It was intermission at the premiere of Phelim McDermott’s new Metropolitan Opera production of Mozart and Da Ponte’s “Così Fan Tutte” and someone made this statement to me. “It’s fun and everything, but why set it on Coney Island?” It’s a great point, but one could extrapolate that entire statement to the opera itself – “It’s got great music and {…}
Conductor James Levine has sued the Metropolitan Opera. The AP reported that Levine opted to sue the opera company on Thursday after a sexual misconduct investigation that ended in the conductor being fired. According to Levine’s representative the company “exploited baseless allegations to tarnish him and then fired him without so much as a phone call. The lawsuit accuses the company {…}
A few years ago, Amanda Majeski got the opportunity of a lifetime. Most singers wait a ton of time before getting a shot at opening the Metropolitan Opera season. Many singers never get that opportunity at all. But there was Majeski on Sept. 22, 2014. Richard Eyre’s massive set for “Le Nozze di Figaro” was rotating to reveal the Countess’ {…}
Ermonela Jaho has canceled tonight’s performance of “Madama Butterfly.” The Metropolitan Opera announced via Twitter that due to illness Jaho would not be able to perform. As a result, Inna Dukach will sing the role of Cio-Cio-San, making her Met debut. Dukach, who has been covering “Madama Butterfly” since the fall, sang the role of Cio-Cio-San in Anchorage and Atlanta. {…}
When you sing a major part of your career with one theater, you get to experience a ton of major moments in said organization’s history. Rosalind Elias, born on March 13, 1929, was such an artist, experiencing a major part of her artist life at the Metropolitan Opera. In sum, she showed up on the Met’s stage 687 times between {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has officially fired James Levine. The New York Times reported that the Met ended its association with the conductor on Monday evening after an investigation that found what the Met called credible evidence that Levine had engaged in “sexually abusive and harassing conduct.” The investigation, which opened in December, found evidence of abuse and harassment “both before {…}
The opera stage is replete with people both visible and invisible. You have the singers, the orchestra, and the conductor; arguably the most visible participants in any performance. You have your technician and other stagehands working to keep the lighting and other aspects of the production moving along swimmingly. You’ve got someone coordinating all of that. And then hidden onstage {…}
Paul Plishka has announced he will retire. The beloved Metropolitan Opera veteran told the New York Times that after this Saturday’s performance of “La Boheme,” he will call it quits. Plishka, now 76, had announced back in 2012 that he would retire but that did not work out when his colleague John Del Carlo passed away. After 50 years and what will {…}
This Saturday, audiences around the world will get a chance to see a rare performance of Rossini’s final Italian opera “Semiramide” in cinemas as part of the company’s famed Live in HD broadcast. The showcase kicks off at 12:25 p.m. EDT and will star Angela Meade in the title role alongside Elizabeth DeShong as Arsace, Ildar Abdrazakov as Assur, and {…}
Richard Strauss’ “Elektra” returned to the Metropolitan Opera on Thursday, March 1, 2018, in a hotly anticipated revival of Patrice Chéreau’s production. Last time out, the production was a smash hit, its stripped-down sets allowing for the audience to focus on the violent drama put before us. It continues to work in that vein, though its overall stillness might not {…}
For the third evening of the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of “Semiramide,” Javier Camarena has canceled. The tenor who also canceled the second performance announced on Feb. 24 that due to a cough he would not be able to sing. As a result, Robert McPherson will perform the role of Idreno, which he had previously done with the Vlaamse Opera and on tour {…}