Earth and Space News: Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcasts

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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 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 2 hours 53 minutes.

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

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

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 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/

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 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

Monday, April 3, 2017

Tristan und Isolde Is the April 8, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 8, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Tristan und Isolde, a three-act opera of love and death by Richard Wagner.

Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde airs as the April 8, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter Sep. 19, 2016

Tristan und Isolde, a three-act opera of a love potion-triggered, overpowering passion that transcends death by German composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883), is the April 8, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

His assumption of dual roles as composer of the score and writer of the libretto attests to Richard Wagner’s commitment to complete creative responsibility for the opera’s unusual music and themes. The literary source for Wagner’s libretto is Tristan, a Middle High German (1050-1350) courtly romance, by Gottfried von Strassburg (died ca. 1210). The medieval German poet’s treatment of the Celtic legend exists as an incomplete work of 19,548 lines. Gottfried’s source is Tristan, an Old French poem by 12th century poet Tumas de Britanje (Thomas of Brittany).

The philosophical overview giving expression to the opera’s music and themes comes from the final denial of the will to life as presented by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (Feb. 22, 1788-Sept. 21, 1860). The way to salvation from suffering lies in denial of the will to life. Schopenhauer explains: “§. . . to those in whom the will has turned and has denied itself, this our world of ours, which is so real, with all its suns and milky-ways -- is nothing.” (Book IV, p. 532)

In his Zukunftsmusik (“Music of the Future”) essay, published in 1861 as a letter to Marie-Joseph Frédéric Villot (Oct. 31, 1809-May 27, 1875), engraver and Louvre Museum paintings curator, Wagner explains his opera’s metaphysical imperative:
“Life and death, the whole import and existence of the outer world, here hang on nothing but the inner movements of the soul. The whole affecting Action comes about for reason only that the inmost soul demands it, and steps to light with the very shape foretokened in the inner shrine.”

Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde premiered June 10, 1865, in Munich, Bavaria, southeastern Germany. The venue was the Königliches Hof- und Nationaltheater. In 1825, German neoclassicist architect Leo von Klenze (Feb. 29, 1784-Jan. 26, 1864) designed the now-defunct opera house in the neoclassical style, with Neo-Grec, elements, as a replacement for the first theatre, which had been destroyed Jan. 14, 1823, by a fire. A third theatre, opened in 1963, replaces von Klenze’s building, which was destroyed during an air raid conducted Oct. 3, 1943.

Wagner sets Tristan und Isolde in the British Isles and, across the English Channel, in Brittany, northwestern France. Act one takes place during a crossing of the Celtic Sea from Ireland to Cornwall, South West England. King Marke’s castle in Cornwall hosts act two. Act three unfolds in Tristan’s castle in Brittany.

The Metropolitan Opera’s staging of Tristan und Isolde for the 2016-2017 season relinquishes the Celtic legend’s medieval setting popularized by Anglo-Norman literature during the 12th century. As director of this season’s Tristan und Isold, Polish opera director Mariusz Trelinski fast forwards the set and costumes to an unspecified modern wartime setting.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Tristan und Isolde begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (5 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 4 hours 47 minutes.

The opera, sung in the original German, comprises three acts and two intermissions. Act I is timed for 80 minutes. A 30-minute intermission succeeds Act I.

Act II is timed for 70 minutes. A 30-minute intermission follows Act II.

Act III is timed for 77 minutes. The opera ends with Act III’s final notes.

Sir Simon Rattle conducts Tristan und Isolde. His birthplace is Liverpool, North West England. The English conductor debuted in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2010 production of Pelléas et Mélisande by Achille-Claude Debussy (Aug. 22, 1862-March 25, 1918).

Sir Simon Rattle shares the role of conductor with Asher Fisch this season. He was born in Jerusalem, Israel. The Israeli conductor debuted in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2000 production of The Merry Widow by Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár (April 30, 1870-Oct. 24, 1948).

Nina Stemme appears in a title role as Irish Princess Isolde. Her birthplace is Stockholm, southeastern Sweden. The Swedish dramatic soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2000 Senta in Richard Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer. Nina Stemme’s appearance Oct. 27, 2016, marked her 100th career performance of the role.

Stuart Skelton appears in a title role as Tristan, a Breton nobleman adopted heir of King Marke of Cornwall. He was born in Sydney, New South Wales, southeastern Australia. The Australian operatic heldentenor (“heroic tenor”) debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 as the Drum-Major in Wozzeck by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935).

Ekaterina Gubanova appears as Brangäne, Princess Isolde’s maid. 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 Amneris in Aida by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

René Pape appears as King Marke of Cornwall. He was born in Dresden, Saxony, east central Germany. The German operatic bass debuted Dec. 2, 1995, at the Metropolitan Opera as a Speaker in Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). His first Met Opera appearance happened June 1, 1992, in Seville, Spain, during the 1991-1992 Metropolitan Opera Tour. He appeared as Don Fernando in Fidelio by Ludwig von Beethoven (baptized Dec. 17, 1770-March 26, 1827).

Evgeny Nikitin appears as Kurwenal, Tristan’s servant. His birthplace is Murmansk, northwesternmost Russia. The Russian bass-baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2002 as Dolkhov in Prokofiev’s War and Peace.

Evgeny Nikitin shares the role of Kurwenal with German bass-baritone Carsten Wittmoser this season. Born in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Germany, Carsten Wittmoser marks his Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 13, 2016, with his appearance as Kurwenal.

Operabase, an online database, finds that Richard Wagner places fifth in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Tristan und Isolde places at 44, with 489 performances worldwide, in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Tristan und Isolde holds place 19, with 463 performances, for the period from first Met performance, Dec. 1, 1886, to last performance, Oct. 27, 2016. The Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday matinee broadcast for the 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Tristan und Isolde as the April 8, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the complex, metaphorical, metaphysical opera’s compelling atmosphere, innovatively expressed by Richard Wagner’s libretto and music.

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde airs as the April 8, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter of Sep. 19, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/777877459303890944

A love potion overpowers Isolde (Nina Stemme) and Tristan (Stuart Skelton) with a death-transcending love in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Jan. 29, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158272375760533/

For further information:

“The Birth of Tristan und Isolde: Wagner’s Letter to Liszt 1854.” The Wagnerian. Oct. 1, 2012.
Available @ http://www.the-wagnerian.com/2012/10/the-birth-of-tristan-und-isolde-wagners.html

Chafe, Eric. The Tragic and the Ecstatic: The Musical Revolution of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde. New York NY: Oxford University Press Inc., 2005.

"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

Dannreuther, Edward, trans. “The Music of the Future,” A Letter to M. Frédéric Villot, by Richard Wagner. London, England: Schott & Co., 1873.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/musicoffuturelet00wagn

Meet Me At The Opera @MMATOpera. “Plans Tonight in #NewYork? Tristan und Isolde 6:30pm.” Twitter. Oct. 13, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MMATOpera/status/786651268668395520

Metropolitan Opera. “Gallery Met Shorts: Tristan und Isolde.” YouTube. Oct. 10, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFu7idYkNOk

Metropolitan Opera. “Mariusz Treliński on His New Production of Tristan und Isolde.” YouTube. Feb. 24, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgFbZpXywS8

Metropolitan Opera. “Tristan und Isolde: ‘Mild und Leise’ (Nina Stemme).” YouTube. Sept. 30, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQjee4Myrsg

Metropolitan Opera. “Tristan und Isolde: Trailer.” YouTube. Sept. 30, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Au0p8ikoBY

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “1 Week Today Is Opening Night of #Met50! What Are You Most Excited for This Season?” Twitter. Sept. 19, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/777877459303890944

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “5 Days Until #MetON! Join Us for Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde Starring Nine Stemme.” Twitter. Sept. 21, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/778708994303008768

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “It Takes Every Cell of Your Body. @NStemme Singing Isolde . . . for the 100th Time on 10/27.” Twitter. Oct. 27, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/791644251264286720

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Opening Night = 2 Months Away! Season Kicksoff w #TristanUndIsolde starring @NStemme! What Are You Most Excited For?” Twitter. July 26, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/757968755292987392

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "TODAY, 1/29 on PBS: Tune-in to t 12:00 PM EST, the 2016-17 production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde starring Nina Stemme and Stuart Skelton. Find your location station here: bit.ly/2jeOwey Photo by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera." Facebook. Jan. 29, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158272375760533/

Moss, Stephen. “Why Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde Is the Ultimate Opera.” The Guardian > Arts > Classical > Opera. Sept. 23, 2016.
Available @ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/23/tristan-und-isolde-wagner-opera-met

Ranke, Friedrich, ed. Tristan und Isold. Second edition. Berlin, Germany: Weidmann, 1930.

Schopenhauer, Arthur. “Fourth Book: The World as Will.” The World as Will and Idea. Vol. I: Containing Four Books. Translated from the German by R.B. (Richard Burdon) Haldane and J. (John) Kemp. Seventh edition. London, England: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., n.d.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/theworldaswillan01schouoft#page/532/mode/2up

Thomason, Paul. “Program Note: Richard Wagner Tristan und Isolde.” The Metropolitan Opera > Season 2016-17. Oct. 27, 2016.
Available @ http://www.metopera.org/metoperafiles/season/2016-17/operas/tristan_und_isolde/programs/102716%20Tristan.pdf

Wagner, Richard. Quatre Poèmes d'Opéras Traduits en Prose Française, Précédés d'une Lettre sur la Musique. Paris, France: Librarie Nouvelle, 1861.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/quatrepomesdop00wagnuoft

Monday, March 27, 2017

Fidelio Is April 1, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 1, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Fidelio, a music drama that rates as Ludwig van Beethoven’s only opera.

Adrianne Pieczonka appears as Leonore, who disguises herself as errand boy Fidelio in order to rescue her imprisoned husband, in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season's production of Beethoven's Fidelio: Adrianne Pieczonka @pieczonka_a, via Twitter March 9, 2017

Fidelio, a two-act German music drama representing the only opera by German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven (bapt. Dec. 17, 1770-March 26, 1827), is the April 1, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Beethoven’s two-act opera exemplifies a form of German music drama known as Singspiel (“sing-play”), pluralized as Singspiele. As with the French tradition of operas comiques (“comic operas”), Singspiele mingle spoken dialogue with instrumental and vocal music.

Austrian librettist Joseph Ferdinand Sonnleithner (March 3, 1766-Dec. 25, 1835) wrote the German libretto for Beethoven’s only opera. The libretto’s literary source is a French libretto, Léonore, ou L’Amour Conjugal, by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly (Jan. 24, 1763-April 14, 1842). Bouilly retired from his career as a French Revolution-era (May 5, 1789-Nov. 9, 1799) administrator and politician to concentrate on librettos and plays.

Bouilly’s libretto inspired a two-act opera by French operatic tenor and composer Pierre Gaveaux (Oct. 9, 1761-Feb. 5, 1825). Gaveaux’s opera premiered Feb. 19, 1798 at the now-defunct, neoclassical-styled Théâtre Feydeau in Paris’s second arrondissement (2e arrondissement de Paris).

Beethoven’s score, with Sonnleithner’s libretto, premiered Nov. 20, 1805, as a three-act opera entitled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe ("Leonore, or The Triumph of Married Love"). The venue was the Empire-styled Theater an der Wien (“Theatre on the Banks of the Wien River”) in Vienna, northeastern Austria.

Theater an der Wien billed the opera as Fidelio to distinguish Beethoven’s version from Gaveaux’s opera as well as from Leonora ossia L’Amore Coniugale (“Leonora or Conjugal Love”) by Italian opera and oratorio composer Ferdinando Paer (July 1, 1771-May 3, 1839). Italian librettist Giovanni Schmidt (ca. 1775-ca. after 1839) based his two-act, Italian libretto upon Bouilly’s French libretto. Paer’s Leonora premiered Oct. 3, 1804, at the Kleines Kurfürstliches Theater in Dresden, Saxony, east central Germany.

Beethoven’s opera underwent two major revisions. In 1806, Beethoven shortened the title of the published libretto to Leonore and, in collaboration with German librettist Stephan von Breuning (Aug. 17, 1774-June 4, 1827), shortened the libretto to two acts. In 1814, German librettist Georg Friedrich Treitschke (Aug. 29, 1776-June 4, 1842) finessed the libretto.

Theater an der Wien has persisted as the title of Beethoven’s unique opera. Current convention recognizes both the 1805 three-act original and the 1806 two-act revision as Leonore. Fidelio distinguishes the final 1814 revision.

Fidelio’s setting is the late 18th century. The drama unfolds at a Spanish state prison a few miles from Seville in southern Spain. This season’s Metropolitan Opera production places Fidelio in an unspecified contemporary setting.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Fidelio 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 33 minutes.

The opera, sung in the original German, comprises two acts and one intermission.

Act I is timed for 73 minutes. A 33-minute intermission succeeds Act I.

Act II is timed for 47 minutes. The opera ends with Act II’s final notes.

Sebastian Weigle conducts all of the Metropolitan Opera’s performances of Fidelio. 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 Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Georg Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Adrianne Pieczonka appears as Leonore, who disguises herself as errand boy Fidelio to access her husband Florestan. She was born in Burlington, southern Ontario, east central Canada. The Canadian soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004 as Lisa in The Queen of Spades by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840-Nov. 6, 1893).

Klaus Florian Vogt appears as Florestan, Leonore’s politically imprisoned husband. His birthplace is Heide, Schleswig-Holstein, northernmost Germany. The German operatic tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2006 in the title role of Lohengrin by Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Falk Struckmann appears as the jailer, Rocco. He was born in Heilbronn, northern Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. The German operatic bass-baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1997 in the title role of Wozzeck by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935).

Hanna-Elisabeth Müller debuts at the Metropolitan Opera this season as Rocco’s daughter, Marzelline, who is infatuated with Leonore in her guise as Fidelio. The German soprano’s birthplace is Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany.

David Portillo appears as Rocco’s assistant, Jaquino, who is in love with the jailer’s daughter. The American tenor was born in San Antonio, Texas.

Greer Grimsley appears as Don Pizarro, governor of the prison in which he has secretly imprisoned his enemy, Florestan. His birthplace is New Orleans, southeastern Louisiana. The American bass-baritone debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1994 as Captain Balstrode in Peter Grimes by Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (Nov. 22, 1913-Dec. 4, 1976). This season Greer Grimsley also appears as Jochanaan in Richard Strauss’s Salome.

Günther Groissböck appears as Don Fernando, the King’s minister who frees Florestan and imprisons Don Pizarro. 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 La Bohème by Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). This season Günther Groissböck also appears as Baron Ochs in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.

Günther Groissböck shares the role of Don Fernando with American bass-baritone opera singer James Morris this season. Born in Baltimore, north central Maryland, James Morris debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971 as the King in Aida by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). This season James Morris also appears as Ramfis in Aida.

Operabase, an online database, finds that, in the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16, Ludwig van Beethoven, composer of one single opera, placed 27th in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers. Beethoven’s single opera, Fidelio, places at 37, with 560 performances worldwide, in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The takeaway for Fidelio as the April 1, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the musical and thematic appeal of Ludwig van Beethoven’s solitary contribution to the opera repertoire.

Leonore (Adrianne Pieczonka) and her politically imprisoned husband, Florestan (Klaus Florian Vogt) in Beethoven's Fidelio: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter March 20, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Leonore (Adrianne Pieczonka) and her politically imprisoned husband, Florestan (Klaus Florian Vogt) in Beethoven's Fidelio: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Twitter March 20, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/843846676813176832

For further information:

Adrianne Pieczonka @pieczonka_a. "Having fun as Leonore in rehearsal for Fidelio @MetOpera. Wonderful cast and crew in sunny NY!" Twitter. March 9, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/pieczonka_a/status/839886270914572288

Bouilly, Jean-Nicolas. Léonore, ou L’Amour Conjugal, Fait Historique, en Deux Actes et en Prose Melée de Chants. Paroles de J.N. Bouilly, Musique de P. Gaveaux, Représentée Pour la Première Fois à Paris, sur le Théâtre Feydeau, le Ier Ventôse, an 6e de la République Française. Paris, France: Barba, An Septième (1798).
Available via Gallica -- The BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France) Digital Library @ http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k849780.pdf
Available via Project Gutenberg @ http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24546/24546-h/24546-h.htm

"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

“Debut: Greer Grimsley.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 318860 Peter Grimes {56} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/23/1994.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=318860

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

Metropolitan Opera. “Fidelio: ‘Gott! Welch’ Dunkel hier!’” YouTube. March 15, 2017. Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S8KiFOwyUs

Metropolitan Opera. “Fidelio: ‘Ich folg’ dem innern Triebe.’” YouTube. March 16, 2017. Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI8dL_duzo0

Metropolitan Opera. “Fidelio: ‘Nur hurtig fort, nur frisch gegraben.’” YouTube. March 15, 2017. Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA89ZZRzc0M

Metropolitan Opera. “Fidelio: ‘O namenlose Freude!’” YouTube. March 15, 2017. Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV_kFB7LtDE

Metropolitan Opera. “Fidelio: ‘O namenlose Freude!’ (Part 2).” YouTube. March 15, 2017. Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNUqJt5oROc

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "'Spruce and Taut, the Met Opera’s ‘Fidelio’ Looks Good at 17' http://nyti.ms/2ns2VFj #Fidelio is on stage tonight, 3/20." Twitter. March 20, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MetOpera/status/843846676813176832

“Noble Woman.” The Metropolitan Opera > Discover > Articles > Interviews. Feb. 23, 2017.
Available @ http://www.metopera.org/Discover/Articles/Interviews/noble-woman/