Since its inaugural season in 2006, the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD has been bringing a wonderful lineup of operas to select movie theatres in the U.S., Canada and Europe. I fondly recall the very first one, on December 30, 2006. It was an abridged version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, sung in English, starring American tenor Matthew Polenzani and Chinese soprano Ying Huang as Tamino and Pamina. This production is still revived each year at Christmas time.
The Met HD lineup was a Godsend for opera lovers living in communities without live opera. At $28 a Cineplex ticket, it’s a fraction of what one would have to pay in-person, yet it still offers the excitement of a live performance. To locate a cinema closest to you, see here.
The 2024-25 season Met HD lineup has eight operas. The live event is always a Saturday matinée performance starting at 1 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Since encore times vary, do consult the Cineplex website for details. The season begins on October 5 with Offenbach’s masterpiece Les Contes D’Hoffmann, and it ends with Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia on May 31.
Below is a highly personal take on the eight operas on offer. It’s a very good selection of what the Met has to offer — a mix of standard repertoire pieces (Tosca and Aida), with a 20th century gem (Salome), with a world premiere thrown in for good measure (Grounded).
While I have my own preferences, I can honestly say that any of these pieces will be an experience to treasure.
Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann (October 5, 1 p.m. ET)
For the Bartlett Sher’s colourful production, the Met has assembled a terrific cast. Hoffmann is French tenor sensation Benjamin Bernheim. The three women of his dreams are Erin Morley (Olympia), Pretty Yende (Antonia), and Clementine Margaine (Giulietta). Bass-baritone Christian van Horn is the Four Villains. Marco Armiliato conducts.
Tesori: Grounded (October 19, 1 p.m. ET)
The single new piece is composer Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded, which had its world premiere last year at the Washington National Opera. The Met premiere happened earlier this week. New York Times critic Zachary Woolf finds the opera uneven, but he has nothing but praise for Canadian mezzo Emily D’Angelo, who is reprising her role of Jess, the female fighter pilot turned drone operator. The music is decidedly contemporary but accessible. This revival also stars American tenor Ben Bliss. Canadian conductor and Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts. For a taste of the score, D’Angelo singing her aria, “All for the Blue” here.
Puccini: Tosca (November 23, 1 p.m. ET)
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen, arguably the greatest young dramatic soprano of our time, sings her first Roman diva. Known for her great heroines in German operas, Davidsen has been expanding her repertoire to Italian operas of Verdi and now Puccini. Opposite her as the painter Cavaradossi is another fast-rising tenor, Freddie Di Tommaso. American baritone Quinn Kelsey is the bad guy Scarpia. Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts. Not to be missed!
Verdi: Aida (January 25, 12:30 p.m. ET)
This grandest of grand operas stars American soprano Angel Blue in the title role. Opposite her as Radames is Polish tenor Piotr Beczala. Completing the love triangle is Romanian-Hungarian dramatic mezzo Judit Kutasi as Amneris. Kustasi has an exceptional voice and she’s a famous Amneris — there’s a taste of her from the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa here. Yannick Nezet-Seguin is at the podium.
Beethoven: Fidelio (March 15, 1 p.m. ET)
Lise Davidsen sings Leonore in Fidelio, a role tailor made for her voice. British tenor David Butt Philip takes on the short but grueling role of Florestan. German bass Rene Pape is Rocco. The young lovers of Marzelline and Jaquino are Chinese soprano Ying Fang and German tenor Magnus Dietrich. Finnish Maestra Susanna Malkki conducts.
Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (April 26, 1 p.m. ET)
German conductor Joana Mallwitz, one of the new crop of excellent women opera conductors, makes her Met debut with this Mozart gem. The downstairs folks are American bass-baritone (Figaro) and Ukrainian soprano Olga Kulchynska (Susanna). Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins and Italian soprano Federica Lombardi sing the Count and Countess. This striking Richard Eyre production is now ten years old and well worth experiencing again.
Strauss: Salome (May 17, 1 p.m. ET)
This new production is by Claus Guth, who is making his Met debut. COC audiences are familiar with Guth’s work when his Salzburg production of Le nozze di Figaro was staged in Toronto. A bit of a directorial provocateur, it would be interesting to see his take on Salome. Dutch soprano Elza van den Heever is Salome; Swedish baritone Peter Mattei is Jochanaan. Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts.
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (May 31, 1 p.m. ET)
The Met Live in HD season ends with this rollicking Rossini comic opera, in a high-spirited production by Bartlett Sher. Russian mezzo Aigul Akhmetshina is Rosina, opposite the excellent American tenor Jack Swanson as Almaviva. Swanson showcases his sunny timbre and terrific high notes in Rossini’s “Cujus Animam” here. Moldovan baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky is Figaro. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts.
- There you have it, a great Met Live in HD season! In addition to live simulcasts, there will be encores. Check the Cineplex website for details [HERE].
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