The Met: Live in HD Presents FALSTAFF, 12/14

The Met: Live in HD series continues on the big screen with Verdi's Falstaff. An undisputed master of this work, Music Director James Levine conducts Verdi's opera for the first time at the Met since 2005. Robert Carsen's production-the first new Met Falstaff since 1964-is set in the English countryside in the mid-20th century. Ambrogio Maestri sings the title role of the blustery Sir John Falstaff, opposite a marvelous ensemble that includes Angela Meade, Stephanie Blythe, LisetteOropesa and Franco Vassallo. The live transmission begins on December 14 at 12:55 PM ET with an encore on December 18 at 6:30 PM local time.

Cast: Ambrogio Maestri (Falstaff), Lisette Oropesa (Nannetta), Angela Meade (Alice Ford), Stephanie Blythe (Mistress Quickly), Jennifer Johnson Cano (Meg Page), Paolo Fanale (Fenton), Franco Vassallo (Ford)

Verdi's brilliant final masterpiece Falstaff has its first new Met production in nearly 50 years, conducted by James Levine and directed by Robert Carsen. Ambrogio Maestri sings the iconic basso buffo role of Sir John Falstaff, the boorish, blustery character originally seen in Shakespeare's Henry IV and Merry Wives of Windsor. Angela Meade is Alice Ford, one of many objects of Falstaff's affection, and Stephanie Blythe is the sharp-tongued Mistress Quickly in a cast that also includes Lisette Oropesa as Nannetta, Jennifer Johnson Cano as Meg Page,Paolo Fanale in his Met debut as Fenton, and Franco Vassallo as Ford. The International Herald Tribune praised Carsen's staging, first seen at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, as a "production of eye-catching ingenuity."

An undisputed master of Falstaff, Music Director James Levine conducts Verdi's opera for the first time at the Met since 2005. Robert Carsen's production-the first new Met Falstaff since 1964-is set in the English countryside in the mid-20th century. Ambrogio Maestri (last season's Dulcamara in the Opening Night production of L'Elisir d'Amore) sings the title role of the brilliant and blustery Sir John Falstaff, opposite a marvelous ensemble that includes Angela Meade, Stephanie Blythe, Lisette Oropesa, and Franco Vassallo.

Falstaff is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Teatro alla Scala, Milan; the Canadian Opera Company, Toronto; and De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam.

PRE-OPERA LECTURE: There will be a complimentary pre-opera lecture by Tim Snider in the Paramount Balcony Lounge prior to the show, beginning at 12:15pm. Tim Snider is well-known to local opera-lovers as the co-host for 18 years of the Sunday Opera Matinee on WTJU 91.1 FM, presenting complete performances of plus commentary on operatic works from both the standard repertoire as well as rarities. Snider is a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Ash Lawn Opera Festival, a member of the Wagner Society of Washington, D.C., and blogs at http://wtjuclassical.blogspot.com. An attorney in Charlottesville specializing in commercial transactions, Snider wrote Regulation of the Commodities Futures and Options Markets, which has been cited by the Supreme Court.

Check out a preview here.

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