Anna Netrebko's First Desdemona Live Stream

Anna Netrebko sings her first Desdemona at the Verbier Festival on July 25 along with Aleksandrs Antonenko as Otello. The performance will only include the first act of the opera and will also feature Alexy Markov as Iago. The second half of the concert will include Bryn Terfel in the third act of Die Walkure with Irene Theorin and Eva Maria Westbroek. Valery Gergiev will conduct the concert. For more information click here and for the live stream click here.

Turandot Preview 2012-2013 Season

Maria Guleghina and Irene Theorin share the title role of the Icy Princess in Puccini's unfinished masterpiece.

The Production

Franco Zeffirelli's critically abhorred production returns to the Met. Ever since the Met premiered the Zeffirelli production critics have complained for his excess and for the grand scale. They have stated that the big sets take away from the action and do not let the singers shine through. Nevertheless the production has been one of the audiences favorites as the sets are rich with detail bringing the audience to the world where the action takes place. The costumes are also striking and with great actors such as this years cast, the characters are easily brought to life without any distractions. Peter Gelb has stated in various interviews that there are no plans of changing the set and I applaud him for it. Zeffirelli's Turandot is a spectacle that is is easily one of the Met's finest productions to date.