Saturday March 21st: The Metropolitan Opera New York presents Wagner's Tristan and Isolde
After years of anticipation, a truly unmissable event arrives as the electrifying Lise Davidsen tackles one of the ultimate roles for dramatic soprano: the Irish princess Isolde in Wagner's transcendent meditation on love and death. Heroic tenor Michael Spyres stars opposite Davidsen as the love-drunk Tristan. The momentous occasion also marks the advent of a new, Met-debut staging by Yuval Sharon, the first American to direct an opera at Bayreuth as well as Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin's first time leading Tristan und Isolde at the Met. Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova reprises her signature portrayal of Brangäne, alongside bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny, who sings Kurwenal after celebrated Met appearances in Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer and Ring cycle. Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green makes an important role debut as King Marke.
Saturday March 28th: The Metropolitan Opera New York presents Verdi's La Traviata
A beloved mainstay of the repertory, Verdi's great tragedy stirs the soul and breaks the heart like only opera can. The captivating Lisette Oropesa performs the touchstone soprano role of Violetta Valéry, the ill-fated Parisian courtesan fighting for love before her time runs out. Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer conjures a dreamy setting that matches the poetry and passion of the unforgettable score. Antonello Manacorda conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
Saturday April 4th: The Metropolitan Opera New York presents La Gioconda by Ponchielli
Ponchielli's tuneful drama is brought to thrilling life by an all-star dream cast from the Met Archives in this 1968 production: Renata Tebaldi sings the title role of the street singer who is in love with Enzo, played by legendary tenor Carol Bergonzi. When Gioconda rejects the advances of the spy Barnaba (the great Cornell MacNeil), he sets in motion a revenge plot that involves Enzo's beloved, Laura (Fiorenza Cossotto), and her husband, Alvise (Bonaldo Giaiotti), who has murderous intentions of his own. Mignon Dunn is Gioconda's blind mother, La Cieca, and Fausto Cleva conducts.
