For opera lovers who don’t live in a big city with an opera company, the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD is a Godsend. It all began on December 30, 2006, as part of its effort to attract new audiences and improve its bottom line, the Met broadcast a series of six performances live to select movie theatres in the States and in Canada.
I have very fond memories of seeing that abridged version of The Magic Flute in the cinema – what marvellous sets, and whimsical costumes for all the characters, human and otherwise! Gary Halvorson directed the wonderful American tenor Matthew Polenzani and the Chinese soprano Ying Huang as the young lovers Tamino and Pamina. This abridged version is still revived at Christmas time.
Many of the live transmissions were later rebroadcast through the PBS television network as part of the Great Performances at the Met series. That said, seeing it live, in real time, is a luxury for those of us not able to travel to New York to see it. At $28 ($25 for seniors) a Cineplex ticket, it is a fraction of what one would have to pay in-person, yet you still get all the excitement. There are also encores. Details here.
The 2023-24 season Met HD lineup has nine operas, always the Saturday matinée performance starting at 12:55 pm, unless otherwise noted. Encore times vary, do consult the website. The season begins on October 21 with Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, and ends with Madama Butterfly on May 11.
A few observations. At nine operas, it’s one shorter than the last couple of seasons. For the first time in memory, there are three contemporary works in a single season, ie. Dead Man Walking, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, and Florencia en el Amazonas. It’s a sign that the notably tradition-bound Met Opera is changing. The casting also shifts to include more artists of colour, while not sacrificing the all-important musical and artistic excellence.
With such a short season, notably there’s no German opera, and no Mozart! Here’s my personal take on this year’s offerings. No matter what’s your preference, you can be sure it’ll be opera at the highest level, always an experience to cherish:
Dead Man Walking (Heggie) October 21, 2023 (Encore: November 4, 2023)
The Jake Heggie opera is touted as the most performed 21st century opera. The story is well known in popular culture, thanks to the movie starring Susan Sarandon. Heggie’s opera is tonal and accessible. You won’t leave the cinema humming a tune, but the work is deeply moving. It’s based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book about her attempt to save the soul of Joseph De Rocher, a murderer on death row. I saw it at Opera Montreal some years ago with mezzo Allyson McHardy and baritone Etienne Dupuis, and it moved me to tears. Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts, with an exceptional cast of Joyce DiDonato (Sister Helen Prejean), Ryan McKinney (De Rocher), and Susan Graham, the original Sister Prejean, now singing the role of De Rocher’s mother.
Here’s Joyce DiDonato singing Sister Helen’s heartfelt Act 1 aria:
X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Davis) November 18, 2023 (Encore: January 13, 2024)
The 1986 opera about the life of African American civil rights activist Malcolm X will premiere at the Met on November 3. Baritone Will Liverman, last seen in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, sings Malcolm X; soprano Leah Hawkins sings his mother, Louise; and mezzo Raehann Bryce-Davis his sister Ella. To get a taste of the expressive and powerful work, go to this performance by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project here.
Florencia en el Amazonas (Catán) December 9, 2023 (Encore: February 3, 2024)
Mexican composer Daniel Catán’s opera receives a new production by Mary Zimmerman, with American soprano Ailyn Perez in the title role. Also appearing are soprano Gabriella Reyes and bass-baritone Greer Grimsley. The intriguing plot tells the story of a Brazilian opera singer who returns to her homeland to perform in the Manaus opera house deep in the Amazon jungle, where she searches for her lost lover who has vanished there. Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts the luminous score with beautiful vocal writing. You can sample it in this beautiful performance by American soprano Sheri Greenawald, the original Florencia, in a 1999 production here.
Nabucco (Verdi) January 6, 2024 (Encore: February 24, 2024)
After three relatively unfamiliar works to open the HD season, it’s followed by Nabucco, an early Verdi piece and his first great success. This Met revival boasts a terrific cast in George Gagnidze, a true Verdi baritone, in the title role. Abigaille is Ukrainian dramatic soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, and Ukrainian bass Dmitry Belosselskiy is Zaccaria. A highlight will be the Met Chorus in the stirring “Va, pensiero.” Here’s Monastyrska singing with fierce vocalism an excerpt:
Carmen (Bizet) January 27, 2024 (Encore: March 2, 2024)
The Bizet masterpiece receives a new production by British director Carrie Cracknell. She’s updating the story to the present day, quite unusual for the Met and its conservative audiences. It remains to be seen how it’ll be received. This revival features a magnificent cast, led by the phenomenal 27-year-old Russian mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina as Carmen. Her voice is gorgeous, and her musicianship is impeccable for someone so young. Singing Don Jose is the Polish tenor Piotr Beczala. American soprano Angel Blue is Micaela, and American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelson is Escamillo. Daniele Rustioni conducts. Not to be missed. Here’s Akhmetshina singing Habanera:
La Forza del Destino (Verdi) March 9, 2024 (Encore: April 6, 2024)
A highly anticipated event this season is the appearance of soprano Lise Davidsen as the Forza Leonora. Considered the greatest soprano from Norway since Kirsten Flagstad, Davidsen has a stunning spinto soprano, huge in volume with a truly lovely timbre, ideal in Italian, German and Russian operas. Mariusz Trelinski directs a new Forza production, the Met’s first in 30 years. The great cast includes tenor Brian Jagde (Don Alvaro), Igor Solovatenko (Don Carlo), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Preziosilla), and Soloman Howard (Padre Guardiano). Forza is a bit of a marathon, clocking in nearly four and a half hours with two intermissions, but it’s Verdi at his most inspired. Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts. Check out Lise Davidsen singing the showstopper “Pace, pace, mio Dio” here.
Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) March 23, 2024 (Encore: April 27, 2024)
The Gounod masterpiece returns to the Met in Barlett Sher’s opulent production, with French tenor sensation Benjamin Bernheim and the wonderful American soprano Nadine Sierra as the star-crossed lovers. Will Liverman is Mercutio and Samantha Hankey sings Stephano. Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts. Here’s Bernheim singing Romeo’s gorgeous aria “Ah! Leve toi soleil” from a performance in Bordeaux:
La Rondine (Puccini) April 20, 2024 (Encore: May 25, 2024)
The rarely performed Puccini opera will get its moment in the sun in Nicolas Joël’s beautiful production, resituated from Paris to the French Riviera. It stars American soprano Angel Blue as Magda, opposite the new Chilean American tenor sensation Jonathan Tetelman as Ruggero. American soprano Emily Pogorelc is Lisette and Uzbekistani tenor Bekhzod Davronov is Prunier. Italian Maestra Speranza Scappucci, who conducted so wonderfully at the COC, is at the helm. Sample a recital by Angel Blue, her first aria is Magda’s “Che il bel sogno di Doretta” from La Rondine here.
Madama Butterfly (Puccini) May 11, 2024 (Encore: June 8, 2024)
The season concludes with another Puccini gem, starring fast rising Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian as Cio Cio San in a revival of the remarkable Anthony Minghella production of Madama Butterfly. Grigorian was recently named the Opus Klassik Singer of the Year, and it’s easy to see why – she combines a beautiful voice with uncommon musicality and emotional intensity. Pinkerton is tenor Jonathan Teleman; and mezzo Elizabeth DeShong is Suzuki, a role she sang so memorably with the COC a few seasons ago. Baritone Lucas Meachem is Sharpless. Chinese American Maestra Xian Zhang conducts. Grigorian sings the Butterfly’s aria “Un bel di”magnificently here.
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