(Photo: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera)

The composer and librettist of the upcoming opera “Grounded” have admitted that the Metropolitan Opera version that will premiere on Sept. 22 was cut by 45 minutes.

In a New York Times article, Jeanine Tesori and the playwright George Brant said, “They have spent the past year making substantial revisions that, among other things, bring the running time down by about 45 minutes.”

Tesori and Brant noticed that they would cut and revise the opera during the world premiere run at the Washington National Opera in 2023. Tesori said, “George and I realized, Wow, we have a lot of work to do. I rented a house out in the boonies and shut myself away to rethink, and we got back to work. The Met was also incredibly supportive and gave us another workshop.”

She added, “There was one section where, when George suggested we cut it, I was like, ‘George, that was all of February.’”

Brant added, “There’s this moment in the play where her husband, Eric, gives her this mix tape, and she plays it while driving home when she’s really in a manic moment, and it calms her down. It’s kind of one of the last moments of hope we have for her. It’s very effective in the play. In the opera, we kept trying to incorporate this idea, this mix tape, and we were really trying.”

When the opera opened in Washington last year, it scored mixed reviews with critics noting, “‘Grounded’ misses the target” and “‘Grounded’ never takes off.”

The new version will open the Metropolitan Opera’s 2024-25 season and will star Emily D’Angelo in the lead role.