Make a note to attend
You’re all set for a night out at the opera. Tuxedo? Check. Sparkly dress? Check. High heels? Check. Flip flops? Wait — flip flops?
That’s right; sophistication meets sand this Saturday, Jan. 14, as the latest season of The Met: Live in HD gets underway at the Newport Performing Arts Center with a performance of Giordano’s “Fedora,” starting at 9:55 am.
Giordano’s exhilarating drama returns to the Met for the first time in 25 years, starring soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the title role of the 19th-Century princess who falls in love with her fiancé’s murderer, Count Loris, sung by tenor Piotr Beczała. Soprano Rosa Feola is the Countess Olga, Fedora’s confidante, and baritone Artur Ruciński is the diplomat De Siriex. Marco Armiliato conducts David McVicar’s intricate production, with a fixed set that unfolds to reveal the opera’s settings: a palace in St. Petersburg, a fashionable Parisian salon, and a picturesque villa in the Swiss Alps.
The season continues at 1 pm on Saturday, Jan. 28, with a performance of a beloved favorite, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
The Met made history in December 2006 when it presented “The Magic Flute” as its first Live in HD transmission to cinemas worldwide. Conducted by James Levine, Julie Taymor’s whimsical production features a winning ensemble, including tenor Matthew Polenzani as Tamino, baritone Nathan Gunn as Papageno, and bass René Pape as Sarastro.
On Saturday, March 25, at 1 pm, the season will serve up a slice of epic drama when Wagner’s “Lohengrin” returns to the Met stage after an absence of 17 years.
Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this atmospheric new staging by François Girard features a cast led by tenor Piotr Beczała in the title role of the mysterious swan knight. Soprano Tamara Wilson is the virtuous duchess Elsa, falsely accused of murder, going head-to-head with soprano Christine Goerke as the cunning sorceress Ortrud. Bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin is Ortrud’s power-hungry husband, Telramund, and bass Günther Groissböck is King Heinrich.
And there will be no fooling around on Saturday, April 1, when the season presents “Falstaff” at 9:30 am.
Verdi’s Shakespearean comedy features a brilliant ensemble cast in Robert Carsen’s celebrated staging. Baritone Michael Volle sings his first Verdi role at the Met as the caddish knight Falstaff, gleefully tormented by a trio of clever women who deliver his comeuppance. Reuniting after their acclaimed performances in the production’s 2019 run are soprano Ailyn Pérez as Alice Ford, soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano as Meg Page, and mezzo-soprano Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Mistress Quickly. Soprano Hera Hyesang Park and tenor Bogdan Volkov are the young couple Nannetta and Fenton, and Daniele Rustioni conducts.
All performances take place at the Newport Performing Arts Center, located at 777 W. Olive Street.
Tickets, $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and $12 for students, are available at www.coastarts.org.