(Credit: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera)

It’s that time of the year. I am of course referring to the period when opera fans around the world start checking their calendars as they prepare for what they will be checking out in the upcoming season. Always an event unto itself is the Metropolitan Opera’s new season announcement, always full of interesting storylines, surprises, and trends. And the 2025-26 edition is no different.

So here are some thoughts on the Met Opera’s new season.

Safety in Numbers

There’s no beating around the bush about what the central message of the new season is. The financial reports over the past few years, the digging into the endowment, and the swift shift of strategies indicate that this is a company searching for a new direction. And it seems that when things get tough, you take less risks. Well, the Met is doing just that to the tune of 21 performances of “La Traviata;” 20 of “La Bohème;” 17 shows of “Turandot;” 15 of “Madama Butterfly;” 14 “Carmens;” 12 presentations of “Porgy and Bess;” 14 “Magic Flute” holiday specials (including a doubleheader on Dec. 27); and 13 “Don Giovanni” performances. That’s eight of the 18 operas being presented throughout the season, with none of the remaining 10 eclipsing 10 performances on the season.

Of course, the reasoning is simple. If you followed the Met Opera’s 2024-25 season, you’ll have noticed that ticket sales seemed more consistently solid throughout January when the company showcased “Tosca,” “Rigoletto,” “Aida,” “The Magic Flute,” and “Bohème.” “Tosca,” which only had four performances, sold out due to stellar casting and strong reviews. The others did solidly as well, mainly due to strong casts throughout. So the strategy is clearly to double down on the heavy hitters, which in turn allows you to attract the major international stars more easily. The risk here is if oversaturation, for example backloading 21 “Traviata’s” from March 2026 through June 2026, will lead to diminishing returns.

What’s interesting here is that most opera companies in the United States’ season seem to be taking similar approaches to their 2025-26 season, doubling down on classics to offset “riskier” new works in their programming. With the lessened number of productions all around, no one can seem to miss.

Backpedaling on Contemporary Opera?

We knew that the company was scaling back on contemporary works. They’ve said. The numbers said it a few seasons ago. In 2024-25, the number of works diminished from six in 2023-24 to four. And in 2025-26, we are seeing that diminish further to three operas – “The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” “Innocence,” and “El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego.”

But what’s really telling here about the importance of contemporary works for the company comes down to one thing – “Live in HD.” That’s General Manager Peter Gelb’s baby. It’s his rubber stamp on his tenure. When he finally retires, that will be the one uncontested victory of his tenure. So if there’s one way to establish what the Met stands for now and for posterity, it’s what you prioritize for “Live in HD.”

The problem is, “Live in HD” has grown a bit stale over the years as the company runs back the classics over and over. “Eugene Onegin” will be getting its fourth HD transmission this season (the third time this production gets one). Zeffirelli’s “La Bohème” will also get its fourth “HD.” The rest of the slate features all the new productions, except “Innocence” and “Kavalier and Clay.” “El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego” will be the only one of the contemporary operas to get the HD. All of these are Met premieres, performances that will have major historical relevance and importance. It is true that the 2024-25 “Live in HD” season also left several of the contemporary works out of its slate (“Ainadamar” anyone?), but the fact that this continues to be the modus operandi tells you everything you need to know about the confidence the company seems to have in drawing new audiences with these works.

What’s fascinating here is that the famed Opera America report on operagoing experiences determined that “most New-to-Opera attendees initially come for a new ‘experience,’ and they tend to stick to the classics.” The Met seemed to be all in on this concept a few seasons ago, but is now increasingly shifting in the opposite direction, not even taking a flyer on contemporary opera with its Live in HD setup where most contemporary operas, which already have sprawling plots more akin to cinema than theater, would likely hit harder. Then again, given the recent trend over the past few years, it seems safe to say that the Met is also playing it very safe with the “Live in HD,” to the point of repeatedly playing the hits in the same productions. It’s also likely that as is the case with live performances, HD showcases of newer works just aren’t getting the audiences to justify their inclusion.

What makes this hit hardest is that the Met, the North Star for companies in the U.S., seems to be in line with the general trend of cutting back on newer works. Los Angeles Opera cut two world premieres in successive seasons; each one of those, including “Kavalier and Clay” ended up getting that first showcase at the Met, putting further pressure on the company to deliver a hit.

Of course, ultimately, in the midst of all this seeming negativity is the flip side that the Met remains steadfast, despite the clear cutbacks, in keeping contemporary opera alive and well in its schedule.

Is Bel Canto Back?

For several of Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s first seasons as music director, it was clear that Bel Canto was not a priority. There might be an occasional Rossini or Donizetti thrown into the season, but compared to preceding years, where you might get a Tudor Queen trilogy, new Rossini productions for “Armida” or “Le Comte Ory,” and “Lucia di Lammermoor” and “Elisir d’Amore” on the regular, the trend was clear.

In 2024-25, the lone representative of the repertory was “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” (unless you count “Rigoletto” and “Il Trovatore” as bel canto operas, which I would argue aren’t because Verdi is kind of a genre unto his own). The new music director himself doesn’t seem to go near the repertoire (fair enough), and the company was making waves about its intent on contemporary operas.

But with the arrival of Daniele Rustioni as principal guest conductor, it seems that Bel Canto operas might be back on the menu. This season there are three such works, including TWO new productions for “La Sonnambula” and “I Puritani” (it’s been a while since you could say that). The last time we got a new production of a Bel Canto opera was in 2023 with “Lucia di Lammermoor” and before that, you’d have to look to David McVicar and his “Norma” from 2017-18 for a new staging. And on top of that, you get a revival of “La Fille du Régiment.” Of course, this could very well be a flash in the pan, especially with the company showcasing 18 operas over the past two seasons. But it is still great to see a season that has more than one Bel Canto staple and more impressive to see multiple new productions to support them.