http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=3441
2008-09 Season
Complete Repertoire and Casting
METROPOLITAN OPERA PREMIERE
DOCTOR ATOMIC
Premiere: October 13, 2008
Composer John Adams
Libretto Peter Sellars
Co-production with English National Opera
Commissioned by San Francisco Opera
Conductor Alan Gilbert*
Production Penny Woolcock*
Set Designer Julian Crouch
Costume Designer Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer Brian MacDevitt*
Choreographer Andrew Dawson*
Video Design Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for Fifty Nine Productions
Sound Designer Mark Grey*
Kitty Oppenheimer Sasha Cooke
Pasqualita Meredith Arwady*
J. Robert Oppenheimer Gerald Finley
Edward Teller Richard Paul Fink
General Leslie Groves Eric Owens*
(Oct. 13, 18 mat, 21, 25, 30, Nov. 1, 5, 8 mat, 13)
NEW PRODUCTIONS
LA DAMNATION DE FAUST
Premiere: November 7, 2008
Composer Hector Berlioz
Libretto Almire Gandonnière and Hector Berlioz
In collaboration with Ex Machina
This new production was reconceived for the Metropolitan Opera
and is based on a co-production of the Saito Kinen Festival and the
Opéra National de Paris
Conductor James Levine/TBA
Production Robert Lepage*
Set Designer Carl Fillion*
Costume Designer Karin Erskine*
Lighting Designer Sonoyo Nishikawa*
Choreographers Johanne Madore* and Alain Gautier*
Video designers Holger Foerterer* and Boris Firquet*
Marguerite Susan Graham
Faust Marcello Giordani
Méphistophélès John Relyea
(Nov. 7, 10, 14, 18, 22 mat, 25, 29 mat, Dec. 4)
THAÏS
Premiere: December 8, 2008
Composer Jules Massenet
Libretto Louis Gallet
Production property of Lyric Opera of Chicago
Conductor Jesús López-Cobos
Production John Cox
Set & Costume
Designer Paul Brown
Lighting Designer Duane Schuler
Choreographer Sara Jo Slate
Thaïs Renée Fleming
Nicias Michael Schade
Athanaël Thomas Hampson
(Dec. 8, 11, 17, 20 mat, 23, 27, 30, Jan. 2, 5,
LA RONDINE
Premiere: New Year’s Eve Gala, December 31, 2008
Composer Giacomo Puccini
Libretto Giuseppe Adami
Co-production of Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Conductor Marco Armiliato
Production Nicolas Joël
Set Designer Ezio Frigerio
Costume Designer Franca Squarciapino
Lighting Designer Duane Schuler
Magda Angela Gheorghiu
Lisette Lisette Oropesa
Ruggero Roberto Alagna/Giuseppe Filianoti
Prunier Marius Brenciu*
Rambaldo Samuel Ramey/James Courtney
(Dec. 31, Jan. 3, 7, 10 mat, 13, Feb. 11, 14, 19, 23, 26)
IL TROVATORE
Premiere: February 16, 2009
Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto Salvadore Cammarano
Co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera
Conductor Gianandrea Noseda/Riccardo Frizza
Production David McVicar*
Set Designer Charles Edwards*
Costume Designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel*
Lighting Designed by Jennifer Tipton
Choreographer Leah Hausman*
Leonora Sondra Radvanovsky/Hasmik Papian
Azucena Dolora Zajick/Luciana D’Intino
Manrico Salvatore Licitra/Marco Berti
Count di Luna Dmitri Hvorostovsky/Željko Lučić
Ferrando Kwangchul Youn/Rosendo Flores
(Feb. 16, 20, 24, 28 mat, March 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 20, April 21, 25, 29, May 2 mat,
LA SONNAMBULA
Premiere: March 2, 2009
Composer Vincenzo Bellini
Libretto Felice Romani
Conductor Evelino Pidò
Production Mary Zimmerman
Set Designer Daniel Ostling
Costume Designer Mara Blumenfeld
Lighting Designer T. J. Gerckens
Choreographer Daniel Pelzig
Amina Natalie Dessay
Elvino Juan Diego Flórez/Barry Banks
Rodolfo Michele Pertusi
(March 2, 6, 11, 14, 18, 21 mat, 24, 28, April 3)
125th ANNIVERSARY SEASON SPECIAL EVENTS
OPENING NIGHT GALA STARRING RENÉE FLEMING
Monday, September 22, 2008
Conductors James Levine and Marco Armiliato
Verdi
La Traviata, Act II
Violetta Renée Fleming
Alfredo Ramón Vargas
Germont Thomas Hampson
Massenet
Manon, Act III
Manon Renée Flemimg
Chevalier des Grieux Ramón Vargas
Lescaut Dwayne Croft
Count des Grieux Robert Lloyd
R. Strauss
Capriccio, Final scene
Madeleine Renée Fleming
DANIEL BARENBOIM
PIANO RECITAL
Featuring Liszt’s opera transcriptions
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Liszt
From Années de pèlerinage
Three Petrarch Sonnets
Après une lecture de Dante
Liszt
From Deux Légendes:
St. François d’Assise: La predication aux oiseaux
Liszt
Paraphrases on operas by Giuseppe Verdi:
Il Trovatore, Aida, Rigoletto
THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
Also Honoring Plácido Domingo
March 15, 2009
Conductor James Levine
DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN
Composer Richard Wagner
Libretto Richard Wagner
Conductor James Levine
Production Otto Schenk
Set & Projection
Designer Günther Schneider-Siemssen
Costume Designer Rolf Langenfass
Lighting Designer Gil Wechsler
DAS RHEINGOLD
Freia Wendy Bryn Harmer
Fricka Yvonne Naef
Erda Jill Grove/Wendy White
Loge Kim Begley
Wotan James Morris/Albert Dohmen
Alberich Richard Paul Fink
Fasolt Franz-Josef Selig/René Pape
Fafner John Tomlinson
(March 25, 28 mat, April 23, 27, May 4)
DIE WALKÜRE
Brünnhilde Christine Brewer/Lisa Gasteen
Sieglinde Waltraud Meier/Adrianne Pieczonka
Fricka Yvonne Naef
Siegmund Johan Botha/Plácido Domingo
Wotan James Morris/Albert Dohmen
Hunding John Tomlinson/René Pape
(April 6, 11 mat, 28, May 5)
SIEGFRIED
Brünnhilde Christine Brewer/Lisa Gasteen
Erda Jill Grove
Siegfried Christian Franz*/Jon Fredric West
Mime Gerhard Siegel
Wanderer James Morris/Albert Dohmen
(April 18 mat, 30, May 7)
GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG
Brünnhilde Christine Brewer /Lisa Gasteen
Gutrune Margaret Jane Wray
Waltraute Yvonne Naef
Siegfried Christian Franz/Jon Fredric West
Gunther Iain Paterson*
Hagen John Tomlinson
(April 25 mat, May 2, 9)
REPERTORY
ADRIANA LECOUVREUR
Composer Francesco Cilea
Libretto Arturo Colautti
Conductor Plácido Domingo
Staged by Mark Lamos
Set Designer C. M. Cristini, after sketches by Camillo Parravicini
Costume Designer Ray Diffen
Additional
Costumes by Jane Greenwood
Lighting Designer Duane Schuler
Choreographer Sergei Gritsai
Adriana Maria Guleghina
The Principessa Olga Borodina
Maurizio Marcelo Álvarez
Michonnet Roberto Frontali
(Feb. 6, 10, 13, 17, 21 mat, 25, 28)
LA BOHÈME
Composer Giacomo Puccini
Libretto Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Conductor Frédéric Chaslin
Production Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer Peter J. Hall
Lighting Designer Gil Wechsler
Mimì Maija Kovalevska/Anna Netrebko
Musetta Susanna Phillips*
Rodolfo Ramón Vargas
Marcello Mariusz Kwiecien
Schaunard Tommi Hakala
Colline Oren Gradus
Benoit/Alcindoro Paul Plishka
(Dec. 15, 18, 22, 26, 29, Jan. 3 mat, 6, 10)
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Composer Pietro Mascagni
Libretto Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci
Conductor Pietro Rizzo*
Production Franco Zeffirelli
Set & Costume
Designer Franco Zeffirelli
Santuzza Andrea Gruber
Turiddu Roberto Alagna/José Cura
Alfio Charles Taylor
PAGLIACCI
Composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo
Libretto Ruggiero Leoncavallo
Conductor Pietro Rizzo*
Production Franco Zeffirelli
Set & Costume
Designer Franco Zeffirelli
Nedda Nuccia Foccile
Canio Roberto Alagna/José Cura
Tonio Alberto Mastromarino*/Ambrogio Maestri
Silvio Christopher Maltman/Vasili Ladyuk
(March 19, 23, 26, 30, April 2, 7, 10)
LA CENERENTOLA
Composer Gioachino Rossini
Libretto Jacopo Ferretti
Conductor Maurizio Benini
Production Cesare Lievi
Set & Costume
Designer Maurizio Balò
Lighting Designer Gigi Saccomandi
Choreographer Daniela Schiavone
Angelina Elīna Garanča
Don Ramiro Lawrence Brownlee
Dandini Simone Alberghini
Don Magnifico Alessandro Corbelli
Alidoro John Relyea
(May 1, 6, 9 mat)
DON GIOVANNI
Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto Lorenzo da Ponte
Conductor Louis Langrée/Lothar Koenigs*
Production Marthe Keller
Set Designer Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer Christine Rabot-Pinson
Lighting Designer Jean Kalman
Choreographer Blanca Li
Donna Anna Krassimira Stoyanova/Tamar Iveri/Barbara Frittoli
Donna Elvira Susan Graham/Petra-Maria Schnitzer/Soile Isokoski
Zerlina Isabel Leonard/Isabel Bayrakdarian
Don Ottavio Matthew Polenzani/Pavol Breslik*
Don Giovanni Erwin Schrott/Peter Mattei
Leporello Ildebrando D’Arcangelo/Ildar Abdrazakov/Samuel Ramey
Masetto Joshua Bloom*/Shenyang*
The Commendatore Phillip Ens/Kwangchul Youn/Raymond Aceto
(Sept. 27 mat, Oct. 1, 4, 10, 14, Dec. 1, 5, 9, 13, 19, April 13, 16, 20, 24)
L’ELISIR D’AMORE
Composer Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto Felice Romani
Conductor Maurizio Benini
Production John Copley
Set & Costume
Designer Beni Montresor
Lighting Designer Gil Wechsler
Adina Angela Gheorghiu/Nicole Cabell
Nemorino Rolando Villazón/Joseph Calleja
Belcore Franco Vassallo
Dulcamara Bryn Terfel
(March 31, April 4 mat, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22)
EUGENE ONEGIN
Composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto Konstantin Stepanovich Shilovsky and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor Jiři Bělohlávek
Production Robert Carsen
Set & Costume
Designer Michael Levine
Lighting Designer Jean Kalman
Choreographer Serge Bennathan
Tatiana Karita Mattila
Olga Ekaterina Semenchuck
Lenski Piotr Beczala
Onegin Thomas Hampson
Gremin James Morris
(Jan. 30, Feb. 2, 5, 9, 14 mat, 18, 21)
LA GIOCONDA
Composer Amilcare Ponchielli
Libretto Arrigo Boito
Conductor Daniele Callegari*
Original Production Margherita Wallmann
Staged by Peter McClintock
Set Designer Beni Montresor
Costumes after the
original designs by Beni Montresor
Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon
Additional costumes by Holly Hynes
Lighting Designer Wayne Chouinard
La Gioconda Deborah Voigt
Laura Badoero Olga Borodina
La Cieca Ewa Podleś
Enzo Grimaldo Aquiles Machado
Barnaba Carlo Guelfi
Alvise Badoero James Morris
(Sept. 24, 27, Oct. 2, 6, 9)
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
Composer Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto Salvadore Cammarano
Conductor Marco Armiliato
Production Mary Zimmerman
Set Designer Daniel Ostling
Costume Designer Mara Blumenfeld
Lighting Designer T. J. Gerckens
Choreographer Daniel Pelzig
Lucia Diana Damrau/Anna Netrebko
Edgardo Piotr Beczala/Rolando Villazón
Enrico Vladimir Stoyanov*/Mariusz Kwiecien
Raimondo Ildar Abdrazakov
(Oct. 3, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 mat, Jan. 26, 29, Feb. 3, 7 mat)
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Composer Giacomo Puccini
Libretto Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Co-production with English National Opera and the Lithuanian National Opera
Conductor Patrick Summers
Production Anthony Minghella
Associate Director
and Choreographer Carolyn Choa
Set Designer Michael Levine
Costume Designer Han Feng
Lighting Designer Peter Mumford
Puppetry Blind Summit Theatre
Cio-Cio-San Patricia Racette/Cristina Gallardo-Domâs
Suzuki Maria Zifchak
Pinkerton Roberto Aronica/Marcello Giordani
Sharpless Dwayne Croft
(Oct. 24, 29, Nov. 1 mat, 4, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22, Feb. 27, March 3, 7 mat)
THE MAGIC FLUTE
Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto Emanuel Schikaneder
Conductor Asher Fisch
Production Julie Taymor
Set Designer George Tsypin
Costume Designer Julie Taymor
Lighting Designer Donald Holder
Puppet Designers Julie Taymor, Michael Curry
Choreographer Mark Dendy
English Adaptation J. D. McClatchy
Pamina Nicole Cabell*
Queen of the Night Cyndia Sieden
Tamino Dimitri Pittas/Russell Thomas
Papageno Rodion Pogossov
Sarastro Eric Owens
(Dec. 22 mat, 27 mat, 30 mat, 31 mat, Jan. 1)
ORFEO ED EURIDICE
Composer Christoph Willibald Gluck
Libretto Ranieri de’ Calzabigi
Conductor James Levine/TBA
Production Mark Morris
Set Designer Allen Moyer
Costume Designer Isaac Mizrahi
Lighting Designer James F. Ingalls
Choreographer Mark Morris
Euridice Danielle de Niese
Amor Heidi Grant Murphy/Ying Huang
Orfeo Stephanie Blythe
(Jan. 9, 14, 17 mat, 20, 24 mat, 28, 31)
THE QUEEN OF SPADES
Composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductor Seiji Ozawa/TBA
Production Elijah Moshinsky
Set & Costume
Designer Mark Thompson
Lighting Designer Paul Pyant
Choreographer John Meehan
Lisa Maria Guleghina
Pauline Marina Domashenko
The Countess Felicity Palmer
Ghermann Ben Heppner
Tomsky Mark Delavan
Yeletsky Vladimir Stoyanov
(Nov. 21, 24, 29, Dec. 3, 6, 10, 13 mat)
RIGOLETTO
Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto Francesco Maria Piave
Conductor: Riccardo Frizza*
Production: Otto Schenk
Set &Costume
Designer Zack Brown
Lighting Designer Gil Wechsler
Gilda Aleksandra Kurzak/Diana Damrau
Maddalena Victoria Vizin*/Tamara Mumford
Duke Giuseppe Filianoti/Piotr Beczala/Joseph Calleja
Rigoletto Željko Lučić/Roberto Frontali
Sparafucile Mikhail Petrenko/Raymond Aceto
(Jan. 24, 27, 31 mat, Feb. 4, 7, 12, April 1, 4, 9, 14, 17)
RUSALKA
Composer Antonin Dvořák
Libretto Jaroslav Kvapil
Conductor Jiři Bělohlávek
Production Otto Schenk
Set Designer Günther Schneider-Siemssen
Costume Designer Sylvia Strahammer
Lighting Designer Gil Wechsler
Choreographer Carmen De Lavallade
Rusalka Renée Fleming
Foreign Princess Christine Goerke
Ježibaba Stephanie Blythe
Prince Aleksandrs Antonenko*
Water Sprite Kristinn Sigmundsson
(March 9, 12, 14 mat, 17, 21)
SALOME
Composer Richard Strauss
Libretto Richard Strauss
Conductor Mikko Franck*
Production Jürgen Flimm
Set & Costume
Designer Santo Loquasto
Lighting Designer James F. Ingalls
Choreographer Doug Varone
Salome Karita Mattila
Herodias Ildikó Komlósi
Herod Kim Begley
Narraboth Joseph Kaiser
Jokanaan Juha Uusitalo*
(Sept. 23, 26, 30, Oct. 4 mat, 7, 11 mat, 16)
LA TRAVIATA
Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto Francesco Maria Piave
Conductor Paolo Carignani*
Production Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer Raimonda Gaetani
Lighting Designer Duane Schuler
Choreographer Maria Benitez
Violetta Anja Harteros
Alfredo Massimo Giordano
Germont Andrzej Dobber/ Željko Lučić
(Oct. 20, 23, 27, 31, Nov. 3, 6, 12, 15 mat, 20)
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
Composer Richard Wagner
Libretto Richard Wagner
Conductor: Daniel Barenboim*
Production: Dieter Dorn
Set & Costume
Designer Jürgen Rose
Lighting Designer Max Keller
Dramaturg Hans-Joachim Ruckhäberle
Isolde Katarina Dalayman
Brangäne Michelle DeYoung
Tristan Peter Seiffert
Kurwenal Gerd Grochowski*
King Marke René Pape/Kwangchul Youn
(Nov. 28, Dec. 2, 6 mat, 12, 16, 20)
THE MET ORCHESTRA AT CARNEGIE HALL
October 5, 2008 James Levine, conductor
3:00 p.m. Christian Tetzlaff, violin
Beethoven
Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
Messiaen
Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum
Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Messiaen’s birth
Brahms
Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
January 25, 2009 James Levine, conductor
3:00 p.m. Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Peter Serkin, piano
Mozart
“Ch’io mi scordi di te?,” K. 505
Wuorinen
New work for piano and orchestra
(world premiere)
Rossini
La regata veneziana
Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90, “Italian”
May 21, 2009 James Levine, conductor
8:00 p.m. Lang Lang, piano
Stravinsky
Petrushka (1947 version)
Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15