MET Opera productions to premiere across Australian cinemas

From October 30, opera fans will be able to enjoy the return of the Metropolitan Opera, with six new productions set to premiere in Australian cinemas nationally.

The season will launch with René Pape’s overwhelming portrayal of the tragic Tsar in Boris Gudanov on October 30, followed by the iconic opening night performance of Fire Shut Up in My Bones on November 20. Dubbed by The New York Times as “bold and affecting” and “subtly powerful” Fire Shut Up in My Bones tells a poignant and profound story about a young man’s journey to overcome a life of trauma and hardship, composed by Grammy Award–winning jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard; the first by a Black composer in the 138-history of the Metropolitan Opera. Blanchard has won five Grammy awards for his jazz records and has written the scores for more than 40 movies including 17 by Spike Lee, earning Oscar nominations for BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods.

Audiences can also look forward to thrilling and sumptuous returning productions from masters including Strauss, Puccini, and an abridged English-language version of Massenet’s timeless classic Cinderella, all part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to cinemas across the globe.

UPCOMING 2021-22 PRODUCTIONS – DIARY LISTINGS

OCTOBER 30 – BORIS GUDANOV (Modest Mussorgsky) *All states, except VIC. VIC premiere to be advised.
René Pape, the world’s reigning Boris, reprises his overwhelming portrayal of the tragic Tsar caught between grasping ambition and crippling paranoia. Conductor Sebastian Weigle leads Mussorgsky’s masterwork, performed in its original 1869 version.

NOVEMBER 20 – FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES (Terrence Blanchard / Libretto by Kasi Lemmons)
The first opera by a Black composer presented on the Met stage and featuring a libretto by filmmaker Kasi Lemmons, the opera tells a poignant and profound story about a young man’s journey to overcome a life of trauma and hardship.

FEBRUARY 19 – EURYDICE (Matthew Aucion / Libretto by Sarah Ruhl)
Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium, with a libretto by MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Sarah Ruhl, adapted from her acclaimed 2003 play, the opera reimagines the familiar tale from Eurydice’s point of view.

MARCH 12 – CINDERELLA (Jules Massenet)

In this New Year’s Day performance, Laurent Pelly’s storybook staging of Massenet’s Cendrillon, a hit of the 2017–18 season, is presented with an all-new English translation in an abridged 90-minute adaptation, with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as its rags-to-riches princess. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume leads a delightful cast, which includes mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo as Cinderella’s Prince Charming, soprano Jessica Pratt as her Fairy Godmother, and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and bass-baritone Laurent Naouri as her feuding guardians.

APRIL 2 – RIGOLETTO (Verdi)
Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher creates a bold new take on Verdi’s timeless tragedy, resetting the opera’s action in 1920s Europe, with Art Deco sets by Michael Yeargan and elegant costumes by Catherine Zuber.

MAY 7 – ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (Strauss)

The exhilarating soprano Lise Davidsen brings one of her signature roles to the Met for the first time as the mythological Greek heroine of Strauss’ enchanting masterpiece. The outstanding cast also features mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as the Composer of the opera-within-an-opera around which the plot revolves, with soprano Brenda Rae as the spirited Zerbinetta, tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Ariadne’s lover, the god Bacchus, and Thomas Allen as the Major-Domo. Marek Janowski conducts.

JUNE 11 – DON CARLOS (Verdi)
For the first time in company history, the Met presents the original five-act French version of Verdi’s epic opera of doomed love among royalty, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition.

JULY 9 – TURANDOT (Puccini)

Christine Goerke returns to the Met stage as the fearsome title princess—a signature role that the “blazing soprano [sings] with steely sound and chilling intensity” (The New York Times). Franco Zefrelli’s dazzling production also stars Yusif Eyvazov as Calàf, Gabriella Reyes as Liù, and James Morris as Timur. Marco Armiliato conducts.

AUGUST 6 – LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (Donizetti)
In an electrifying new staging by Australian theatre and film director Simon Stone, Soprano Nadine Sierra takes on one of the repertory’s most formidable and storied roles, the haunted heroine of Donizetti’s classic.

SEPTEMBER 3 – HAMLET (Brett Dean)
When Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet had its world premiere at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2017, The Guardian declared, “New opera doesn’t often get to sound this good …” This riveting contemporary masterpiece comes to cinemas, with Neil Armfield, who directed the work’s premiere, bringing his acclaimed staging to the Met.

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For tickets and more information, visit themetinaustralia.info

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Header image: A scene from Massenet’s Cinderella | Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera