Operas Staged by Taymor, Sher, Etc. to Air on PBS

Acclaimed stage directors Julie Taymor, Bartlett Sher and Jack O'Brien will stage works at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Building on a longstanding broadcast alliance, the Metropolitan Opera and PBS have joined forces to create a new opera series, Great Performances at the Met, presented by Thirteen/WNET New York. 

The series of six live performances marks the most complete Met operas ever presented by PBS in one season.  The series premieres Wednesday, January 24 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) with a special 100-minute version of Mozart's fairy-tale classic, The Magic Flute. 

"Created to appeal to music lovers of all ages, the new English-language production is directed by Julie Taymor (Tony Award-winner for The Lion King, the films Titus and Frida) and features the spectacular visual effects of her original, German-language production of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), including flying birds, dancing bears, and a star-shimmering Queen of the Night.  Met Music Director James Levine conducts," state press notes.

Tony-nominee Sher (The Light in the Piazza, Awake and Sing!) will offer a new staging of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), with tenor Juan Diego Flórez leading an all-star cast.  Tony-winner O'Brien (Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Henry IV) will presnt a new take on Puccini's Il Trittico, featuring three casts of Met luminaries, conducted by Maestro Levine.

Other Met productions to air in 2007 are Bellini's I Puritani, featuring international sensation Anna Netrebko; Tan Dun's The First Emperor, starring legendary tenor Plácido Domingo and staged by film director Zhang Yimou; and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, with soprano Renée Fleming and Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Valery Gergiev.

"The Met's new mission is to present opera as a contemporary art form for the public to enjoy.  We've launched numerous initiatives this year that are designed to keep opera vital by broadening our reach to include new audiences," says the Met's General Manager Peter Gelb.  "By partnering with PBS and Thirteen/WNET, we are providing a national television audience with the opportunity to experience the new and exciting productions being presented by the Met this season."

Prior to their telecast on PBS, the productions are being transmitted live in high-definition (HD) to movie theaters throughout North America and Europe, with time-delayed broadcasts in Japan.  Dolby Laboratories worked closely with the Met Opera to ensure the highest quality of audio in the theaters around the world. In addition, the PBS telecast will be broadcast in HD in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Heading the all-star cast of the January 24 Magic Flute telecast are Ying Huang as Pamina, Matthew Polenzani as Tamino, Nathan Gunn as Papageno, Erika Miklósa as the Queen of the Night, and René Pape as Sarastro. 

"Set in a fanciful ancient Egypt, the opera makes abundant use of Masonic imagery - both its composer and its librettist Emanuel Schikaneder were Freemasons - but the story, however, is as universal as any fairy tale.  The noble Prince Tamino is encouraged by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter, Pamina, from the 'wicked' sorcerer Sarastro.  It is soon apparent, however, that Sarastro was actually saving Pamina from her wicked mother.  Tamino and his friend, the unwillingly heroic bird catcher Papageno, are indoctrinated at Sarastro's temple and, after the Queen and her minions are defeated, a happy ending ensues.  Courage, virtue and wisdom triumph, but not before the simple but endearing Papageno finds his beloved Papagena."

Great Performances at the Met: The Magic Flute was recorded live in HD on stage on December 30 and was directed by Gary Halvorson for the Met.  Pat Jaffe directed the pre-taped opening sequence preceding the performance.  The new English libretto is by the poet J.D. McClatchy and the settings are by George Tsypin, with Donald Holder as lighting designer.  Ms. Taymor designed the costumes and co-designed the puppets with Michael Curry.  Mark Dendy is choreographer.

Visit Great Performances online at www.thirteen.org and www.pbs.org for additional information on this and other Great Performances programs.  The colorful web companion contains a wide variety of images, in-depth information about the programs, and activities for teachers, including lesson plans, tips and resources.

Photo - Julie Taymor