Marco Berti Cancels second Aida

In Tonight's performance of Aida  the extraordinary tenor Carl Tanner will sing the role of Radames replacing Marco Berti who is ill. For more on Carl Tanner read our review.

Turandot opens Tomorrow!

Maria Guleghina takes on Puccini's icy Princess in Franco Zeffirelli's lush production. Hibla Gerzmava, James Morris and Marco Berti round out the cast and Dan Ettinger conducts.

For more information on Turandot read our Preview linked here

For more information on Maria Guleghina read our Nabucco review and Nabucco Preview

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.

Il Trovatore Preview 2012-2013 Season

David McVicar's crowd pleasing Trovatore returns with a cast of up and coming stars which include Gwyn Hughes-Jones, Carmen Giannattasio and Alexey Markov

The Production

For years the Met had suffered from terrible productions of Il Trovatore from Fabrizio Melano and Grahm Vick. They were unable to tell the story that has become known for its complicated plot and its complex characters. In 2009, 6 years after the last Trovatore had been shown, the Met unvealed a new production by David McVicar and quickly became a critic and audience darling. The production has only missed one season and has been easily cast. Set in the Spanish Civil War, McVicar's sets uses a rotating turntable to easily move the action forward. The backdrops draw inspiration from “The Disasters of War,” Goya’s series of etchings and give the production a consistent and harrowing look. Having seen the production twice I was absolutely convinced the first time by its direction, and its imagery. As critics stated I believed the Trovatore "curse was broken." However the second time I was bored as the sets looked like drab and ultimately failed to provide any new insight. I don't know if it was because the cast was nothing special or because the production is ultimately a one shot deal. However what I do know is no matter how good a production is, the cast is ultimately what matters when it comes to this opera.