exciting than usual -- for Maestro Daniele Rustioni and for us too!" Twitter. March 28, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/METOrchestra/status/846740971387801600