THE MET: LIVE IN HD Transmits LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST 1/8 In US Theaters

The Metropolitan Opera's 100th anniversary revival of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West will be transmitted to movie theaters worldwide on Saturday, January 8 at 1 pm ET as part of The Met: Live in HD series. Deborah Voigt will sing the title role of Minnie in Giancarlo Del Monaco's 1991 production, with Marcello Giordani as Dick Johnson (the disguised bandit Ramerrez) and Lucio Gallo as the villainous sheriff Jack Rance. San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti will conduct the work, which the composer told The New York Times in 1910 he considered "the best of [his] operas."

The debut of La Fanciulla del West in 1910 was the first-ever world premiere presented by the Met. For the occasion of the centennial performance on December 10, 2010, "dozens of audience members [attended] in fringed Western wear and cowboy hats" (Associated Press).

Set in a mining camp during the California Gold Rush, saloon owner Minnie has her sights set on the mysterious Dick Johnson, and nothing-not horses, hangmen, or a high-stakes poker game-can keep her from finding true love. As Minnie, the Associated Press praised Voigt for "a riveting and moving portrayal" displaying a "shining top that pierced through the sumptuous orchestration...her warm, endearing manner combined with an infectious stage-dominating moxie to make [the role] all her own." The critic for The New York Times added, "I cannot think of a soprano who could sing any better this demanding role." As Dick Johnson, Giordani "is at his best here" said the New York Daily News. Under the baton of Luisotti "the score emerged as arguably Puccini's most subtly written and boldly modern music" (The New York Times).

Met star soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, currently in rehearsals for her Met debut as Tosca in January, is the HD host for La Fanciulla del West. Barbara Willis Sweete directs the transmission and Jay David Saks is music producer.

Last season, The Met: Live in HD series reached an audience of more than 2.4 million people. The fifth season, featuring a record twelve transmissions through May 14, will reach 1500 theaters in 46 countries. New countries joining the network for the first time this season include Egypt, Portugal, and Spain. The Met: Live in HD returns in the following locations: Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay.

An encore screening of the January 8 performance will be shown in select theaters in the U.S. on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 6:30 PM (local time).

La Fanciulla del West will be screened on tape delay in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and South Korea, approximately two weeks following the live transmission.

Ticket prices vary. More information on tickets and theaters in all participating locations is available at http://www.metoperafamily.org/hdlive.

WHEN: Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT