How grateful are we that the Metropolitan Opera continues to dig through their archives of filmed performances to share? Week 6 at the Met is another week featuring the women.
As with all of these streaming operas, they become available at 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT at the Met Opera website for 23 hours.
Before we get to this week’s list, you’ll notice that there is not a production scheduled for Saturday. There is a special event we will be covering separately. Look for that.
Monday, April 20 – R. Strauss’s Elektra
Conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier, and Eric Owens.
Of this production, The New York Times‘ Anthony Tomasini said, “…nothing prepared me for the seething intensity, psychological insight and sheer theatrical inventiveness of this production on Thursday night, conducted by the brilliant Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mr. Chéreau’s partner in this venture from the start. A superb cast is headed by the smoldering soprano Nina Stemme in the title role.
Tuesday, April 21 – Puccini’s Tosca
Conducted by Emmanuel Villaume, starring Sonya Yoncheva, Vittorio Grigolo, and Željko LuÄić.
This 2018 production of Tosca was a troubled one. The two announced stars pulled out of appearing. Two conductors, for very different reasons, also left the production. Yoncheva and Grigolo sang these roles for the first time.
Wednesday, April 22 – Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann
Conducted by James Levine, starring Anna Netrebko, Kathleen Kim, Ekaterina Gubanova, Joseph Calleja, and Alan Held.
This production was directed by Bartlett Sher, best known for his work directing musicals on Broadway including The Light in the Piazza, My Fair Lady and The King and I.
Thursday, April 23 – Lehar’s The Merry Widow
Conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, starring Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and Nathan Gunn.
This is another production directed by a Broadway veteran: Susan Stroman. This production of The Merry Widow not only marked her debut at The Met, but Tony Award-winning actress Kelli O’Hara also made hers.
Friday, April 24 – Verdi’s La Traviata
Conducted by Fabio Luisi, starring Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
This production marked the first time Dessay sang the role of Violetta at The Met. Her “achingly real” performance, according to Tommasini was enhanced by the performance of Hvorostovsky as Germont.
Sunday, April 26 – Rossini’s La Cenerentola
Conducted by Fabio Luisi, starring Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez.
When DiDonato appeared in La Cenerentola at the Met it was the last time she would be performing the role after playing Cinderella in this opera for 17 years.
Photo: Renée Fleming in a scene from Lehár’s The Merry Widow. (Photo by Ken Howard/Courtesy of the Met Opera)