A scene from "Eugene Onegin," which launches the MetOpera Live in HD series.
Courtesy photo |
Opera used to be a foreign entity to many, with odd language, singing dialogue and seemingly intense overacting. The advent of subtitles and the evolution of film production has made the genre more accessible. So, to engender more devotees, the Sun Valley Opera will host a series of operas on film from the “Metropolitan Opera HD: Live” series starting Saturday, Oct. 5, and lasting through May at the Big Wood Theater in Hailey.
There will be pre-opera lectures to enhance the experience before each show. Doors open 45 minutes before opera begins Saturdays at 10:55 a.m.
The schedule is:
Oct. 5, “Eugene Onegin”—Anna Betrebko and Mariusz Kwiccien star as the lovestruck Tatiana and the imperious Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s fateful romance. Deborah Warner’s new production, set in the late 19th century, moves episodically from farmhouse to ballroom, with a blinding snowstorm providing the dramatic setting for the finale. Piotr Beczala is Lenski, Onegin’s friend-turned-rival. Russian maestro Valery Gergiev conducts.
Oct. 26, “The Nose”—William Kentridge stormed the Met with his inventive production of Shostakovich’s opera, which dazzled opera and art lovers alike in its inaugural run in 2010. Now, Paulo Szot reprises his acclaimed performance of a bureaucrat, whose satirical misadventures in search of his missing nose are based on Gogol’s comic story. Pavel Smelkov conducts.
Nov. 9, “Tosca”—Puccini’s timeless verismo score is well served by an exceptional cast, led by Patricia Racette in the title role of the jealous diva, opposite Roberto Alagna as her lover, Cavaradossi. George Gagnidze is the villainous Scarpia.
Dec. 14, “Falstaff”—an undisputed master of Falstaff, music director James Levine conducts Verdi’s opera for the first time at the Met since 2005. Robert Carsen’s production—the first new “Falstaff” at the Met since 1964—is set in the English countryside in the mid-20th century. Ambrogio Maestri (last season’s Dulcamara in the opening night production of “L’Elisir d’Amore”) sings the title role of the brilliant and blustery Sir John Falstaff, opposite a marvelous ensemble that includes Angela Meade, Stephanie Blythe, Lisette Oropesa and Franco Vassallo.
Feb. 8, “Rusalka”—the great Renée Fleming returns to one of her signature roles, singing the enchanting “Song to the Moon” in Dvorák’s soulful fairy-tale opera. Tenor Piotr Beczala co-stars as the Prince, Dolora Zajick is Je?ibaba, and dynamic young maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin is on the podium.
March 1, “Prince Igor”—Borodin’s defining Russian epic, famous for its Polovtsian dances, comes to the Met for the first time in nearly 100 years. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production is a brilliant psychological journey through the mind of its conflicted hero, with the founding of the Russian nation as the backdrop. Star bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov takes on the monumental title role, with Gianandrea Noseda conducting.
March 15, “Werther”—Jonas Kaufmann stars in the title role of Massenet’s sublime adaptation of Goethe’s revolutionary and tragic romance, opposite Sophie Koch as Charlotte. The new production is directed and designed by Richard Eyre and Rob Howell, the same team that created the Met’s recent hit staging of “Carmen.” Rising young maestro Alain Altinoglu conducts.
April 5, “La Boheme”—Puccini’s moving story of young love is the most performed opera in Met history—and with good reason. Anita Hartig stars as the frail Mimì in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production, with Vittorio Grigolo as her passionate lover, Rodolfo.
April 26, “Cosi Fan Tutte”—Director James Levine conducts Mozart’s beloved opera about testing the ties of love. The cast is filled with youthful Met stars: Susanna Phillips and Isabel Leonard are the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, Matthew Polenzani and Rodion Pogossov are their lovers, with Danielle de Niese as the scheming Despina.
May 10, “La Cenerentola”—A peerless pair of Rossini virtuosos joins forces in La Cenerentola—a vocal tour de force for mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, singing her first Met performances of the Cinderella title role, and the high-flying tenor Juan Diego Flórez, as her Prince Charming. Alessandro Corbelli and Luca Pisaroni complete the cast, with Met principal conductor Fabio Luisi leading the effervescent score.
