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Opera Week | September 2-6, 2007Great Performances at the MetOpera fans' dream week launches with Eugene Onegin (Sept. 2), starring Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, with Mozart's The Magic Flute (Sept. 3). Anna Netrebko stars as Elvira, who goes mad when abandoned at the altar, in Bellini's I Puritani (Sept. 4). Tony-winner Bartlett Sher directs The Barber of Seville (Sept. 5) with Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, and Puccini's popular Il Trittico (Sept. 6) concludes this special week. Featured PerformancesSunday, September 2, 2007 Monday, September 3, 2007 Tuesday, September 4, 2007 Wednesday, September 5, 2007 Thursday, September 6, 2007 Related LinksSponsored By
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"Life is not like a novel," states a phrase in Eugene Onegin, but this opera actually mirrors a tragic event in Tchaikovsky's own life. The poignant "Letter Scene" is sung by the sensational Renée Fleming in the role of Tatiana for the first time at The Met. Charismatic Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings the title role with the dynamic Ramon Vargas as Lenski. Valery Gergiev conducts.
Celebrated director Julie Taymor, who brought The Lion King to Broadway, casts her spell on Mozart's The Magic Flute. Dancing bears, flying birds, even a giant serpent are all brought vividly to life through Taymor's ingenious use of puppetry. This abridged version of Mozart's opera is sung in English by an attractive young cast that includes Isabel Bayrakdarian (Pamina), Cornelia Gotz (Queen of the Night), Matthew Polenzani (Tamino), Nathan Gunn (Papageno) and Morris Robinson (Sarastro), conducted by beloved maestro James Levine.
Sensational Russian soprano Anna Netrebko – "Audrey Hepburn with a voice," according to one critic – has taken the opera world by storm, dazzling audiences in Vienna, Milan, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles. Now she takes on the role of the fragile Elvira, who goes mad when abandoned at the altar, in Bellini's I Puritani. With its vocal fireworks and deep pathos, this has been a supreme role for great singing actresses, from Maria Callas to Beverly Sills. Tenor Eric Cutler stars as Lord Arturo Talbot.
The music of Rossini's The Barber of Seville has been featured in Bugs Bunny cartoons and TV commercials, but it is best heard in its original setting where its infections charm and bubbling joy are given free reign. In the Met's new production, by theatre director Bartlett Sher and his Tony Award-winning team from The Light in the Piazza, the dashing young Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez sings one of his greatest roles: Count Almaviva.
James Levine conducts Puccini's popular triptych of one-acts that runs the gamut of styles and emotions. Broadway luminary Jack O'Brien (Henry IV and Hairspray) directs, and Douglas W. Schmidt (Into the Woods and 42nd Street) designs. In "Il Tabarro," Maria Guleghina is the faithless wife, Giorgetta, and Salvatore Licitra is her doomed lover. In "Suor Angelica," Barbara Frittoli sings the role of the tragic Angelica, delivering Puccini's famous aria of yearning, "Senza mamma." Stephanie Blythe is the Princess, Angelica's tormentor. In "Gianni Schicchi," Alessandro Corbelli sings the title role in Puccini's comic masterpiece of comeuppance. "Schicchi" features the composer's famous romantic aria, "O mio babbino caro."
