Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Met HD Broadcasts, 2009-10

Here's the lineup for the upcoming season of Met HD broadcasts. To find theaters, go to the HD broadcast home page and click the appropriate link for your country.

I've never seen the gargantuan Aida or Turandot productions and might go just for fun. I think Mattila will be an interesting Tosca even though she doesn't sound the slightest bit Italian. Hamlet has about 15 minutes of good music in it, so unless you're looking for a novelty...I saw it with Hampson and prime Swenson. Armida is another serious rarity and likely worth seeing. The casting for the other productions is generally strong, and I definitely won't miss an opportunity to hear the world's greatest living tenor singing the baritone role of Simon Boccanegra. Morris must be singing Fiesco, and I hope he's well and sounding better than in last year's local Mahler 8.

Saturday, October 10, 2009 TOSCA (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 p.m. BST / 19:00 CEST) – A new production of Puccini’s Tosca by Luc Bondy in his house debut, starring Karita Mattila in her first performance of the title role outside her native Finland, and Marcelo Álvarez as Cavaradossi. Juha Uusitalo sings the role of Scarpia. James Levine conducts.

HD host: Susan Graham NEW PRODUCTION


Saturday, October 24, 2009 AIDA (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 p.m. BST / 19:00 CEST) – Daniele Gatti returns for the first time in 14 years to conduct a cast of powerful voices in Verdi’s Aida. Violeta Urmana sings the title role, while Dolora Zajick returns in one of her most acclaimed portrayals as the Egyptian princess Amneris. Johan Botha is Radamès and Carlo Guelfi sings Amonasro. HD host: Renee Fleming


Saturday, November 7, 2009 TURANDOT (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) – Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of Puccini’s Turandot features the Met role debuts of Maria Guleghina in the title role, Marcello Giordani as Calàf, Samuel Ramey as Timur, and Marina Poplavskaya as Liù. Conductor Andris Nelsons makes his Met debut.


Saturday, December 19, 2009 LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) – Bartlett Sher, whose staging of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia was a hit two seasons ago, returns to direct his second Met production: Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, conducted by James Levine. Joseph Calleja stars as Hoffmann, with Anna Netrebko as Antonia, Ekaterina Gubanova as Giulietta, Kate Lindsey as Nicklausse, Kathleen Kim as Olympia, and Alan Held as the four villains. NEW PRODUCTION

Saturday, January 9, 2009 DER ROSENKAVALIER (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) – James Levine conducts a stellar cast led by Renée Fleming as the Marschallin and Susan Graham as Octavian. Eric Cutler is the Italian Singer, Kristinn Sigmundsson sings the role of Baron Ochs, and Christine Schäfer is Sophie. HD host: Plácido Domingo

Saturday, January 16, 2010 CARMEN (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) – The new Carmen, starring Elīna Garanča, who sang the title role of La Cenerentola at the Met last spring to great acclaim, will also feature the debuts of director Richard Eyre and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Roberto Alagna is the soldier Don José, Barbara Frittoli is Micaëla, and Mariusz Kwiecien is the bullfighter Escamillo. HD host: Renée Fleming

NEW PRODUCTION

Saturday, February 6, 2010 SIMON BOCCANEGRA (1:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. CST / 11:00 a.m. MST / 10:00 a.m. PST/ 18:00 p.m. UTC / 19:00 CET) – Four decades into a legendary Met career, Plácido Domingo makes history by singing the baritone title role of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, conducted by James Levine. Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, and James Morris co-star. HD host: Renée Fleming


Saturday, March 27, 2010 HAMLET (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 CET) – Last performed at the Met in 1897, Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet will be seen in a new production by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, conducted by Louis Langrée and starring Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Natalie Dessay as Ophélie. With Jennifer Larmore as Gertrude, Toby Spence as Laërtes and James Morris as Claudius. HD host: Renée Fleming

NEW PRODUCTION

Saturday, May 1, 2010 ARMIDA (1:00 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. CDT / 11:00 a.m. MDT / 10:00 a.m. PDT/ 17:00 p.m. UTC / 18:00 p.m. BST / 19:00 CEST) - The season’s final new production features Renée Fleming in Rossini’s bel canto tour de force Armida, directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Also starring Lawrence Brownlee, Bruce Ford, José Manuel Zapata, Barry Banks, and Kobie van Rensburg. HD host: Deborah Voigt

NEW PRODUCTION

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