# Met's New Season



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

I know there was a thread about this, but I can't find it now ... so the new season was announced a couple of days ago, apparently.

Eugene Onegin
Cosi fan tutte
The Nose
Midsummer Night's Dream
Norma
Two Boys
Tosca
Die Frau Ohne Schatten
Rigoletto
Rosenkavalier
Falstaff
The Magic Flute
Die Fledermaus
Elisir d'Amore
La Boheme
Madama Butterfly
Rusalka
Prince Igor
Werther
Enchanted Island
Wozzeck
Sonnambula
Andrea Chenier
Arabella
I Puritani
Cenerentola

Awful lot of Bellini, I thought ... which is no bad thing. I'm feeling kind of delighted, myself. Any ideas?


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

aw, Bellini and Strauss :clap: glad I don't live there, I'd bankrupt myself with this lovely old schule season (I'd hit about 13 of them at least twice, although with slight reservations depending on who's in them).


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## Radames (Feb 27, 2013)

What's with Werther? STOOPID opera. Massenet wrote much much better stuff. Cherubin, Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, Le Cid, Le roi de Lahore, Esclarmonde would all be interesting to see. Not another Werther though.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Picks, thoughts, and reactions:

Norma - I'm actually more excited about Angela Meade than Radvanovsky.
Rigoletto - Hvrorostovky? I just can't picture it. He seems to vain to play the hunchback. Then again, in the Vegas version, the hunchback is exchanged for a cardigan. Still, Rigoletto is not supposed to be prettier than the Duke (Polenzani).
Falstaff - Yippie!
Prince Igor - new to me, finally get to find out what those Polevetsians were dancing about.
Werther - Kaufman and Garanca 
Andrea Chenier - new to me, heard bits and pieces before, sounds amazing.
La Cen - DiDonato and JDF


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Arabella - I'd hit all the Strauss in the joint.

Cenerentola - not my fave Rossini but it IS Rossini and it's the 2 JD's.

Cosi - DeNiese as Despina, that's going to be amusing if not the most interesting voice in the house.

L'elisir - I would only go for Vargas, honestly. Can't stand Schrott and I'm not a fan of Netrebko in belcanto. But the music...

Enchanted Island - Graham instead of JDD, I'd be curious about that, plus it's a hitfest.

Onegin - I'd go since I faffed about too much and missed it here. Hoping Russian opera fits Netrebko better than belcanto.

Die 'maus - always funny, never ever gets old. Well, not yet. Plus Christine Schäfer is rather badass.

Die Frau - yes, please.

Le Flute - another one that doesn't get old.

Norma - Meade vocally although Radvanovsky might look more tragic.

Igorsky - yea, why not. And I like Rachvelishvili.

I Puritani - duh. Not sure I'm into Olga Peretyatko's voice, though. There's Brownlee.

Rigoletto - if only to see Hvorostovsky act the title role - oh, and the music. Kurzak sounds nice to me.

Der 'kavalier - not a Garanca fan _buuuuut_ come on, it's great music and she'll at least look like a teenager. With any luck, the orchestra will cover her  wait, I'm not going...

Sonnambula - you mean a completely unbelievable libretto, Bellini's music + Damrau? be still my beating heart. Yes, I'd go 2-3 times if I could


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Of interest to fans of the Met: "Could Simulcasts be Hurting the Metropolitan Opera After All?"

http://tinyurl.com/cs8fphz


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## AndyS (Dec 2, 2011)

Just saw this. Me and one of my friends are thinking of flying to the states to see Die Frau one night and Rosenkavalier in the same trip. Never been to NY before

Do you think it will be hard to get tickets? When do they go on general sale?


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

^ since you're thinking of going, why don't you just register with them? it seems you can get this info unless you do so.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

No Wagner? Whyyyy


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Couchie said:


> No Wagner? Whyyyy


yeah, what he said.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

wasn't the old season chokefull of Wagner? overexposure.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Radames said:


> What's with Werther? STOOPID opera. Massenet wrote much much better stuff. Cherubin, Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, Le Cid, Le roi de Lahore, Esclarmonde would all be interesting to see. Not another Werther though.


Well, I have never seen it, so we'll see. Many operas seem stupid on the surface ... you have to spend hours studying and listening to appreciate how bad they really are ... :lol:


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Cavaradossi said:


> Picks, thoughts, and reactions:
> 
> Norma - I'm actually more excited about Angela Meade than Radvanovsky.


Meade has been a very disappointing story, for me. When that movie of the Council Auditions (I've forgotten the name of the movie, sorry) comes on, in the Met Opera Shop, and Meade starts singing the Casta Diva ... the reaction within the shop is remarkable. Every head turns toward the screen. Hopes have been high.

In person, however, I've heard her two or three times and each time it's been disappointing. I don't know what the vocal coaches call it, but in violin they call it wolf tones ... all over the place. Constantly. No purity of tone. I think something about singing in front of a real audience, as opposed to in a competition, screws up her technique. Or maybe it's singing at the Met. I don't know. I will avoid her, myself.



> Rigoletto - Hvrorostovky? I just can't picture it. He seems to vain to play the hunchback. Then again, in the Vegas version, the hunchback is exchanged for a cardigan. Still, Rigoletto is not supposed to be prettier than the Duke (Polenzani).


I take your point ... he's really too pretty ... but I expect his tone to be more fluid and agreeable than Lucic's. Not that Lucic did anything wrong, he was wonderful ... but I think, for all his gasping, Hvorostovsky is more lyric and has more sensitivity, and is probably a better fit vocally for Rigoletto. Well, who knows. We'll see!



> Falstaff - Yippie!


Yes indeed. I can hardly wait.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

deggial said:


> Arabella - I'd hit all the Strauss in the joint.


I haven't learned to love any Strauss yet, but I will be working on it.



> Cenerentola - not my fave Rossini but it IS Rossini and it's the 2 JD's.


My thoughts EXACTLY! :lol:



> Cosi - DeNiese as Despina, that's going to be amusing if not the most interesting voice in the house.


I've SEEN De Niese as Despina, it's an unstoppable show. She rules. And the Met's production is wow. I will get as many tickets as I can for this one.



> L'elisir - I would only go for Vargas, honestly. Can't stand Schrott and I'm not a fan of Netrebko in belcanto. But the music...


Again, very close to my thoughts too. I don't think I'm going to get an Elisir this year - Netrebko's voice is really unsuitable, any more, and like you, I really hate Schrott.



> Le Flute - another one that doesn't get old.


Well, but WHEN is the Met going to do the full version in GERMAN again? Yeesh. I have never tried the shortened English version but until someone raves about it I can't bring myself to spend the money.



> Norma - Meade vocally although Radvanovsky might look more tragic.


I replied to another poster about Meade ... I don't think her performances are going to be good. I may try one just to see, but history has been unkind.



> I Puritani - duh. Not sure I'm into Olga Peretyatko's voice, though. There's Brownlee.


And if you haven't heard Brownlee yet, at least in Fille du Regiment, he dominated. He has become a craftsman. He could be our modern Kraus. Really looking forward to this one, again I will get as many tickets as I can.



> Der 'kavalier - not a Garanca fan _buuuuut_ come on, it's great music and she'll at least look like a teenager. With any luck, the orchestra will cover her  wait, I'm not going...


Not sure I'm catching your insinuations here, but I have yet to learn to love Rosenkavalier. Will be working on this one.



> Sonnambula - you mean a completely unbelievable libretto, Bellini's music + Damrau? be still my beating heart. Yes, I'd go 2-3 times if I could


Well, but the Met's production was completely unbelievable - oh wait, you thought that about the ORIGINAL libretto. Dang. Well, I will probably get one ticket. Damrau is going over the hill and I seem to recall the Met's production cuts a LOT of the great music.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

AndyS said:


> Just saw this. Me and one of my friends are thinking of flying to the states to see Die Frau one night and Rosenkavalier in the same trip. Never been to NY before
> 
> Do you think it will be hard to get tickets? When do they go on general sale?


Tickets for the Met are almost never hard to get. If you're picky about where you sit and how much money you pay and you wait until a week before the performance you could have a problem, but otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. They probably go on sale the second week of August, somewhere in there.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Couchie said:


> No Wagner? Whyyyy


It just occurred to me - has the Met done some Wagner lately that you are a big fan of? I mean, I haven't heard widespread applause for their new Ring, and I went to see Der Fliegende Dutchmander and was kind of turned off, and Parsifal they just screwed up royally, just wondering, have they done any Wagner at all lately that's been good?


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## musicican (Mar 7, 2013)

I think the selection is interesting. However, the HD broadcasts have not been selected that well, e.g. Norma is not broadcasted, the Enchanted Island neither. I think that there is already too much Werther, e.g. in Vienna and so on. I would like to see Radvanovsky in another opera.
Igorsky might be interesting.
Falstaff is not my favourite opera.
I'm looking forward to Rusalka with Renée Fleming.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Couchie said:


> No Wagner? Whyyyy


The Nose is almost as good...I hope.


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## badRomance (Nov 22, 2011)

KenOC said:


> Of interest to fans of the Met: "Could Simulcasts be Hurting the Metropolitan Opera After All?"
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/cs8fphz


* $24 to get a HD Live ticket. You can eat popcorn, leave and come back mid-act, read the subtitles on screen, and actually see faces. Movie theatres usually have plenty of restrooms for the expected crowd especially those Saturday afternoon shows.
* $25-$35 gets you a Family Circle seat. You can't eat, can't leave and come back mid-act, need to look down for subtitles and look back up for the action, and you can't see a face without binoculars. Ridiculous long lines for the restrooms during intermissions.

With Wagner's Ring, the pricing gap is worse: $24 for HD Live, $30 for standing room, $60-$75 for a Family Circle seat.

The only thing going for the opera house is the vastly superior sound and you avoid the excessive zoom shots. For some that overrides all else (eg, me, for now), but I can see how many people within the city would prefer HD Live especially for operas they are not familiar with.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

musicican said:


> I think the selection is interesting. However, the HD broadcasts have not been selected that well, e.g. Norma is not broadcasted, the Enchanted Island neither. I think that there is already too much Werther, e.g. in Vienna and so on. I would like to see Radvanovsky in another opera.
> Igorsky might be interesting.
> Falstaff is not my favourite opera.
> I'm looking forward to Rusalka with Renée Fleming.


I was really hoping for Norma to be HD Live too. DK why not, maybe budget concerns, maybe they feel it isn't really a top cast or production.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> The Nose is almost as good...I hope.


The Nose is one of the few modern works I really loved. i hope you like it too.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

badRomance said:


> The only thing going for the opera house is the vastly superior sound and you avoid the excessive zoom shots. For some that overrides all else (eg, me, for now), but I can see how many people within the city would prefer HD Live especially for operas they are not familiar with.


Actually, I think the opera house has a lot more going for it than that. Frequently there is magic on stage that the camera misses. In the cinema, too, you miss the extraordinary contributions that certain actors bring to their roles. We've talked before here, others are aware, of what stage animals Natalie Dessay and Danielle De Niese and Joseph Calleja are. When they're in a production, they elevate it, they give it a zing and a fire that it doesn't have without them - and that zing does not come through the camera lens. Not to mention the energy and excitement of actually being at the opera house, where the thing itself is happening.


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## oogabooha (Nov 22, 2011)

very happy to see both Rusalka and Wozzeck up there. I'm glad they're putting down Wagner for a while, though (don't get me wrong, I love Wagner, but it's nice to get out of the spotlight for a bit). Also enjoy their pick of The Nose (although I would love Lady Macbeth...)!


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

badRomance said:


> The only thing going for the opera house is the vastly superior sound


that's kinda the point, isn't it?

and about the food, _seriously_. Eat before the show if you can't hold out for 3-4 hours.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> It just occurred to me - has the Met done some Wagner lately that you are a big fan of? I mean, I haven't heard widespread applause for their new Ring, and I went to see Der Fliegende Dutchmander and was kind of turned off, and Parsifal they just screwed up royally, just wondering, have they done any Wagner at all lately that's been good?


There hasn't been good Wagner in over 50 years. Get over it.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I can also recommend this recording of _Die Fledermaus_:










Domingo is still in tenor mode here, singing the role of Alfred. Lucia Popp is a delightful Rosalinde, with her partner at that time, the young Peter Seiffert in his pre-Heldentenor days, as Eisenstein. There's also wonderful singing from Agnes Baltsa (Orlofsky), Wolfgang Brendel (Falke), and Eva Lind (Adele).


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## drpraetorus (Aug 9, 2012)

Nice to see Prince Igor getting a run in something other than a Russian house. It's a pretty good work. See that they are doing the Nose, maybe some day they will do Lady MacBeth


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

MAuer said:


> Domingo is still in tenor mode here, singing the role of Alfred. Lucia Popp is a delightful Rosalinde, with her partner at that time, the young Peter Seiffert in his pre-Heldentenor days, as Eisenstein. There's also wonderful singing from Agnes Baltsa (Orlofsky), Wolfgang Brendel (Falke), and Eva Lind (Adele).


Thanks. I actually did my big shopping trip Saturday and picked up a Fledermaus but I don't think it was this one. Carlos Kleiber, with Varady and Popp and Prey, I think? Spent the weekend listening to Eugene Onegin. (sigh) I'm going to spend SO MUCH MONEY this next season ... :lol: Next shopping trip is in April, I will keep an eye out for this one.


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## badRomance (Nov 22, 2011)

guythegreg said:


> Actually, I think the opera house has a lot more going for it than that. Frequently there is magic on stage that the camera misses.


I agree. That's what I meant when I said "excessive zoom shots".



> Not to mention the energy and excitement of actually being at the opera house, where the thing itself is happening.


You get exactly this in HD Live sessions except there is more leg room at modern movie theatres. Every time I've gone to HD Live, it was nearly completely filled. And people applause and cheer and boo just like the real thing.


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## badRomance (Nov 22, 2011)

deggial said:


> that's kinda the point, isn't it?


My point was there are pluses/minuses that people weight for attending the opera house versus viewing on HD Live. And sound is one of them but not the only one. Are you saying that's the only point?

Try sitting on the extreme sides of the opera house or in the back orchestral; awful balance and even distortions in loud passages. But it still is superior to the audio for the movie theatre stream which makes the orchestra sound bland and distant. I imagine the technology exists to stream high fidelity sound to certain well-equipped music theatres but it would require the will to do it.



> and about the food, _seriously_. Eat before the show if you can't hold out for 3-4 hours.


My point was food is an option at the theatre. Do you agree or am I wrong?


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

badRomance said:


> ... there is more leg room at modern movie theatres. Every time I've gone to HD Live, it was nearly completely filled. And people applause and cheer and boo just like the real thing.


God, I know. You have to get there TWO HOURS EARLY to get a good seat ... at the CINEMA. Yeesh. :lol:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

guythegreg said:


> God, I know. You have to get there TWO HOURS EARLY to get a good seat ... at the CINEMA. Yeesh. :lol:


Goodness ours are almost only ever half full. And anyway when you book you get to choose your own seat.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

mamascarlatti said:


> Goodness ours are almost only ever half full. And anyway when you book you get to choose your own seat.


Yeah, here if it's opera in cinema you're usually ok ... but if it's a Live in HD production, forget it. I came an hour early for Maria Stuarda and stared around me in astonishment at the completely full cinema. No bueno.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> Yeah, here if it's opera in cinema you're usually ok ... but if it's a Live in HD production, forget it. I came an hour early for Maria Stuarda and stared around me in astonishment at the completely full cinema. No bueno.


Maybe they're restricting distrubution in the NYC area to reclaim some seats sales at Lincoln Center. :devil: I'm lucky too, the prime local venue here has reserved seating. You still have to book at least in a week or so in advance to avoid sitting in the first few rows. Looks like I'm good to defer booking for Francesca di Rimini til tomorrow morning though.

Actually if you need to be there two hours early, you might as well do the weekday rush line and see the real thing (if your schedule allows). Oddly enough, that's how I ended up seeing Maria Stuarda.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

guythegreg said:


> Yeah, here if it's opera in cinema you're usually ok ... but if it's a Live in HD production, forget it. I came an hour early for Maria Stuarda and stared around me in astonishment at the completely full cinema. No bueno.


Oh of course I had forgotten, Live in HD is just once. As you probably know we only get several performances of Dead in HD a couple of months after the event. The advantage of course is that you can read the reviews and decide whether it's still worth going (and often even watch it on YouTube - though I wait until I've seen it at the cinema)


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