MetTalks Kicks Off on September 22 With Das Rheingold

MetTalks, a series of panel discussions with the casts and creative teams of the Metropolitan Opera's new productions, will begin on September 22 with a conversation about Das Rheingold, the first installment of the Met's new Ring cycle. In the series opener, director Robert Lepage discusses his vision for Wagner's great epic with star Bryn Terfel and Met General Manager Peter Gelb. Artists scheduled for later panels include directors Willy Decker, Peter Sellars, Bartlett Sher, and Stephen Wadsworth; conductors John Adams, Valery Gergiev, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Gianandrea Noseda; and singers Roberto Alagna, Stephanie Blythe, Juan Diego Flórez, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Simon Keenlyside, Marina Poplavskaya, and Deborah Voigt, among others. The complete schedule is below; additional participants will be announced at a later date.

All MetTalks will be held in the Met auditorium and will last for one hour. Tickets are $20 for the general public, $15 for Met subscribers, and $10 for Guild members and Young Associates. For more information, visit metguild.org/lectures or call 212-769-7028.

Met Talks: New Productions of the 2010-11 Season Schedule

Das Rheingold: Wednesday, September 22 at 6:00pm
The Met's 2010-11 season opens with part one of the first new Ring cycle in almost 25 years, conducted by James Levine. General Manager Peter Gelb speaks with director Robert Lepage, whose new production uses state-of-the-art technology in a faithful retelling of Wagner's epic story, and Bryn Terfel, who sings his first Wotan at the Met.

Boris Godunov: Friday, October 1 at 6:30pm
Mussorgsky's masterful tale of the ambitions and struggles of a nation and its ruler returns to the Met in a new production this fall with bass René Pape in the monumental title role. Met Assistant Manager Sarah Billinghurst hosts this conversation with conductor Valery Gergiev and director Stephen Wadsworth.

Don Carlo: Monday, November 1 at 6:00pm
Nicholas Hytner's new production of Verdi's most ambitious opera, which won remarkable acclaim when it premiered in London, arrives at the Met on November 22. Sarah Billinghurst talks with conductor Yannick Nézet-Seguin and cast members Roberto Alagna, Ferruccio Furlanetto, and Simon Keenlyside.

La Traviata: Monday, December 13 at 6:00pm
Willy Decker's strikingly beautiful production of the Verdi favorite, a hit when it premiered at the Salzburg Festival in 2005, premieres on New Year's Eve. Peter Gelb hosts this conversation with Decker, conductor Gianandrea Noseda, and stars Marina Poplavskaya and Matthew Polenzani.

Nixon in China: Tuesday, February 1 at 5:00pm
Composer John Adams's groundbreaking opera explores President Nixon's historic 1972 encounter with Mao, in this production by Peter Sellars. In advance of the work's Met premiere, Peter Gelb leads a conversation with Adams, Sellars, set designer Adrianne Lobel, choreographer Mark Morris, and James Maddalena who reprises the title role, which he sang at the opera's world premiere.

Le Comte Ory: Thursday, March 10 at 6:00pm
Rossini's vocally dazzling comedy has its Met premiere this season in March in a production by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher. Peter Gelb welcomes Sher and members of the cast, including Juan Diego Flórez, for a conversation about this charming but seldom-heard opera.

Die Walküre: Friday, April 1 at 5:00pm
The second installment of the Met's new Ring, directed by Robert Lepage and conducted by James Levine, premieres on April 22. Peter Gelb hosts a conversation with the acclaimed performers of this exciting new production, including Deborah Voigt and Stephanie Blythe.

Dates and participants are subject to change.

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