Met Opera Presents Free Summer HD Festival, 8/28

The Met Opera's Free Summer HD Festival lights up the newly redesigned Lincoln Center Plaza, Saturday, August 28 - Monday, September 6, 2010.

The popular Summer HD Festival returns to Lincoln Center Plaza with screenings of ten acclaimed productions across a wide range of repertory from the Met's Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Live in HD series. The Festival, with operas screened on the façade of the Met for ten straight nights, features a diverse lineup of productions, from modern masterpieces to classics of the French, Italian, and German repertory. Three new productions from the 2009-10 season will be included: Puccini's TOSCA, starring Karita Mattila and Marcelo Álvarez; Offenbach's LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN, starring Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja; and Bizet's CARMEN, starring El?na Garan?a and Roberto Alagna.

TOSCA opens the season on Saturday, August 28, and CARMEN closes the festival on Monday, September 6.

Last summer, more than 40,000 people attended the first HD Festival, a part of the Met's Free Summer Events series. All screenings are free and no tickets are required. 3,100 seats will be available each night on a first-come, first served basis. There are no rain dates.

Start times range from 7:15 pm to 8:00 pm (no intermissions).

The Met's Summer HD Festival Schedule:

Saturday, August 28, 8:00pm: TOSCA- Karita Mattila stars in Luc Bondy's new production of Puccini's Tosca, with Marcelo Álvarez as Cavaradossi and George Gagnidze as Scarpia. Approximate running time: 120 minutes.

Sunday, August 29, 8:00pm: THE MAGIC FLUTE-James Levine conducts Mozart's The Magic Flute, in the Met's abridged, English-language holiday production, created by Tony Award winner Julie Taymor and geared toward family audiences. Approximate running time: 113 minutes.

Monday, August 30, 7:15pm: DER ROSENKAVALIER-A stellar cast led by Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, and Christine Schäfer. Approximate running time: 195 minutes.

Tuesday, August 31, 7:45pm: DOCTOR ATOMIC-John Adams's powerful work stars Gerald Finley as J. Robert Oppenheimer. Approximate running time: 120 minutes.

Wednesday, September 1, 7:45pm: LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN- James Levine conducts Bartlett Sher's new production of Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, with Anna Netrebko as Antonia and Joseph Calleja as Hoffmann. Approximate running time: 160 minutes.

Thursday, September 2, 8:00pm: LA BOHÈME- Franco Zeffirelli's classic production of Puccini's La Bohème features Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì and Ramón Vargas as Rodolfo. Approximate running time: 130 minutes.

Friday, September 3, 8:00pm: HANSEL AND GRETEL- Humperdinck's masterpiece stars Christine Schäfer as Gretel, Alice Coote as Hansel, and Philip Langridge as the Witch. Approximate running time: 112 minutes.

Saturday, September 4, 8:00pm: TURANDOT- Franco Zeffirelli's spectacular production of Puccini's last opera stars Maria Guleghina as Turandot, Marina Poplavskaya as Liù, and Marcello Giordani as Calàf. Approximate running time: 120 minutes.

Sunday, September 5, 8:00pm: AIDA- Daniele Gatti conducts a cast of powerful voices in Verdi's Aida, with Violeta Urmana singing the title role in this classic Met production, one of the most spectacular in the company repertory. Approximate running time: 150 minutes.

Monday, September 6, 7:45pm: CARMEN- Bizet's masterpiece stars Elna Garana as Carmen and Roberto Alagna as Don José, in an acclaimed new production. The original live transmission is the best-selling Live in HD presentation ever. Approximate running time: 168 minutes.