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Carmen (Jan. 16, 2010)

Carmen Act I: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera)
(Jan. 16, 2010)

Composer: Georges Bizet
Librettist: Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

Nézet-Séguin; Frittoli, Garanča, Alagna, Tahu Rhodes

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet

Richard Eyre’s stunning new production of Bizet’s opera was the talk of the town when it was unveiled on New Year’s Eve 2009. Elīna Garanča leads the cast as the iconic gypsy of the title—a woman desired by every man but determined to remain true to herself. Roberto Alagna is Don José, the soldier who falls under her spell and sacrifices everything for her love, only to be cast aside when the toreador Escamillo (Teddy Tahu Rhodes) piques Carmen’s interest. With dances created by star choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and conducted by rising maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this Carmen brings every aspect of Bizet’s tale to thrilling life, from its lighthearted beginning to its inevitably tragi...
Madama Butterfl... (Mar. 7, 2009)

Madama Butterfly Act I: Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malia
(Mar. 7, 2009)

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

Summers; Racette, Giordani, Zifchak, Croft

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet

Anthony Minghella’s stunning production of Puccini’s opera opened the Met’s 2006–07 season and was seen by thousands of people around the world as part of the company’s Live in HD series. Patricia Racette is Cio-Cio-San, the trusting and innocent young geisha of the title, who disastrously falls in love with American Navy lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton (Marcello Giordani), only to be abandoned by him. Maria Zifchak is her loyal servant Suzuki and Dwayne Croft is Sharpless, the sympathetic American consul who does all he can but is unable to avert tragedy.
Der Rosenkavali... (Jan. 9, 2010)

Der Rosenkavalier Act III: Marie Theres, wie gut Sie ist?
(Jan. 9, 2010)

Composer: Richard Strauss
Librettist: Hugo von Hofmannsthal

de Waart; Fleming, Schäfer, Graham, Allen, Sigmundsson

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

This production of Strauss’s most sumptuous work by director Nathaniel Merrill and designer Robert O’Hearn is almost as beloved as the opera itself. It perfectly captures the glittering never-land of rococco Vienna the way the Viennese—and the rest of the world—wish it had been, and it’s the ideal setting for an adult comedy of love and errors. Susan Graham is the aristocratic young Octavian, torn between two women: Renée Fleming as the Marschallin, the mature woman who understands that one day Octavian must leave her; and Christine Schäfer as Sophie, the young girl who unexpectedly captures his heart. Kristinn Sigmundsson is the lecherous Baron Ochs who sets the whirling plot in motion, and...

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High-Definition Videos

The Audition (Apr. 1, 2007)

The Audition
(Apr. 1, 2007)

Composer: Various
Librettist: Various

Armiliato; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Approximate running time: 1 hrs. 47 min.

The Audition, directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, looks at the intense pressures young opera singers face as they struggle to succeed in one of the most difficult professions in the performing arts. The feature-length documentary takes you behind the scenes at the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, where each year thousands of hopefuls compete for a cash prize, the chance to sing on the Met stage—and the opportunity to launch a major operatic career.
Les Contes d'Ho... (Dec. 19, 2009)

Les Contes d'Hoffmann
(Dec. 19, 2009)

Composer: Jacques Offenbach
Librettist: Jules Barbier

Levine; Kim, Netrebko, Gubanova, Calleja, Held

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 49 min.

Bartlett Sher’s imaginative production, with sets by Michael Yeargan and costumes by Catherine Zuber, explores all the riches of Offenbach’s fantastical tale. Joseph Calleja is the poet Hoffmann who is enthralled by a variety of women—neither of which turns out to be the perfect creature he envisions. Kathleen Kim scales the vocal heights of the mechanical doll Olympia. Anna Netrebko literally sings herself to death as Antonia and also plays the diva Stella. Ekaterina Gubanova is the sultry courtesan Giulietta. Alan Held’s Four Villains foil all of Hoffmann’s plans. James Levine conducts with ardor and dramatic energy, bringing out every colorful detail of this rich score.
Simon Boccanegr... (Feb. 6, 2010)

Simon Boccanegra
(Feb. 6, 2010)

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave and Arrigo Boito

Levine; Pieczonka, Giordani, Domingo, Morris

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 29 min.

When this sumptuous production by Giancarlo del Monaco opened in 1995, legendary tenor Plácido Domingo gave a riveting performance as the fiery revolutionary Gabriele Adorno, a tenor part. In the 2010 revival, he made history by taking on the baritone title role, one of Verdi’s most fascinating characters, and thrilling audiences with his multifaceted and gripping portrayal. Boccanegra is beset on all sides, juggling political adversaries bent on murder with his love for his long-lost daughter Amelia (Adrianne Pieczonka). James Levine’s conducting brings out all the color and surging emotion of Verdi’s magnificent score.
Tosca (Oct. 10, 2009)

Tosca
(Oct. 10, 2009)

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

Colaneri; Mattila, Álvarez, Gagnidze

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 17 min.

Puccini’s musical thriller of lust, murder, and politics is one of the most dramatically riveting operas in the repertoire. Luc Bondy’s production, with sets by Richard Peduzzi and costumes by Academy Award-winning designer Milena Canonero, opened the Met’s 2009–10 season. Karita Mattila stars as the beautiful and dangerously impulsive singer Floria Tosca. Marcelo Álvarez is her lover, the painter Cavaradossi, a political enemy of the powerful chief of police, Scarpia (George Gagnidze), who wants Tosca for himself.

Classic Telecast Videos

The Bartered Br... (Nov. 21, 1978)

The Bartered Bride
(Nov. 21, 1978)

Composer: Bedřich Smetana
Librettist: Karel Sabina

Levine; Stratas, Gedda, Vickers, Talvela

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 21 min.

Every bit of the spontaneous charm that infuses Smetana’s colorful opera is conveyed in this English-language performance by a spectacular cast. Teresa Stratas as Mařenka is determined to marry her lover Jenik (Nicolai Gedda), but her father is under obligation to Micha and wants her to marry Micha’s son—the stuttering, rather foolish Vašek (Jon Vickers in a tour-de-force comic performance). Fortunately Jeník has a secret of his own and it all ends well. James Levine and the Met orchestra bring out the Bohemian color and rhythm of this enchanting score, and Pavel Smok’s choreography adds a delightful flair.
Così fan tutte (Feb. 27, 1996)

Così fan tutte
(Feb. 27, 1996)

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Librettist: Lorenzo da Ponte

Levine; Vaness, Hadley, Mentzer, Croft, Bartoli, Allen

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 3 hrs. 11 min.

Mozart’s sophisticated opera about two men seeing just how faithful their fiancées are has seldom been so marvelously done. Leslie Koenig’s production, designed by Michael Yeargan, is as witty and charming as the music, conducted by James Levine. Carol Vaness and Susanne Mentzer are the two sisters being tested by their fiancées, Jerry Hadley and Dwayne Croft, who supposedly have gone off to war. The cheeky maid Despina is sung by Cecilia Bartoli (who made her Met debut in the role barely two weeks before), who falls right in with the scheming men, led by Thomas Allen.
The Queen of Sp... (Apr. 15, 1999)

The Queen of Spades
(Apr. 15, 1999)

Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Librettist: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Gergiev; Gorchakova, Söderström, Domingo, Hvorostovsky, Putilin

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 51 min.

Elijah Moshinsky’s atmospheric production, designed by Mark Thompson, sets the stage for this gripping performance of Tchaikovsky’s passionate setting of Pushkin’s classic novel. Valery Gergiev’s idiomatic and authoritative conducting inspires a superb cast, headed by Plácido Domingo (Ghermann), breathtaking in his portrayal of a man unraveling toward suicide. Galina Gorchakova is Lisa, the woman he loves and destroys, Dmitri Hvorostovsky lends a superb voice and regal bearing to Prince Yeletsky; and Elisabeth Söderström is hair-raising as the old Countess. Olga Borodina is Paulina and Nikolai Putilin is Count Tomsky.
Rigoletto (Dec. 15, 1981)

Rigoletto
(Dec. 15, 1981)

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave

Levine; Eda-Pierre, Jones, Pavarotti, Quilico, Berberian

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 5 min.

Luciano Pavarotti is the elegant, reckless Duke of Mantua whose betrayal of the innocent Gilda (Christiane Eda-Pierre) leads to a tragic ending. Louis Quilico plays Rigoletto, the court jester and Gilda’s father, who has dedicated his life to keeping his daughter away from the Duke—only to have her sacrifice her own life for the villainous nobleman. James Levine’s conducting brings out the scorching drama in Verdi’s unforgettable score.

Audio-only Performances

Don Carlo (Nov. 11, 1950)

Don Carlo
(Nov. 11, 1950)

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: François Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle François Joseph Méry/Camille du Locle

Stiedry; Rigal, Barbieri, Björling, Merrill, Siepi

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 36 min.

This is the Met’s first radio broadcast of Verdi’s magnificent opera. The company had not performed the work since the 1920s when Rudolf Bing opened his first season as general manager with it, five days before this performance. The production introduced two spectacular new singers to New York: Cesare Siepi (King Philip) and Fedora Barbieri (Eboli). Add Jussi Björling in the title role and Robert Merrill as his friend, Rodrigo, and it’s easy to see why this now legendary cast thrilled audiences—and why Don Carlo has since become a staple of the Met repertoire.
Manon (Dec. 15, 1951)

Manon
(Dec. 15, 1951)

Composer: Jules Massenet
Librettist: Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille

Cleva; Albanese, Di Stefano, Singher, Hines

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 21 min.

The great Licia Albanese sings the bewitching title heroine in this scintillating performance of Massenet’s opera, an adaptation of Abbé Prévost’s famous novel, opposite a passionate Giuseppe Di Stefano as Des Grieux. Martial Singher and Jerome Hines round out the cast of this tale of an all-consuming love affair that ends in tragedy and death. Fausto Cleva leads the Met Orchestra and Chorus.
Das Rheingold (Mar. 27, 1993)

Das Rheingold
(Mar. 27, 1993)

Composer: Richard Wagner
Librettist: Richard Wagner

Levine; Schwarz, Langridge, Morris, Wlaschiha

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 31 min.

From the almost imperceptible single low note of the basses at the beginning to the triumphant blazing fanfare from the entire orchestra as the gods enter Valhalla at the end—there is nothing like this opening chapter of the Ring in all opera. It’s an enthralling tale of gods, giants, dwarves, treasure, and the curse that will haunt the entire world. Under James Levine’s impassioned direction the Met orchestra revels in Wagner’s colorful and dramatic music. The sumptuous cast is headed by James Morris as a golden-voiced, majestic Wotan and Ekkehard Wlaschiha as his malevolent nemesis, Alberich.
Rodelinda (May. 6, 2006)

Rodelinda
(May. 6, 2006)

Composer: George Frideric Handel
Librettist: Nicola Haym

Summers; Fleming, Blythe, Scholl, van Rensburg, Relyea

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 49 min.

The fourth Handel opera to enter the Met repertoire, Rodelinda stars Renée Fleming in the title role of the Queen of Lombardy and grieving widow of King Bertarido (countertenor Andreas Scholl), who furiously rejects marriage to Grimoaldo (tenor Kobie van Rensburg), the usurper of her late husband’s throne. Plot complications come thick and fast, among them the revelation that Bertarido is alive, with the characters’ emotions exquisitely expressed in Handel’s alternately lyrical and virtuosic arias. The stellar cast also includes Stephanie Blythe and John Relyea. Conductor Patrick Summers leads this thrilling performance.