La Clemenza Di Tito Returns To The Met

Mozart's opera of ancient Rome, La Clemenza di Tito, returns to the Met starring Matthew Polenzani in the title role of the Roman emperor Tito, with Elza van den Heever as the vengeful Vitellia, who plots his assassination. Joyce DiDonato sings the trouser role of Sesto, Tito's most devoted friend, who is also in love with Vitellia. The trio of leading artists is reunited at the Met after their acclaimed performances together in the company's new production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda in 2013. Emily D'Angelo and Ying Fang sing the roles of the lovers Annio and Servilia, Sesto's friend and sister, respectively, and Christian Van Horn portrays the captain of the Praetorian Guard, Publio. Lothar Koenigs conducts all six performances of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's 1984 staging, which runs March 30 through April 20, 2019.

The April 3 and April 20 performances of La Clemenza di Tito will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75, the April 20 performance will be broadcast over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network, and the April 3 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's web site, metopera.org.

South African soprano Elza van den Heever makes her Met role debut as Vitellia, a role she has previously sung at Oper Frankfurt. She made her Met debut in 2012 as Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, reprising the role at the company in 2016. She sang Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Met in 2015, and the role of Elettra in Mozart's Idomeneo in 2017, a role she had previously sung at Oper Frankfurt and Opéra National de Bordeaux. Last season, she was seen as Chrysothemis in Strauss's Elektra at the Met. Other roles this season include Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin at Vienna State Opera, Chrysothemis at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the title role of Bellini's Norma at Oper Frankfurt.

Chinese soprano Ying Fang makes her role debut as Servilia. She made her Met debut in 2013 in Shostakovich's The Nose, followed by performances as Barbarina in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, the Dew Fairy in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Giannetta in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, and Noémie in the Met's new production of Massenet's Cendrillon, which was seen last season around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series. Other performances include Morgana in Handel's Alcina at Washington National Opera, Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at Opera Philadelphia, and Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at Opernhaus Zürich. In summer 2019, she will be seen as Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo at the Salzburg Festival.

American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato has previously sung Sesto at the Baden-Baden Festival. Her other roles at the Met have included Rossini heroines such as Angelina in La Cenerentola, the title role of La Donna del Lago, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Isolier in Le Comte Ory. In 2011, she created the role of Sycorax in the Met's Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, and in 2012, she sang the title role in the Met premiere of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. Last season, she sang Adalgisa in the Met's new production of Bellini's Norma and the title role of Massenet's Cendrillon, both of which were seen around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD.

Canadian-Italian mezzo-soprano Emily D'Angelo makes her Met role debut as Annio, a role she has previously sung at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. A member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, she made her Met debut earlier this season as Second Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute. She won four prizes in the 2018 Operalia competition, including first prize among women in the general division, the competition's Birgit Nilsson Prize, the Zarzuela prize, and the Audience Prize. In summer 2018, she made her role debut as Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia at The Glimmerglass Festival. She made her professional operatic debut in 2016 at the Spoleto Festival as Cherubino in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and has also been seen as Second Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with Canadian Opera Company and in excerpts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Later this season, she will be seen as Soeur Mathilde in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites, which will be seen in cinemas around the world as a part of The Met: Live in HD.

American tenor Matthew Polenzani adds a new role to his Met repertory as Tito. He has sung more than 350 performances with the company since his debut in 1997 as Boyar in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. Other Met roles include Nemorino in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, the title role of Mozart's Idomeneo, Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan tutte, the title character in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto, and role debuts as Nadir in the Met new production premieres of Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles and in the title role of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux. In summer 2019, he will make his role debut as Don José in Bizet's Carmen at San Francisco Opera.

American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn makes his Met role debut as Publio, a role he has previously sung at Lyric Opera of Chicago. His past Met performances have included Colline in La Bohème, the role of his company debut; Pistola in a new production of Verdi's Falstaff; Speaker in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte; and Julio in the U.S. premiere of Thomas Adès's The Exterminating Angel. This season he was awarded the prestigious Richard Tucker Award. Earlier this season, he made his Met role debut in the title role of Boito's Mefistofele and reprised Colline. Other performances this season include Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen at Bavarian State Opera and Zoroastro in Handel's Orlando at San Francisco Opera.

German conductor Lothar Koenigs made his Met debut in 2008 conducting Mozart's Don Giovanni. He was the Music Director of Welsh National Opera from 2009 to 2016, where he led performances such as Berg's Lulu, Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, and Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Maestro Koenigs's performances with other companies include Wagner's Lohengrin at the Bavarian State Opera, Strauss's Capriccio at Oper Frankfurt, and Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

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