Week 7 at the Met

Did you catch the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala this weekend? It was so well-produced with live performances from all over the world. And it was very emotional, too. Now with Monday back again, they launch Week 7 at the Met of operas available every night on their website.

There are significant highlights this week. Topping my list is Nico Muhly‘s Marnie. There is also a 1985 telecast of Verdi’s Aida starring Leontyne Price. You can also watch Donizetti’s Tudor Trilogy.

Here’s the line-up and remember that each opera becomes available at 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PDT and will remain available for free streaming for 23 hours.

Monday, April 27 – Donizetti’s Anna Bolena

Conducted by Marco Armiliato, starring Anna Netrebko, Ekaterina Gubanova, Stephen Costello, and Ildar Abdrazakov.

This production was the first time the Metropolitan Opera performed Anna Bolena in all its history. It was, however, the second time Netrebko had performed the role having sung it in Vienna earlier that year. The title, of course, is Italian for Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife.

Tuesday, April 28 – Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda

Conducted by Maurizio Benini, starring Elza van den Heever, Joyce DiDonato, and Matthew Polenzani.

Mary, Queen of Scots, is the central figure in this opera written by Donizetti that had its world premiere in 1835. The libretto Guiseppe Bardari, was based on Friedrich von Schiller’s play, Mary Stuart, from 1800.

Of DiDonato’s performance in the title role, Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times said, “Ms. DiDonato’s performance will be pointed to as a model of singing in which all components of the art form — technique, sound, color, nuance, diction — come together in service to expression and eloquence.”

Wednesday, April 29 – Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux

Conducted by Maurizio Benini, starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Elīna Garanča, Matthew Polenzani, and Mariusz Kwiecien.

Roberto Devereux was the last opera LA Opera performed before the pandemic forced closure of venues around the world. Donizetti’s opera had its world premiere in 1837. The title character was the 2nd Earl of Essex and served in the court of Queen Elizabeth the 1st.

It should be noted that all three of these productions were directed by David McVicar. Also worth mention is that when Radvanovsky sang in this production, she had also performed the two previous Donizetti operas in this informal trilogy in the same season at the Met.

Thursday, April 30 – Nico Muhly’s Marnie

Conducted by Roberto Spano, starring Isabel Leonard, Iestyn Davies, and Christopher Maltman.

If the title, Marnie, sounds familiar, this is based on the same novel by Winston Graham that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s 1964 film. The title character is a woman who steals from people, changes her identity and quickly moves on to other victims. Until an employer catches her and blackmails her.

Muhly’s opera, with a libretto by Nicholas Wright, had its world premiere at the English National Opera in 2017. Nearly a year later it had its US premiere in this production at the Metropolitan Opera.

I’m a huge fan of Muhly’s work and I hope the Met Opera will soon make available his opera Two Boys which has a libretto by playwright Craig Lucas.

Friday, May 1 – Verdi’s Aida

Conducted by James Levine, starring Leontyne Price, Fiorenza Cossotto, James McCracken, and Simon Estes. This video clip does not represent the quality of the film the Met will be streaming. But it does reflect the power of Leontyne Price.

This film marked Price’s farewell to opera. From a purely historical perspective, that alone makes this opportunity to see it unmissable. Reviews were mixed on the production, but by the end the ovation Price received acknowledges more than just a production or a performance, but also her career.

Saturday, May 2 – Verdi’s Luisa Miller

Conducted by Bertrand de Billy, starring Sonya Yoncheva, Piotr Beczała, and Plácido Domingo.

Luisa Miller was Verdi’s 15th opera. Like Maria Stuarda, the composer turned to Friedrich von Schiller for inspiration. His work, Kabale und Liebe, was the basis for Salvadore Cammarano’s libretto. The opera had its world premiere in 1849.

For those who miss seeing and hearing Domingo, the tenor-turned-baritone received rave reviews for his performance in what he said was his 149th new role in opera.

Sunday, May 3 – Borodin’s Prince Igor

Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, starring Oksana Dyka, Anita Rachvelishvili, and Ildar Abdrazakov.

This 2014 production marked the first time in nearly 100 years that Prince Igor had been performed at the Met. It was a new production directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov who also designed the sets.

Borodin based his opera on The Lay of Igor’s Host, a poem scholars believe dates back to the 12th century. The composer died before completing the opera and the work was ultimately finished and edited by composers Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. Prince Igor had its world premiere in 1890 in St. Petersburg three years after Borodin’s death.

Tommasini of the New York Times included this production on his list of 10 Best Classical Music Events of 2014.

As you can see, Week 7 at the Met is indeed an exciting one.

Photo: Isabel Leonard (center) in the title role of Nico Muhly’s Marnie with (l. to r.) Dísella Lárusdóttir, Deanna Breiwick, Peabody Southwell, and Rebecca Ringle Kamarei. (Photo by Ken Howard/Courtesy of the Met Opera)