Ambrogio Maestri Reprises His Acclaimed Portrayal Of The Title Role Of Verdi's FALSTAFF

Falstaff, Verdi's exuberant final opera, returns to the Met for performances February 22-March 16, 2019. Robert Carsen's acclaimed production moves the action from Shakespeare's era to 1950s England. Fresh off his much-lauded performance as Michonnet in the Met's Adriana Lecouvreur, Ambrogio Maestri stars as the notorious glutton Falstaff, reprising his celebrated betrayal in this production's premiere run in the 2013-14 season. The ensemble cast of merry wives and noblemen also includes Ailyn Pérez as Alice Ford, Golda Schultz as Nannetta, Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Mistress Quickly, Jennifer Johnson Cano as Meg Page, Francesco Demuro as Fenton, and Juan Jesús Rodríguez as Ford. Conductor Richard Farnes, the former longtime music director of Opera North, makes his Met debut on the podium.

At the performance on March 8, the role of Alice Ford is sung by Helena Dix in her Met debut.

Falstaff Radio and Online Broadcasts

The February 22, February 27, and March 16 performances of Falstaff will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75, and the March 16 performance will also be broadcast over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. Additionally, the February 22 and February 27 performances will be audio-streamed live on the Met's web site, metopera.org.

Related Event-Public Shakespeare Presents: Falstaff

Monday, February 11, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (map)

In collaboration with the Met, The Public Theater's Public Shakespeare Initiative hosts a song- and laughter-filled evening of selections from Shakespeare's domestic comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor and Verdi's operatic adaptation. Actor Jay O. Sanders, the star of this season's heralded Uncle Vanya produced by Hunter Theater Project, and Dympna Callaghan, the William Safire professor of English at Syracuse University, join Met artists, who will perform excerpts from the opera. Tickets are $35.

Falstaff Artist Biographies

American soprano Ailyn Pérez adds a new role to her Met repertory as Alice Ford, a role she has previously sung at the Glyndebourne Festival. Earlier this season at the Met, she was seen as Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème. Last season at the Met, she sang the title role in Massenet's Thaïs, the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, and Juliette in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. She made her company debut in 2015 as Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen. She is a winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award, the Met's 2016 Beverly Sills Artist Award, the 2017 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and the 2019 Opera News Awards.

South African soprano Golda Schultz makes her role debut as Nannetta. She made her Met debut as Pamina last season in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Previous roles include Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at La Scala, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at Opernhaus Zürich and the Glyndebourne Festival, Sophie in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier at the Salzburg Festival, and Sibilla in the world premiere of Beat Furrer's La Bianca Notte at Hamburg State Opera. Other roles this season include the Countess at Vienna State Opera and in Zürich, Clara in Jake Heggie's It's a Wonderful Life at San Francisco Opera, and Pamina and Liù in Puccini's Turandot at Bavarian State Opera.

French-Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux is Mistress Quickly. She made her Met debut earlier this season as Geneviève in Debussy's Pélleas et Mélisande. She rose to prominence in 2000 after winning the Queen Fabiola and the Special Lied Prizes at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium. Recent performances include Mistress Quickly at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; and Dalila in Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila and Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, both at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. Other performances this season include Ottone in Handel's Agrippina at Teatro Real in Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, as well as Azucena in Verdi's Il Trovatore in Madrid.

American mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano reprises her portrayal of Meg Page, which she previously sang at the Met in this production's premiere run in the 2013-2014 season. A graduate of the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, she made her Met debut in 2009 as a Bridesmaid in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and has since been seen as Sandman in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Wellgunde in Wagner's Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung and Waltraute in his Die Walküre, Kate Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Bersi in Giordano's Andrea Chénier, and Mercédès in Bizet's Carmen. Earlier this season at the Met, she sang Emilia in Verdi's Otello.

Italian tenor Francesco Demuro makes his Met role debut as Fenton, a role he has previously sung at Paris Opera and La Scala. He made his Met debut in 2014 as Rodolfo in La Bohème and was later seen as Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata. He has sung Alfredo with Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Other recent performances include Gabriele in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at Paris Opera, Nadir in Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles at Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, and the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto at Oper Frankfurt.

Italian baritone Ambrogio Maestri reprises his portrayal of Falstaff, which he performed at this production's premiere in 2013. He made his Met debut in 2004 as Amonasro in Verdi's Aida, followed by performances of Alfio in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, and the title role in Donizetti's Don Pasquale. Other performances this season include Don Pasquale and Dulcamara at Vienna State Opera and the title role of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi at Bavarian State Opera and La Scala. He was seen earlier this season as Michonnet in the Met's new production of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, which was seen in cinemas around the world as a part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Spanish baritone Juan Jesús Rodríguez adds a new role to his Met repertory as Ford. He made his Met debut in 2016 as Count di Luna in Verdi's Il Trovatore, followed by performances of De Guiche in Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac. Recent performances include the title role of Verdi's Rigoletto at LA Opera, Giorgio Germont in Verdi's La Traviata at Hamburg State Opera, and the title role of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at Marseilles Opera. Later this season, he will sing Miller in Verdi's Luisa Miller at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

British conductor Richard Farnes makes his Met debut leading Falstaff. He was the music director of Opera North from 2004-2016 , where his many achievements included leading the world premieres of David Sawer and Armando Iannucci's Skin Deep and Simon Holt's The Nightingale's to Blame. Other notable engagements include performances at the Glyndebourne Festival, English National Opera, Scottish Opera, and Garsington Opera, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where he has conducted Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and Il Trovatore. His concert engagements include performances with such orchestras as the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. His recordings include Bluebeard's Castle and Don Carlos for Chandos with Opera North. Awards include "Achievement in Opera" at the 2014 UK Theatre Awards and a 2017 Royal Philharmonic Society Award.