Roberto Alagna News

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts, will begin its 13th season on October 6, with the Met's grand production of Verdi's Aida, starring one of the world's most acclaimed sopranos, Anna Netrebko.

Accelerating his arrival as Music Director by two seasons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will take up the post in time for the start of the Metropolitan Opera's 2018–19 season, it was announced today. By freeing up some guest conducting weeks in his busy calendar in both the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons, Nézet-Séguin will now be able to conduct three operas and two Met Orchestra concerts at Carnegie Hall in each of those seasons, instead of the two operas per season originally scheduled. With the assumption of the Music Director title in the fall of 2018, Nézet-Séguin will also be taking on the full artistic responsibilities for the orchestra, chorus, and music staff. His full-time collaboration with Met General Manager Peter Gelb on all other artistic matters will also begin at that time. As previously announced, Nézet-Séguin will begin conducting a minimum of five operas per season starting with the 2020–21 season.

Accelerating his arrival as Music Director by two seasons, Yannick Nezet-Seguin will take up the post in time for the start of the Metropolitan Opera's 2018-19 season, it was announced today.

Alexey Lavrov, who stepped into the role of Silvio for performances of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci on January 13th and 17th, will sing the role at all remaining performances, replacing Alessio Arduini, who is ill. Performances are tonight, Thursday January 25 at 8.00pm, Monday January 29 at 7.30pm, and Thursday February 1 at 8.00pm.

Alexey Lavrov will perform the role of Silvio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci on the Saturday January 13 matinee performance, replacing Alessio Arduini, who is ill. This performance of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci will be heard live over Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

Ekaterina Semenchuk, already scheduled to sing the role of Santuzza in the first three performances of the current season of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, will now sing at all the performances, replacing Eva-Maria Westbroek, who is ill. Westbroek had been scheduled to sing later in the season from January 20 to February 1, 2018.

The verismo double bill of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci returns to the Met beginning January 8, 2018. Sir David McVicar's production features Roberto Alagna as the chief protagonist in both parts; as Turiddu, a returning soldier in Cavalleria; and as Canio, the head of a traveling performance troupe in Pagliacci. The French tenor previously accomplished the feat of singing both of the one-act operas in one evening at the Met, in 2009, one of ten singers to have done so with the company since 1901.

Classic and contemporary, opera and orchestral, the music doesn't stop when the temperatures climb in New York, whether you're in New York City, or ready to travel to one of the festivals that dot the landscape of the Northeast. Musical life doesn't stop when the Met closes its doors: Here's a look “from here to eternity”…in the first part of our series on summertime's opera/vocal venues, covering New York City and Westchester.

Beginning Today, June 21, the Met will present Summer Encores, featuring select performances from the groundbreaking Live in HD series, in more than 300 movie theaters across the United States. The 2017 Summer Encores series offers screenings of four popular Live in HD transmissions: Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles (June 21), Verdi's Macbeth (June 28), Verdi's Nabucco (July 12), and Bizet's Carmen (July 19).

The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is pleased to announce the forthcoming season, 2017-2018: A Legendary Season. After marking its Sixth Anniversary on the 12th of October 2017, the Royal Opera House Muscat will commence its seventh season with a wide range of top quality productions in many different genres - opera, concerts, ballet & dance, Arab performances, jazz, world music, family & education, musicals & shows and special events. This rich diversity of top-notch programs has become a hallmark of the Royal Opera House Muscat that is recognised all over the world.

Beginning Wednesday, June 21, the Met will present Summer Encores, featuring select performances from the groundbreaking Live in HD series, in more than 300 movie theaters across the United States. The 2017 Summer Encores series offers screenings of four popular Live in HD transmissions: Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles (June 21), Verdi's Macbeth (June 28), Verdi's Nabucco (July 12), and Bizet's Carmen (July 19).

I first heard tenor Roberto Alagna in the days when he was being touted as “The 4th Tenor”—chutzpah that only a record company could come up with, placing him in the hallowed company of Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti. Fast forward more than 20 years and he's still here. As Cyrano, the soldier-poet with a nose that embarrasses him, in Francesca Zambello's attractive production, Alagna was wonderful—perhaps the best I've ever seen him.

Roberto Alagna adds a new role to his extensive Met repertory with his first performances as the title character in Cyrano de Bergerac, opening May 2. Marco Armiliato conducts the revival of Alfano's rarely performed opera, which will be staged for four performances through Saturday, May 13. American soprano Jennifer Rowley makes her role debut as Roxane, Cyrano's secret love, in a cast that also features Atalla Ayan as Christian and Juan Jesús Rodríguez as de Guiche.

Jennifer Rowley will sing the role of Roxane in all performances of Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac at the Met this season, replacing Patricia Racette, who has withdrawn from the run due to an abdominal hernia.

Dohnanyi shares details about his astonishing musical background and training, and his thoughts about Czech opera

The Metropolitan Opera's 2017-18 season will feature 220 performances of 26 works, including two Met premieres, one co-commissioned by the company and one an older masterpiece having its first Met performances; a variety of repertory favorites, three in new productions; and performances of Verdi's towering concert work for soloists, orchestra, and chorus, the Requiem. Of note, Broadway star Kelli O'Hara is set to return to the Met in Così fan tutte this season.

With more than 20,000 nominations made, the International Opera Awards has just announced the finalists for this year's Awards.

With more than 20,000 nominations made, the International Opera Awards is pleased to announce the finalists for this year's Awards. These were selected by an international jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph, 'Once again, it was both a challenge and a pleasure for us to produce these shortlists, and I am very grateful to our distinguished jury. The quality of the nominations-received in record numbers this year-was very high, and I hope our lists prove that for all the difficulties faced by the world's opera companies, opera is in fact in a healthy and vibrant state.'

When Massimo Cavelletti stepped on stage at the Met on November 16, it was a milestone: His 100th performance as Marcello, the baritone lead in LA BOHEME and part of the quartet at the opera's heart: There's Mimi, the seamstress, the sad soul who dies at the opera's end; Rodolfo, the heartthrob tenor, a poet, in love with her; Musetta, the spitfire who eats men for breakfast; and then there's Marcello, a painter, her lover—and, aah, the linchpin that holds it all together.

The late Anthony Minghella's critically acclaimed production of Puccini's classic Madama Butterfly comes to THIRTEEN'S Great Performances at the Met Friday, August 19 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).