The Metropolitan Opera will present a free outdoor Summer HD Festival featuring ten of its award winning productions from the popular The Met: Live in HD series. The HD performances will be shown on a giant screen in front of the opera house in Lincoln Center Plaza for ten consecutive nights Saturday, August 29 through Monday, September 7. The nightly screenings begin between 7:30pm and 8:00pm and are open to the public with no tickets required; 3,000 seats will be available in the Plaza each night on a first-come, first served basis.
"We're pleased to offer encore showings of some of our popular live high definition programs in this new summer festival," said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. "Although not intended to be a substitute for experiencing opera in the opera house, our HD transmissions have definitely broadened interest in our art form over the past three seasons since we began transmitting them to a global audience."
Such stars as Renee Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Natalie Dessay, Angela Gheorghiu, and Juan Diego Florez star in these HD productions, which include Bartlett Sher's acclaimed staging of Rossini's IL Barbiere di Siviglia, and Anthony Minghella's stunning production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, among others. Three of the HD productions to be shown are conducted by Met Music Director James Levine. There are no rain dates.
The Met's 2009 Summer HD Festival schedule
Saturday. August 29, 8:00pm: LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT - Donizetti's comic opera La Fille du Régiment stars Natalie Dessay as Marie, Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, Felicity Palmer as the Marquise of Berkenfield, Alessandro Corbelli as Sulpice, and Marian Seldes in the speaking role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Marco Armiliato conducts. Approximate running time: 140 minutes.
Sunday, August 30, 7:30pm: ROMÉO ET JULIETTE - Plácido Domingo conducts Gounod's Roméo et Juliette starring Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna as the star-crossed lovers, Isabel Leonard as Stéphano, Nathan Gunn as Mercutio, and Robert Lloyd as Frère Laurent. Approximate running time: 175 minutes.
Monday, August 31, 7:45pm: EUGENE ONEGIN - Valery Gergiev conducts Tchaikovsky's most beloved opera, Eugene Onegin, with Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role opposite Renée Fleming as Tatiana, with tenor Ramón Vargas as Lenski. Approximate running time: 160 minutes.
Tuesday, September 1, 8:00pm: MACBETH - Met Music Director James Levine conducts Verdi's Macbeth, featuring Maria Guleghina as Lady Macbeth, ?eljko Lu?i? as Macbeth, Dimitri Pittas as Macduff, and John Relyea as Banquo. Approximate running time: 145 minutes.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:45pm: IL BarbierE DI SIVIGLIA - Rossini's IL Barbiere di Siviglia, in a production by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher, features Joyce DiDonato as Rosina, Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, Peter Mattei as Figaro, John Del Carlo as Dr. Bartolo, and John Relyea as Don Basilio. Maurizio Benini conducts. Approximate running time: 165 minutes.
Thursday, September 3, 7:45pm: PETER GRIMES - Anthony Dean Griffey sings the title role of Britten's Peter Grimes, with Patricia Racette as Ellen Orford and Anthony Michaels-Moore as Balstrode. Donald Runnicles conducts. Approximate running time: 150 minutes.
Friday, September 4, 8:00pm: LA BOHÈME - Franco Zeffirelli's production of Puccini's La Bohème features Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì, Ramón Vargas as Rodolfo, Ainhoa Arteta as Musetta, Ludovic Tézier as Marcello, Quinn Kelsey as Schaunard, Oren Gradus as Colline, and Paul Plishka in the dual roles of Benoit and Alcindoro. Nicola Luisotti conducts. Approximate running time: 130 minutes.
