MADAMA BUTTERFLY, IL TROVATORE, and More Among Met Opera's Summer Encore Screenings

This summer, the Met will rebroadcast four popular operas from the groundbreaking Live in HD series as part of the Summer Encores in select cinemas worldwide. The 2018 Summer Encore titles include: Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Verdi's Il Trovatore, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, and Puccini's Turandot.

The Summer Encore series will begin with Madama Butterfly on June 20 in the U.S. and Canada, with dates varying internationally. Please check your local cinema listings for participating national and international theaters, as well as show times. Detailed cast and opera information is below. Additional information can be found at metopera.org/SummerEncores.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2018 Summer Encores

MADAMA BUTTERFLY (transmitted live on April 2, 2016)

Anthony Minghella's beautiful, atmospheric production enhances Puccini's drama of doomed love. Soprano Kristine Opolais brings all of her passionate commitment to her portrayal of Cio-Cio-San, the teenage geisha who gives up everything for Lt. Pinkerton. Tenor Roberto Alagna is the American naval officer who does not understand the depth of Cio-Cio-San's love and whose subsequent marriage to an American woman precipitates Butterfly's suicide. Mezzo-soprano Maria Zifchak is Suzuki, Cio-Cio-San's faithful servant, and baritone Dwayne Croft plays the American consul Sharpless, who tries to avert the tragedy. Karel Mark Chichon conducts.

IL TROVATORE (transmitted live on October 3, 2015)

Soprano Anna Netrebko is Leonora, the young noblewoman in love with the troubadour of the title-tenor Yonghoon Lee-but also pursued by Count di Luna, sung by the great baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick completes the quartet of principals in her signature role of Azucena, the mysterious gypsy woman who sets the dramatic events in motion. Marco Armiliato conducts Sir David McVicar's Goya-inspired production.

EUGENE ONEGIN (transmitted live on February 24, 2007)

The pain of unrequited love is portrayed unforgettably by two of opera's greatest stars. Soprano Renée Fleming is musically and dramatically radiant as the shy Tatiana, who falls in love with the worldly Eugene Onegin, played with devastating charisma by baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Their mesmerizing vocalism and chemistry explode in one of opera's most heartbreaking final scenes. With Valery Gergiev on the podium conducting Tchaikovsky's passionate score, this performance is one for the ages.

TURANDOT (transmitted live on January 30, 2016)

Franco Zeffirelli's golden production stars the great dramatic soprano Nina Stemme as Turandot, the icy Chinese princess who has renounced all men.Tenor Marco Berti is Calàf, the unknown prince who solves Turandot's riddles and wins her love. Soprano Anita Hartig sings Liù, the faithful slave girl who gives her life to save Calàf, and bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk is the fallen King Timur. Paolo Carignani conducts.

The Met: Live in HD, the company's award-winning series of opera transmissions into cinemas around the world, is now shown in more than 70 countries and in over 2,200 movie theaters. Since launching the series in December 2006, the Metropolitan Opera has become the leading producer of alternative cinema content, selling more than 25 million tickets to date. The Met: Live in HD is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor The Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support of The Met: Live in HD is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The HD broadcasts are supported by Toll Brothers, America's luxury home builder®.

Tickets for the 2018-19 Live in HD season will go on sale on July 18, 2018 in the U.S. and Canada, with Met Members offered priority access to tickets before the general public. International dates and details on ordering tickets for the 2018-19 Live in HD season varies from country to country and will be announced separately by individual distributors.

For more information about Live in HD, visit http://www.metopera.org/HDlive.

Photo: Anna Netrebko as Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore. Photo by Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera.

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