Hamlet (Dean)

When Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet had its world premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2017, The Guardian declared, “New opera doesn’t often get to sound this good … Shakespeare offers a gauntlet to composers that shouldn’t always be picked up, but Dean’s Hamlet rises to the challenge.” On June 4, this riveting contemporary masterpiece appears live in cinemas, with Neil Armfield, who directed the work’s premiere, bringing his acclaimed staging to the Met. Many of the original cast members have followed, including tenor Allan Clayton in the title role. Nicholas Carter makes his Met debut conducting a remarkable ensemble, which also features soprano Brenda Rae as Ophelia, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly as Gertrude, baritone Rod Gilfry as Claudius, and legendary bass John Tomlinson as the ghost of Hamlet’s father.

Running Time: 3hr 34mins

PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST REQUIRED AT DOOR. MASKS REQUIRED.

Lucia Di Lammermoor (Donizetti)

Soprano Nadine Sierra takes on one of the repertory’s most formidable and storied roles, the haunted heroine of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, in an electrifying new staging by Australian theater and film director Simon Stone, conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Tenor Javier Camarena adds to the bel canto fireworks as Lucia’s beloved, Edgardo, with baritone Artur Ruciński as her overbearing brother, Enrico, and bass Matthew Rose as her tutor, Raimondo.

Running Time: 3hr 44mins

PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST REQUIRED AT DOOR. MASKS REQUIRED.

Turandot (Puccini)

Saturday, May 7th

12:55pm

Superstar soprano Anna Netrebko makes her long-awaited Met role debut as Puccini’s icy princess—live in cinemas on May 7. Tenor Yonghoon Lee is the bold prince determined to win Turandot’s love, alongside soprano Ermonela Jaho as the devoted servant Liù and legendary bass Ferruccio Furlanetto as the blind king Timur. Marco Armiliato conducts Puccini’s stirring opera, which takes the stage in the company’s dazzling, ever-popular production by Franco Zeffirelli.

Running Time: 3hr 26mins

PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST REQUIRED AT DOOR. MASKS REQUIRED.

Don Carlos (Verdi)

New Production/MET Premiere

For the first time in company history, the Met presents the original five-act French version of Verdi’s epic opera of doomed love among royalty, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a starry cast, including tenor Matthew Polenzani in the title role, soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Élisabeth de Valois, and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as Eboli. Bass Günther Groissböck and bass-baritone John Relyea are Philippe II and the Grand Inquisitor, and baritone Étienne Dupuis rounds out the principal cast as Rodrigue. Verdi’s masterpiece receives a monumental new staging by David McVicar that marks his 11th Met production, placing him among the most prolific and popular directors in recent Met memory.

Running Time: 5hr 14mins

PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST REQUIRED AT DOOR. MASKS REQUIRED.

Ariadne Auf Naxos (Strauss)

 The exhilarating soprano Lise Davidsen makes her Live in HD debut in one of her signature roles, the mythological Greek heroine of Strauss’s enchanting masterpiece. The outstanding cast also features mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as the Composer of the opera-within-an-opera around which the plot revolves, with soprano Brenda Rae as the spirited Zerbinetta and tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Ariadne’s lover, the god Bacchus. Marek Janowski conducts.

Running Time: 3hr 4mins

PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST REQUIRED AT DOOR. MASKS REQUIRED.

Rigoletto (Verdi)

Tony Award­–winning director Bartlett Sher creates a bold new take on Verdi’s timeless tragedy, resetting the opera’s action in 1920s Europe, with Art Deco sets by Michael Yeargan and elegant costumes by Catherine Zuber. Baritone Quinn Kelsey, a commanding artist at the height of his powers, brings his searing portrayal of the title role to the Met for the first time, starring alongside soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda and tenor Piotr Beczała as the Duke of Mantua, with leading maestro Daniele Rustioni on the podium.

Running Time: 3hr 26mins

PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST REQUIRED AT DOOR. MASKS REQUIRED.

Cinderella (Massenet)

Special encore adaptation.

Laurent Pelly’s storybook staging of Massenet’s Cendrillon is presented with an all-new English translation in an abridged 90-minute adaptation, with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as its rags-to-riches princess. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume leads a delightful cast, which includes mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo as Cinderella’s Prince Charming, soprano Jessica Pratt as her Fairy Godmother, and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and bass-baritone Laurent Naouri as her feuding guardians.

Running Time: 1hr 47mins

Eurydice (Aucoin)

Encore Screening *Recorded Live on December 4th

The ancient Greek myth of Orpheus, who attempts to harness the power of music to rescue his beloved Eurydice from the underworld, has inspired composers since opera’s earliest days. Rising American composer Matthew Aucoin now carries that tradition into the 21st century with a captivating new take on the story. With a libretto by MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Sarah Ruhl, adapted from her acclaimed 2003 play, the opera reimagines the familiar tale from Eurydice’s point of view. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium, leading Aucoin’s evocative music and an immersive new staging by Mary Zimmerman. Soprano Erin Morley sings the title role, opposite baritone Joshua Hopkins as Orpheus and countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński as his otherworldly alter ego.

Running Time: 3hr 3mins

Fire Shut Up In My Bones (Blanchard)

Encore Screening *Recorded Live on October 23rd

Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard’s adaptation of Charles M. Blow’s moving memoir. The first opera by a Black composer presented on the Met stage and featuring a libretto by filmmaker Kasi Lemmons, the opera tells a poignant and profound story about a young man’s journey to overcome a life of trauma and hardship. James Robinson and Camille A. Brown—two of the creators of the recent production of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess—co-direct this new staging, live in cinemas on October 23. Baritone Will Liverman, one of opera’s most exciting young artists, stars as Charles, alongside sopranos Angel Blue as Destiny/Loneliness/Greta and Latonia Moore as Billie.

Running Time: 2hr. 55mins

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky)

Bass René Pape, the world’s reigning Boris, reprises his tremendous portrayal of the tortured tsar caught between grasping ambition and crippling paranoia, kicking off the highly anticipated 2021–22 Live in HD season. Conductor Sebastian Weigle leads Mussorgsky’s masterwork, a pillar of the Russian repertoire, in its original 1869 version. Stephen Wadsworth’s affecting production poignantly captures the hope and suffering of the Russian people, as well as the title ruler himself. 

Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome receives its first Met performances, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius.

This production was originally created by the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie / De Munt Brussels and adapted by the Metropolitan Opera

Production a gift of Dunard Fund USA

Opera Preview at the Grand - Agrippina

Opera Preview

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

The Grand, Ellsworth

Bob Gallon, ASC Instructor and opera enthusiast, will discuss Handel's Agrippina at The Grand in Ellsworth prior to the live broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera.

Bob's talk will be from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., followed by a break for lunch. The live broadcast begins at 12:30 p.m. (Note earlier start times)

Sandwiches available for purchase at the Grand, bring your own or enjoy an Ellsworth lunch spot.

The preview talk is free. Tickets for the Live Broadcast can be purchased online or at the door.

No reservations required.

BY GEORGE GERSHWIN, DUBOSE AND DOROTHY HEYWARD, AND IRA GERSHWIN

One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.

The worldwide copyrights in the works of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for this presentation are licensed by the Gershwin family.

GERSHWIN is a registered trademark of Gershwin Enterprises. Porgy and Bess is a registered trademark of Porgy and Bess Enterprises.

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam; and English National Opera

Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund

Additional funding from Douglas Dockery Thomas.

After wowing audiences with his astounding production of Lulu in 2015, South African artist William Kentridge now focuses his extraordinary visual imagination on Berg’s other operatic masterpiece, set in an apocalyptic pre–World War I environment. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is on the podium for this important event, with baritone Peter Mattei making his highly anticipated role debut as the title character. Soprano Elza van den Heever is Wozzeck’s unfaithful mate, and the commanding cast also includes tenor Christopher Ventris as the Drum-Major, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the Doctor, and tenor Gerhard Siegel as the Captain.

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Salzburg Festival; the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto; and Opera Australia.

Production a gift of Robert L. Turner.

Director Phelim McDermott tackles another one of Philip Glass’s masterpieces, following the now-legendary Met staging of Satyagraha. Star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo is the title pharaoh, the revolutionary ruler who transformed ancient Egypt, with the striking mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges in her Met debut as his wife, Nefertiti. To match the opera’s hypnotic, ritualistic music, McDermott has created an arresting vision that includes a virtuosic company of acrobats and jugglers. Karen Kamensek conducts in her Met debut.

This production was originally created by English National Opera and LA Opera

In collaboration with Improbable

Production gift of the Rosalie J. Coe Weir Endowment Fund

Additional funding from The H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, Ph.D. and Oscar Tang Endowment Fund, Dominique Laffont, Andrew J. Martin-Weber, The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Endowment Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Leading sopranos Hui He and Ana María Martínez share the heartbreaking title role of the doomed geisha, with tenors Piero Pretti and Andrea Carè as the American naval officer who abandons her. The great Plácido Domingo makes his role debut as Sharpless, alternating with Paulo Szot and Markus Brück. Pier Giorgio Morandi is on the podium for Anthony Minghella’s sweeping production, a perennial audience favorite.

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and the Lithuanian National Opera

Production a gift of Mercedes and Sid Bass

Opera Preview Talk

Bob Gallon, ASC Instructor, and opera enthusiast is again offering introduction and discussion sessions prior to the live broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera at The Grand in Ellsworth. The next talk will be:

Madama Butterfly - Puccini

The talk will be from 11:00 a.m. to noon, followed by a break for lunch. The live broadcast begins at 12:55.

The preview talk is free. Tickets for the Live Broadcast can be purchased online or at the door.

No reservations are required and you do not have to attend the live broadcast to participate in the pre-event discussions.

Exhilarating soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as the irresistible title character, the tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life, in Laurent Pelly’s revealing production. Tenor Michael Fabiano is the besotted Chevalier des Grieux, whose desperate love for Manon proves their undoing. Maurizio Benini conducts Massenet’s sensual score.

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; Teatro alla Scala, Milan; and Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse

Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund 

Two of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Christine Goerke and Nina Stemme, reprise their fierce portrayals of the title princess. Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece, which also features tenors Roberto Aronica and Marco Berti as Calàf, sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Hibla Gerzmava as Liù, and bass-baritones James Morris and Nicolas Testé as Timur.

Production a gift of Mrs. Donald D. Harrington

Verdi’s Aida

August 28 6pm

From the 2018–19 season
Soprano Anna Netrebko and mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili offer blazing performances in Verdi’s grand drama of ancient Egypt, seen in a stunning production by Sonja Frisell. Nicola Luisotti conducts.

Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia

August 7 6pm

From the 2006–07 season
Rossini’s madcap comedy receives a spirited production by Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher and stars mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, and baritone Peter Mattei. Maurizio Benini conducts.

Puccini’s La Bohème

July 24 6pm

From the 2013–14 season
Franco Zeffirelli’s picturesque staging, an audience favorite for more than 30 years, features a winning young cast, including soprano Kristine Opolais and tenor Vittorio Grigolo as the lovers Mimì and Rodolfo. Stefano Ranzani conducts.

Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette

July 10 6pm

From the 2016–17 season
A pair of charismatic artists, tenor Vittorio Grigolo and soprano Diana Damrau, are the star-crossed lovers of Gounod’s dreamy adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy. Gianandrea Noseda conducts.