Mozart's DIE ZAUBERFLOTE to Fly Back to The Metropolitan Opera This Month

Met Music Director Emeritus James Levine conducts one of his signature pieces, Mozart's final opera, Die Zauberflote, which returns to the Met September 26 for full-length performances in German.

South African soprano Golda Schultz makes her company debut as Pamina with soprano Kathryn Lewek reprising her interpretation of the Queen of the Night, tenor Charles Castronovo as the fairy-tale prince Tamino, baritone Markus Werba as the bird-catcher Papageno, bass Christian Van Horn as the Speaker, and bass Tobias Kehrer as Sarastro.

The October 14 matinee performance features bass Rene? Pape as Sarastro in Die Zauberflo?te, which will be transmitted worldwide as part of the 12th season of the Met's Live in HD series, now reaching more than 2,000 movie theaters in 73 countries around the world.

For prices and ticket information, call (212) 362-6000 or visit www.metopera.org. Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling (212) 341-5410 or visiting www.metopera.org/groups.

James Levine has conducted Die Zauberflo?te 43 times previously at the Met, including Taymor's new production premiere in 2004. Over the course of his career, Levine has conducted more than 2,560 performances with the company in a broad- ranging repertory that has included the Mozart operas Cosi? fan tutte, Die Entfu?hrung aus dem Serail, Don Giovanni, and Idomeneo, as well as the Met premiere of La Clemenza di Tito. He served as the company's Music Director from 1976 to 2016 and retired at the end of 2016 to become the Met's first Music Director Emeritus. Later this season, he will conduct concert performances of Verdi's Requiem, revivals of Verdi's Il Trovatore and Luisa Miller, and a new production of Puccini's Tosca.

Golda Schultz makes her Met debut as Pamina, a role she has previously sung at the Bavarian State Opera where she is an ensemble member of the company. Previous roles with other companies include Susanna in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at La Scala, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at Zurich Opera and 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. After her performances at the Met, she will return to the Bavarian State Opera to sing Micae?la in Bizet's Carmen, Musetta in Puccini's La Bohe?me, Fiordiligi in Cosi? fan tutte, and then Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito at the Dutch National Opera and Salzburg Festival.

Kathryn Lewek has sung the Queen of the Night in the Met's abridged, English- language presentation of the opera, as well as the full-length version. She has also sung the role with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Kansas City Opera, Washington National Opera, and Bregenz Festival. In December, she will reprise the role in the company's holiday presentation of The Magic Flute.

Charles Castronovo adds a new role to his Met repertory as Tamino, a role he has previously sung at Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Ravinia Festival. As a graduate of the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, he made his company debut singing Bepe in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, in addition to singing Don Ottavio in Mozart's Don Giovanni and Rodolfo in La Bohe?me with the company. In December, he will reprise Tamino in the company's holiday presentation of The Magic Flute, followed by Alfredo Germont in Verdi's La Traviata at the Paris Opera and Munich Opera Festival, as well as Don Jose? in Carmen at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Markus Werba made his Met debut in 2010 as the Harlequin in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos. He sang Papageno at the Met during the 2014-15 season and has sung the role with the Rome Opera, Vienna State Opera, Salzburg Festival, Teatro di Regio in Torino, Vienna State Opera and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He will sing Roland in Schubert's Fierrabras at La Scala later this season.

Christian Van Horn makes his role debut as Sprecher. His past Met performances include Colline in La Bohe?me and the role of his company debut, Pistola in the new production of Verdi's Falstaff. Later this season, he will sing Julio in the Met premiere of Thomas Ade?s's The Exterminating Angel, followed by Me?phistophe?le?s in Gounod's Faust at Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Emperor in Stravinsky's Nightingale at the Canadian Opera Company.

Tobias Kehrer has previously sung Sarastro at the Met and Deutsche Oper Berlin. He is a member of the ensemble at Deutsche Oper Berlin where his other roles have included Colline in La Bohe?me, Zuniga in Carmen, Titurel in Wagner's Parsifal, Sparafucile in Verdi's Rigoletto, and Narbal in Berlioz's Les Troyens. Later this season, he will reprise Sarastro in the Met's holiday presentation of The Magic Flute.

Rene? Pape reprises Sarastro, a role he has sung during the Met's 2006-07 and 2014-15 seasons, as well as Berlin State Opera and Paris Opera. He made his company debut in 1995 as Sprecher in Die Zauberflo?te, and since then, he has sung over 200 performances with the company. His other roles at the Met include King Marke in last season's new production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Banquo in Verdi's Macbeth, Me?phistophe?le?s in Faust, and the title role of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. During the 2017-18 season, Pape will reprise the role of Gurnemanz in Wagner's Parsifal with the company.

DIE ZAUBERFLO?TE FUN FACTS:

Die Zauberflo?te premiered at the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna in 1791. Mozart conducted the opening night performance with a cast that featured his sister-in-law Josepha Hofer as the Queen of the Night, along with Benedikt Schack as Tamino, the leader of Mozart's theatrical troupe at the Theater auf der Wieden. Additionally, the librettist and director of Die Zauberflo?te (as well as a friend of the composer), Emanuel Schikaneder, sang the role of Papageno during the opening. Three months after the premiere, Mozart passed away, leaving Die Zauberflo?te as his final opera.

Die Zauberflo?te premiered at the Met on March 30, 1900 led by Luigi Mancinelli and starred Emma Eames as Pamina, Marcella Sembrich as the Queen of the Night, Andreas Dippel as Tamino, and Giuseppe Campanari as Papageno. Since then, the production has been staged 426 times to date with the company.

DIE ZAUBERFLO?TE LIVE IN HD AND RADIO BROADCASTS:

The October 14 matinee performance of Die Zauberflo?te will be transmitted live around the world at 12:55 p.m. ET hosted by Nadine Sierra. The transmission will be seen in more than 2,000 movie theaters in 73 countries around the world. The September 27 performance of Die Zauberflo?te will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75, as will the performances on October 10. The October 10 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's web site, www.metopera.org.

Pictured: Markus Werba as Papageno in Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte." Photo by Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera.

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