One hundred and twenty-five years of operatic history will come to life on the Met stage in the company’s 125th Anniversary Gala on March 15, conducted by James Levine. Historic Met productions will be recreated with state-of-the-art projections—and a programming twist: Some of today’s greatest stars will perform scenes from operas they are scheduled to sing for the first time at the Met in upcoming seasons. They share what made them take on the roles they will be previewing at the gala.

Stephanie Blythe Amneris in Aida

Gala refers to the 1910 production; will sing complete role in 2011–12.
“When I was asked to participate in the gala I requested that they let me sing something dramatic. I think Amneris fits the bill! I’ve sung the role before in other theaters, and it came along at what I think was exactly the right time for me. What I love about her is that she goes on a real emotional journey. She begins as a spoiled child really. She doesn’t understand love, or sacrifice—it isn’t until she realizes what Radamès is willing to sacrifice to be true to Aida that Amneris gets an inkling of what love really is. By the end of the opera we see her truly humbled. I’m thrilled to be playing this character at the Met, and to have the opportunity to share the stage with one of my favorite colleagues, Maria Guleghina.”

René Pape Title role of Boris Godunov

Gala refers to the 1913 U.S. premiere; will sing complete role in 2010–11.
“To sing Boris, you have to have some experience in life and on stage. I did a lot of things, German repertoire, Italian, French, and when I first sang Boris [in 2006 in Berlin], it was perfect timing. I’m particularly happy to do it at the Met now, especially considering this long tradition of great basses who have sung it here before me. I’ve just finished my second production of Boris, and with every new production you develop new things. What I particularly love about Boris as a character is the suffering. He’s not really sure about anything, he’s feeling guilty that he killed this boy, or maybe he didn’t. So you have all those different perspectives. I like complicated characters. The very first sentence Boris sings is, “My soul is trembling,” which shows how much he is suffering already about everything that has happened before. I like to suffer! All those czars, kings, and emperors, they didn’t have easy lives. They have all the power but actually they are alone.”

Deborah Voigt Brünnhilde in Der Ring des Nibelungen

In a recreation of the first U.S. Ring cycle of 1889; will sing complete role in the 2010–12 seasons.
“Brünnhilde is one of those immense, mythic personalities with music to match that heroic image. She’s an exciting challenge, both dramatically and vocally. I’ve purposely not exposed myself too much to the role and kept her in a special place, until I felt I was closing in on singing her in a staged production. I’ve done the duet from Siegfried, and I’ve also sung the finale from Götterdämmerung. But I did put off the entire role for a while, because I wanted to sing other things first, roles that, once Brünnhilde was in my repertory, would be more difficult to do. I feel very excited that the Met has asked me to sing the Siegfried duet for this gala. I think it’s very appropriate, both as an homage to the Met’s history and looking forward to the new production of the Ring that is coming up [in 2010–11].”

Ben Heppner Siegfried in Der Ring des Nibelungen

In a recreation of the first U.S. Ring cycle of 1889; will sing complete role in 2011–12.
“The idea was to get Deborah Voigt and me together as the pairing for the new Ring. The reason I didn’t take up Siegfried before is, first of all, that it takes so much time to perform and rehearse. The second thing is that once you start singing these roles, that’s all they seem to ask you for. But now I thought it was right, and all the convergences came together. By the time I sing it here I will have done both Siegfried and Götterdämmerung elsewhere, but the Met will be my first complete cycle. I am interested to see how it will work, trying to figure out the pacing between two of the hardest roles in the tenor repertoire, perhaps in all of opera. So I am sort of a Ring virgin. Hopefully this gala will be a precursor to really great things!”

Mariusz Kwiecien Title role of Don Giovanni

Gala refers to the 1957 production; will sing complete role in 2011–12.
“I am so glad to be singing Don Giovanni at this gala! I’ve done it in many places already, and I think it’s my best role right now. I’ve found that this part is very attractive for me as a personality and I am trying to grow with the character. There is such a variety of ways to play him. He’s universal and eternal. We’ve always had Don Giovannis and we always will, until the end of the existence of human beings. The aria I’ll be singing at the gala, ‘Fin ch’han dal vino,’ is the so-called killer aria because even though it’s short it is very fast. It doesn’t have that big ending like a lot of other arias but I like it. It will be great fun.”