Juan Diego Florez Encores his audience and NO HD!

Today should have been an HD day. WHY? Well it was a historic performance. As if the run had not already been successful enough, Juan Diego Florez encored "Una Furtiva Lagrima" for his audience. After the applause had stopped for singing the aria, an audience member yelled encore and the audience continued applauding ecstatically. Juan Diego Florez repeated the aria and after the second time the audience would not stop applauding. Florez as the cliche states "stopped the show." These are the type of performances that should be recorded for the future AND I THINK PETER GELB WILL FOREVER REGRET THIS ARTISTIC DECISION. One that presents a spectacular cast at the height of their powers and one where something truly historical happens.

And for more information on how wonderful the performance was here is our review: http://salazarfamilycircle.blogspot.com/2012/03/met-opera-review-elixir-of-love-is-dose.html

The Ring Cycle in Movie theaters

The Met will rebroadcast the Full Ring Cycle in Movie theaters for the first time.

Wagner’s Complete Ring Cycle Comes to Movie TheatersFor the First Time, in the Met’s Cutting-Edge New Production 

Screenings of all four operas in Wagner’s epic begin May 9 in the U.S. and Canada 

On May 7, a new companion documentary, Wagner’s Dream,chronicles the challenges of making the Met’s landmark production

Ring cycle and documentary screenings around the world this spring and summer 

New York, NY (March 28, 2012) – The Metropolitan Opera will present worldwide movie theater screenings of Robert Lepage’s new production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, as well as Wagner’s Dream, a new documentary chronicling the creation of this ambitious new staging. In the United States and Canada, the series will begin May 7 with a screening of the documentary, directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, and continue on May 9 with Das Rheingold, the first opera in the cycle. The entire four-part Ringcycle and documentary will be screened in many countries this spring and summer, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

More details on the screenings are below. Please note that showtimes in some markets may vary. Tickets go on sale in the U.S. on Friday, March 30 and in Canada on Friday, April 6. To order tickets or get more information on screening times and locations, please visit www.metopera.org/liveinhd.

Wagner’s DreamA documentary by Susan FroemkeU.S./Canada Screenings: Monday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. local time
Running time: 1 hour, 52 minutesPremiere

The stakes could not be higher as visionary director Robert Lepage, some of the world’s greatest operatic artists, and the Metropolitan Opera tackle Wagner's Ring cycle. An intimate look at the enormous theatrical and musical challenges of staging opera’s most monumental work, the film chronicles the quest to fulfill Wagner's dream of a perfect Ring.

 Das Rheingold  (The Rhine Gold)Conducted by James Levine
Starring Wendy Bryn Harmer (Freia), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Patricia Bardon (Erda), Richard Croft (Loge), Gerhard Siegel (Mime), Bryn Terfel (Wotan), Eric Owens (Alberich), Franz-Josef Selig (Fasolt), Hans-Peter König (Fafner)
U.S./Canada Screenings: Wednesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. local time
Running time: 168 minutes; no intermission
Original live transmission: October 9, 2010

In the first opera in the Ring cycle, the gods of Valhalla clash with underworld dwarves and brawny giants, with disastrous consequences. The evil Alberich steals gold from the Rhine and uses it to forge a ring of unimaginable power. Wotan, the king of the gods, uses magic to steal the Ring, but Alberich places a curse that guarantees misery for whoever wears it.  Wotan’s unwillingness to part with the ring leads him to break a contract with the giants who have built the gods’ new castle in the sky, setting in motion a chain of events that will end in his own destruction.

Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)Conducted by James Levine
Starring Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Jonas Kaufmann (Siegmund), Bryn Terfel (Wotan), Hans-Peter König (Hunding)
U.S. Screenings: Monday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. local time
Canada Screenings: Saturday, May 12 at 10 a.m. local time
Running time: 259 minutes, including 1 intermission
Original live transmission: May 14, 2011

The mysterious hero Siegmund finds shelter in the strangely familiar arms of a lonely woman named Sieglinde. Their forbidden love leads Wotan’s daughter, the warrior maiden Brünnhilde, to defy morality and intervene on behalf of the hero. Brünnhilde’s transgression forces her father to choose between his love for his favorite daughter and his duty to his wife, the formidable goddess Fricka. Overcome with grief, Wotan takes away Brünnhilde’s godlike powers and puts her to sleep on a mountaintop, surrounded by a ring of magic fire that can only be crossed by the bravest of heroes.

SiegfriedConducted by Fabio Luisi
Starring Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde), Patricia Bardon (Erda), Jay Hunter Morris (Siegfried), Gerhard Siegel (Mime), Bryn Terfel (The Wanderer), Eric Owens (Alberich)
U.S. Screenings: Wednesday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m.
Canada Screenings: Thursday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Running time: 258, including one intermission
Original live transmission: November 5, 2011

The young hero Siegfried grows up in the wilderness, raised by Alberich’s conniving brother Mime. He puts together the broken pieces of the sword Nothung, uses it to slay the fearsome dragon Fafner, and takes the Ring for himself. To fulfill his destiny, he must overcome one more opponent—Wotan, now disguised as the Wanderer, who knows the world of the gods is coming to an end—and cross through the magic fire to awaken his true love, Brünnhilde.

Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)Conducted by Fabio Luisi
Starring Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Gutrune), Waltraud Meier (Waltraute), Jay Hunter Morris (Siegfried), Iain Paterson (Gunther),   Eric Owens (Alberich), Hans-Peter König (Hagen)
U.S. Screenings: Saturday, May 19 at 12 p.m.
Canada Screenings: Saturday, May 19 at 10 a.m.
Running time: 287 minutes, including one intermission
Original live transmission: February 11, 2012

Siegfried and Brünnhilde’s love is torn apart by the curse of the Ring. A trio of scheming humans separates the two heroes in a desperate attempt to steal the Ring for themselves. Their villainous plan fails, but they succeed in murdering Siegfried. Heartbroken, Brünnhilde takes the Ring and leaps into the hero’s funeral pyre, causing a global cataclysm and the twilight of the gods.

The Ring Around The World

(Check www.metopera.org/liveinhd for additional and updated listings.)

Australia: June 2-3 (Wagner’s Dream), June 30-July 1 (Das Rheingold), July 14-15 (Die Walküre), July 28-29 (Siegfried), August 4-5 (Götterdämmerung)
Austria: July 28 (Das Rheingold), July 29 (Die Walküre), August 4 (Siegfried), August 5 (Götterdämmerung)
Belgium: May 7 (Wagner’s Dream), May 9 (Das Rheingold), May 14 (Die Walküre), May 16 (Siegfried), May 19 (Götterdämmerung)
Canada: May 7 (Wagner’s Dream), May 9 (Das Rheingold), May 12 (Die Walküre), May 17 (Siegfried), May 19 (Götterdämmerung) Chile: May 19 (Wagner’s Dream), June 9 (Das Rheingold), June 16 (Die Walküre), June 23 (Siegfried), June 30 (Götterdämmerung)
Colombia: May 26 (Das Rheingold), May 27 (Die Walküre), June 2 (Siegfried), June 3 (Götterdämmerung)
Estonia: May 7 (Wagner’s Dream), May 9 (Das Rheingold), May 14 (Die Walküre), May 16 (Siegfried), May 19 (Götterdämmerung)
Finland: May 7 (Wagner’s Dream), May 9 (Das Rheingold), May 14 (Die Walküre), May 16 (Siegfried), May 21 (Götterdämmerung)
France: May 14 (Wagner’s Dream), June 5 (Das Rheingold), June 7 (Die Walküre), June 12 (Siegfried), June 14 (Götterdämmerung)
Germany: July 28 (Das Rheingold), July 29 (Die Walküre), August 4 (Siegfried), August 5 (Götterdämmerung)
Ireland: July 2 (Wagner’s Dream), July 3 (Das Rheingold), July 5 (Die Walküre), July 7 (Siegfried), July 8(Götterdämmerung)
Japan: August 11-17 (Das Rheingold and Die Walküre), August 18-24 (Siegfried andGötterdämmerung)
Mexico: May 21 (Wagner’s Dream), May 26 (Das Rheingold), May 27 (Die Walküre), June 2 (Siegfried), June 3 (Götterdämmerung)
New Zealand: June 7 (Wagner’s Dream), June 14 (Das Rheingold), June 21 (Die Walküre), June 28 (Siegfried), July 5 (Götterdämmerung)
Norway: May 6 (Wagner’s Dream), May 12 (Das Rheingold), May 13 (Die Walküre), May 26 (Siegfried), May 27 (Götterdämmerung)
Peru: May 24(Wagner’s Dream), May 26 (Das Rheingold), May 27 (Die Walküre), June 2 (Siegfried), June 3 (Götterdämmerung)
Spain: May 7 (Wagner’s Dream), May 10 (Das Rheingold), May 14 (Die Walküre), May 17 (Siegfried), May 19 (Götterdämmerung)
Switzerland: May 14 (Wagner’s Dream), June 5 (Das Rheingold), June 7 (Die Walküre), June 12 (Siegfried), June 14 (Götterdämmerung)
UK: June 20 (Wagner’s Dream), June 30 (Das Rheingold), July 1 (Die Walküre), July 7 (Siegfried), July 8 (Götterdämmerung)
U.S.: May 7 (Wagner’s Dream), May 9 (Das Rheingold), May 14 (Die Walküre), May 16 (Siegfried), May 19 (Götterdämmerung)

Major funding for Wagner’s Dream provided by The Link Foundation.

The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, The Neubauer Family Foundation. 


Global corporate sponsorship of
The Met: Live in HD is provided by Bloomberg.

Manon Videos and live stream

Manon premieres tonight. Here are videos of the production and what you will here tonight.
And if you are by a computer listen live tonight on the Met Livestream or through sirius

Messiah coming to the MET!

After taking down Brad Wilbur's opera blog, it seems the rumors haven't stopped coming. Today courtesy of Parterre.com, it is rumored that Met manager, Peter Gelb plans to mix a little religion in with the opera, or non-opera as the case may be. A couple of projects reportedly planned for the 2015-16 are the company premiere of Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise, to be directed by Robert Lepage, and a staged version of Handel’s Messiah

Manon opens tomorrow

The reigning diva Anna Netrebko returns to the Met after her successful run as Anna Bolena. Laurent Pelly's production which was the highlight of the 2009 Royal Opera House season also stars Polish tenor Piotr Beczala and Paulo Szot.

For more information on the production read our preview: http://salazarfamilycircle.blogspot.com/2012/01/manon-preview-2011-2012.html
For more information on Ms. Netrebko Read our Met retrospective: http://salazarfamilycircle.blogspot.com/2011/09/anna-netrebko-at-met.html

Eugene Onegin Live

 Eugene Onegin is being presented Live from the Bayerishe State Opera. Click here to watch it.










And Share your thoughts!

La Traviata rehearsal winners are in.

The Met will hold a dress rehearsal for their upcoming revival of La Traviata starring the ravishing Natalie Dessay. For those who entered the drawing the winners are in. Click here to find out if you won.

Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwiecien Confirm Eugene Onegin

Last Saturday on the Met radio broadcast Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwieicen were guests on the opera quiz.  The interviewer asked about singing with strangers vs. friends. Mariusz Kwieicien gave the example of singing Onegin and kissing Tatiana at the end. While Netrebko disagreed about the kiss at the end of the opera Kwieicien insisted on it and said that they would see what occurred on stage in two years.

Here is the interview 

Adrian Noble's riveting Macbeth returns tonight

Thomas Hampson and Nadja Michael star in Verdi's early masterpiece Macbeth. They are accompanied by Dimitri Pittas and Gianandrea Noseada.

For more information on the cast and the production read our Preview: http://salazarfamilycircle.blogspot.com/2011/06/macbeth-preview-2011-12.html

Munich Opera announces their 2012-2013 season

Jonas Kaufmann headlines the 2012-2013 season singing a new Trovatore and the revivals of Tosca and Don Carlo. Rene Pape reprises his King Phillip, Edita Griberova sings Lucrezia Borgia, and Joseph Calleja stars in Rigolett. Vittorio Grigolo sings Rodolfo in La Boheme, Anja Harteros reprises her role of Elisabetta and makes her role debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore and Joyce Didonato sings Romeo. For more details click here.

The Royal Opera House announces their 2012-2013 Season

Today the Royal Opera House announced their 2012-2013 season. Like every single opera house around the world, The Royal will celebrate Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagners birthdays. Their will be six new productions and six HD screenings which are part of the Royal Opera House in Cinemas. Placido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann, Angela Gheorghiu, Renee Fleming, Diana Damrau, Rolando Villazon, Juan Diego Florez, Joyce DiDonato, Robert Alagna, Leo Nucci and Vittorio Grigolo headline this star studded season.

Erwin Schrott to sing Dulcamara at the Met

 The Met has just announced that Erwin Schrott will sing the role of Dulcamara in the February run of Elisir d'Amore for the 2012-2013 season. These performances will mark the first on stage performances of the real life couple Anna Netrebko and Erwin Schrott at the Met.   

 

A Preview of 2012-2013's Parsifal

The Opera D'Lyon has unveiled Francois Girard's Parsifal, the production that will star Jonas Kaufmann, Katarina Dalayman, Rene Pape and Peter Mattei in December at the Met

Here are some pictures:

Details to come as we start to preview each individual opera.

Met Opera Review: "Elixir of Love" is a Dose of Perfection

By David Salazar (For the 03.09.2012 Performance)

I am not exaggerating with my title in the least.

But I do have one major gripe with this performance that has less to do with the performance and more to do with certain decision making. How is this performance not on HD in 3 weeks? Let's check the facts:

A. Juan Diego Florez + Diana Damrau + Mariusz Kwiecien +Alessandro Corbelli = Superstar Cast. They are superstars for a reason (reason being that they have the habit of giving superstar type performances on a consistent basis).
B. Donizetti's L'Elisir D'Amore = One of the most accessible operas both dramatically/comically/musically in the entire canon and hence a perfect work to reach out to not only the seasoned opera goer, but the new opera audiences both young and old. Sounds like a good way to promote opera to the unseasoned. 

C. Factor A  
        +
 Factor B 
         =
$$$$/ A happy audience/ Artistic fulfillment (I'm these are all equally important to the Met management)

Gerald Finley at the Met Opera Shop

Yesterday Baritone Gerald Finley held a CD and DVD signing at the Met Opera Shop. Unlike the prior two we attended this one was rather informal. No big lines, and no security. It made for a rather intimate setting allowing fans a chance to speak to baritone.

Gerald Finley is currently singing Don Giovanni in Michael Grandage's New Production.

Otello Live

Today Rossini's Otello will be presented live for the Zurich Opera House starring Cecilia Bartoli and John Osborn. The opera will be presented through Medici Live. Here is the link.

And for all of you watching tell us what you think.

Notable DVD and CD releases for the month of March

This month four great selections will be released by some of the greatest singers and from the worlds greatest opera houses.

The great Wagnerian tenor Peter Seiffert sings the title role of Tannhauser alongside his wife Petra Maria Schnitzer as Elzabeth. Beatrice Uria Monzon adds star power to Robert Carsen's acclaimed production. Sebastian Weigle conducts. 

L'Elisir D'Amore returns

Tomorrow Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez bring their acclaimed Adina and Nemorino in L'Elisir D'Amore. Alessandro Corbelli and Mariusz Kweicien also star in John Copley's classic production. Donato Renzetti conducts.  

For more information view our preview: http://salazarfamilycircle.blogspot.com/2011/08/lelisir-damore-2011-12.html

Is Latonia Moore the next great Aida?

Today at 1pm Latonia Moore makes her Met Debut as Aida. Listen Live on WQXR and tell us what you think.

For those who did not hear this broadcast, You  missed a wonderful new talent. One that virtually stole the show vocally from the rest of the principals. Good luck Latonia Moore, you have just become an artist to look forward to!

No Urmana this Saturday!

Latonia Moore will make her Metropolitan Opera debut this Saturday afternoon in the title role of Verdi’s Aïda, replacing Violeta Urmana, who is ill.