Dan Ettinger News

The Metropolitan Opera's 2016-17 season, the 50th anniversary of its home at Lincoln Center, will feature 225 opera performances of 26 operas in a varied repertory that ranges from 18th century masterpieces to one of the most acclaimed operas in recent years. Repertoire for the company's 132nd season will include the Met premiere of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's 2000 opera L'Amour de Loin, as well as new stagings of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Rossini's Guillaume Tell, Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, Dvo?ak's Rusalka, and Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. A gala concert on May 7, 2017 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company's Lincoln Center location with performances by opera's leading stars honoring the Met's past and future. Ticket prices will not increase, remaining the same as in the current season, and audience development programs instituted by the company in recent years will continue.  

Sometimes, the Metropolitan Opera seems like an endless Puccini festival. It's particularly apparent this season, when top dogs LA BOHEME, TOSCA and MADAMA BUTTERFLY are joined by TURANDOT and MANON LESCAUT, which are not second drawer, though certainly less popular than the first three. (Let's see how that descriptor applies to the latter when Jonas Kaufmann steps on stage for the new production of LESCAUT.)

New York, NY (November 11, 2015) – Franco Zeffirelli's production of Puccini's La Bohème, the most-performed opera in Met history, returns to the Met stage on Monday, November 23 for the first of seventeen performances throughout the season. The November and December performances, conducted by Paolo Carignani,will star Barbara Frittoli and Ramón Vargas as the lovers Mimì and Rodolfo, opposite American soprano Ana María Martínez as the spitfire Musetta in her first Met performances since 2005. Romanian baritone Levente Molnár makes his Met debut as the painter Marcello, with Alexey Lavrov as Schaunard, Christian Van Horn as Colline, and John Del Carlo as Benoit and Alcindoro. 

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate and Pope Francis' visit to the United States, Salon/Sanctuary Concerts explores the cross-fertilization of Jewish and Catholic musical cultures that enriched the music of both Synagogue and Sanctuary.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate and Pope Francis' visit to the United States, Salon/Sanctuary Concerts explores the cross-fertilization of Jewish and Catholic musical cultures that enriched the music of both Synagogue and Sanctuary.

Gary Naylor sees a era-ending La Boheme, beamed from Covent Garden around the world - fittingly so for a worldwide cast and a global landmark in opera history.

When Joseph Calleja recently performed in Quebec on his first North American recital tour, the Maltese tenor was brought back for five encores.

Already the undisputed 'reigning new diva of the 21st century' (Associated Press), Anna Netrebko scored a fresh triumph this past month, winning ECHO Klassik's 'Female Singer of the Year' award for a record-breaking third time. Never content to rest on her laurels, however, the ever-evolving Russian-born soprano continues expanding her horizons in 2014-15. She makes two American role debuts at the Metropolitan Opera, as Verdi's Lady Macbeth in an all-star Macbeth that will be beamed live around the world to launch the company's Live in HD season, and headlining a new staging of Tchaikovsky's Iolanta that will be broadcast Live in HD on Valentine's Day. In Europe, she makes house role debuts in the title roles of a new Manon Lescaut at the Bavarian State Opera and Anna Bolena at the Zurich Opera, besides reprising her portrayal of Anna Bolena at the Vienna State Opera and completing her season's quartet of leading roles as Mimì in La bohème at Covent Garden, where her final performance will again be broadcast live to cinemas worldwide. In concert this season, Netrebko remains the soprano of choice for gala appearances, in the Richard Tucker Gala at New York's Lincoln Center and in Munich and Salzburg, as well as singing a recital in Colorado, 'Verdi and Verismo' arias in Barcelona, selections from Macbeth in Rome, Strauss's Four Last Songs in Paris, and revisiting her acclaimed Iolanta on a European concert tour that culminates at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Stephen Costello looks forward to a number of important firsts in 2014-15. Besides creating the role of Michele in San Francisco Opera's world premiere production of Two Women, the Tucker Award-winning tenor returns to the Metropolitan Opera for a pair of house role debuts, reprising his star turn as Alfredo -- also seen this season at the Vienna State Opera -- in La traviata, and singing Camille in Susan Stroman's new staging of The Merry Widow. He makes his professional role debut as Ferrando in Così fan tutte at Houston Grand Opera, and house debuts at both Austin Lyric Opera, in the title role of a new Roméo et Juliette, and London's Wigmore Hall, where he launches the season with a solo recital in the prestigious Rosenblatt Series. Costello also joins his wife, soprano Ailyn Pérez, for romantic duets from their recent hit album, Love Duets, with the BBC Symphony at London's Barbican Hall, and on a U.S. duo recital tour to the opera houses of Washington, Dallas, San Diego, and Philadelphia.

Since she burst onto the scene while still a student a Juilliard, pianist and composer, Lera Auerbach, has always been a bit of a trend setter and rule breaker and her exciting and audacious new project appears to be no exception. It is a global collaborative commissioning project for her new 'Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.' The global aspect of the project will kick off with the composer herself performing the World Premiere, with the Stuttgart Philharmoniker under the baton of Maestro Dan Ettinger on November 24th, of next year.

Ailyn Perez, winner of the Richard Tucker, Placido Domingo and Leonie Rysanek Awards, will make her Washington National Opera debut this March, stepping in for an indisposed colleague to star as Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore. This career milestone follows on the heels of the soprano's recent success at London's Royal Opera House, where she proved herself 'a must-hear' (Guardian) in the title role of Manon.

The Tokyo Philharmonic has the longest history and tradition of any orchestra in Japan, having been originally established in Nagoya in 1911. As plans were being made for its centenary celebrations in 2011, a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck east Japan, challenging the nation with an unprecedented crisis. The orchestra's centenary plans were scuttled, as an entire culture adjusted to a solemn new reality.

Richard Tucker Award-winner Ailyn Pérez – the “lyric soprano who truly seems to have it all” (Opera News) – takes on a trio of starring roles at London's Royal Opera House over the coming months. After launching the new year in the title role of Manon (Jan 31–Feb 4), she makes her role debut as Liù in Turandot (Feb 17–March 10), before giving her first scheduled Covent Garden performances in the title role of La traviata opposite her husband and fellow Tucker Award-winner, tenor Stephen Costello (May 6–20). Dubbed “America's fastest-rising husband-and-wife opera stars” (Associated Press), the couple brought down the house in London two years ago, when the soprano stepped in as a last-minute replacement to partner her husband in Verdi's masterpiece.

The Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) in Munich, Germany presents the 2013-14 season of STAATSOPER.TV - a free live-stream of select performances online at www.staatsoper.de/tv - including seven operas, six of which are new productions, and two ballets. The Bayerische Staatsoper, known for presenting provocative, experimental productions, is the first international opera house to present a full season of operas and ballets streamed live online at no cost, offering opera enthusiasts around the world the opportunity to see these artistically conceived and adventurous productions, many of which are sold out in the opera house, sung by today's most prominent artists.

Ab Samstag, 14. September 2013 steht nach La traviata zu Saisonbeginn nun die zweite von insgesamt sechs Verdi-Opern in zwei Monaten auf dem Staatsopernspielplan: Otello, das vorletzte Buhnenstuck des vor 200 Jahren geborenen Komponisten. Anja Harteros gibt * bevor sie im Oktober auch als Elisabeth in Don Carlo zu erleben sein wird * ihr Rollendebut im Haus am Ring als Desdemona. Der zuletzt als Eugen Onegin umjubelte Dmitri Hvorostovsky gibt sein personliches Rollendebut als Jago; KS Jose Cura verkorpert erstmals in der Produktion von Christine Mielitz die Titelpartie. Marian Talaba singt den Cassio, Monika Bohinec die Emilia, Jinxu Xiahou den Roderigo, Alexandru Moisiuc den Lodovico und Mihail Dogotari den Montano (Rollendebut). Am Dirigentenpult: Dan Ettinger. Reprisen am 17., 20., 23. September.

Puccini's Turandot will return to the Met tonight, September 26 with Maria Guleghina in the treacherous title role of a Chinese princess who has turned her back on love.

Puccini's Turandot will return to the Met September 26 with Maria Guleghina in the treacherous title role of a Chinese princess who has turned her back on love.

Staatsoperndirektor Dominique Meyer, Generalmusikdirektor Franz Welser-Möst, Ballettdirektor Manuel Legris und der Kaufmännische Geschäftsführer Thomas W. Platzer haben heute, Dienstag, 27. März 2012 den Spielplan der kommenden Saison 2012/2013 präsentiert.

The Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni will take another featured turn on the Met stage as Caliban, alongside Placido Domingo and Joyce DiDonato, in The Enchanted Island - the company's freshly conceived Shakespearean tableau of music by Handel, Vivaldi, and Rameau, conducted by renowned Baroque authority William Christie (Dec 31-Jan 30).