NORMA to Open The Metropolitan Opera's 133rd Season

The Metropolitan Opera will open its 133rd season on Monday, September 25 with a new production of Bellini's Bel Canto tragedy Norma. Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky returns to the Met as one of the world's leading interpreters of Norma, singing her first season opening performances.

The production is by acclaimed director Sir David McVicar, who staged all three of Donizetti's Tudor Queen operas, each starring Radvanovsky, in the 2015-16 season.

Carlo Rizzi returns to the Met, conducting mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in her Met role debut as Norma's archrival Adalgisa, tenor Joseph Calleja as Norma's unfaithful lover Pollione, and bass Matthew Rose as Norma's father Oroveso. McVicar's staging features scenery by Robert Jones, costumes by Moritz Junge, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement direction by Leah Hausman.

For the October 16 and 20 performances, soprano Marina Rebeka makes her Met role debut as Norma. Beginning on December 1, soprano Angela Meade reprises the role of the Druid princess opposite mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Adalgisa with Calleja and Rose reprising Pollione and Oroveso throughout the second run of five performances. The December performances are conducted by Joseph Colaneri.

As part of the Met's ongoing commitment to making opera more accessible, the opening night performance will once again be broadcast to multiple giant screens in Times Square-a tradition begun in 2006, with free seating for more than 2000 on a first come, first served basis. The company's Rush Tickets program will also once again be extended to include opening night, allowing some opera lovers the chance to purchase $25 orchestra seats for the gala performance.

The October 7 matinee performance of Norma will kick off the 12th season of the Met's Live in HD series, which now reaches more than 2,000 movie theaters in 73 countries around the world.

ABOUT THE CAST AND CONDUCTOR:

Sondra Radvanovsky has become one of the world's leading interpreters of Norma, previously singing the title role at the Met during the 2013-14 season, as well as San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu, Bavarian State Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. After winning the National Council Auditions in 1995, she made her Met debut the following year as Countess Ceprano in Verdi's Rigoletto and has sung 201 performances with the company to date. Recent roles at the Met include singing all three Queens in Donizetti's Tudor queens trilogy during the 2015-16 season, making her the first singer since Beverly Sills in the 1970s to perform all three roles in a single New York season; Amelia in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore, and the title character in Verdi's Aida. Following her performances in Norma, she will reprise the roles of Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera and Leonora in Il Trovatore at the Paris Opera and the title role of Anna Bolena at the Canadian Opera Company.

Marina Rebeka has previously sung the role of Norma at Teatro Verdi Trieste and the Latvian National Opera. She made her Met debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni followed by Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata and Musetta in Puccini's La Bohe?me. Last season, she sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Mathilde in the new production of Rossini's Guillaume Tell with the company. Following her performances in Norma, she can be seen as Lei?la in Bizet's Les Pe?cheurs de Perles at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Violetta in La Traviata at the Paris Opera, Marguerite in Gounod's Faust at the Ope?ra de Monte-Carlo, and Amelia in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at the Vienna State Opera.

Angela Meade has previously sung the title role with the company, as well as Teatro Real in Madrid, Los Angeles Opera, and Washington National Opera. She made her company debut in 2008 singing Elvira in Verdi's Ernani, and her other Met roles have included the title roles of Anna Bolena, Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff, the Countess in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, and Leonora in Il Trovatore. Last season, she added a new role to her Met repertory as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and was a soloist during the Met's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala. During the company's 2017-18 season, she will also sing in the title role of Rossini's Semiramide.

Joyce DiDonato has previously sung the role of Adalgisa at the Salzburg 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 Maria Stuarda. Last season, she sang in the Met's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala, and later this season, she can be seen as the title character in the company premiere of Massenet's La Cendrillon.

Jamie Barton reprises Adalgisa which she has previously sung opposite Meade at the Met. She first came to prominence as a winner of the Met's National Council Auditions in 2007, a process that was documented in the award-winning film The Audition. She made her Met debut in 2009 as the Second Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflo?te followed by GiovAnna Seymour in Anna Bolena, Fenena in Verdi's Nabucco, and Jez?ibaba in the company's new production of Dvor?a?k's Rusalka. She is also a recipient of the 2017 Beverly Sills Artist Award. Following her performances at the Met, Barton will sing Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlo at the Washington National Opera, reprise Adalgisa at the Houston Grand Opera, and sing Fricka in Wagner's Das Rheingold and Die Walku?re and Waltaute/2nd Norn in Go?tterda?mmerung at the San Francisco Opera.

Joseph Calleja makes his Met role debut as Pollione, a role he has previously sung at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He made his company debut as the Duke in Rigoletto in 2006 followed by singing Macduff in Verdi's Macbeth, Rodolfo in La Bohe?me, Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, the title character in Faust, and Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra. Last season, he sang in the Met's 50th Anniversary at Lincoln Center Gala. Later this season, he can be seen singing the title role of Faust at Ope?ra de Monte-Carlo, Macduff in Macbeth and Faust in Boito's Mefistofele at the Bavarian State Opera, and Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca at the Bavarian State Opera and Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Matthew Rose adds a new role to his Met repertory as Oroveso. He made his Met debut in 2011 as Colline in La Bohe?me, followed by performances as Talbot in Maria Stuarda, Bottom in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Nightwatchman in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nu?rnberg, Fre?re Laurent in Gounod's Rome?o et Juliette, and Masetto and Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Later this season, he will reprise his interpretation of Colline at the Met.

Carlo Rizzi made his Met debut conducting La Bohe?me in 1993. Since then, he has conducted 181 performances with the company including Norma, La Traviata, Tosca, and Aida. He was the Music Director of the Welsh National Opera from 1992-2001 and 2004-2008 and has conducted at opera houses around the world such as La Scala, Royal Danish Opera, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Paris Opera, and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Later this season, he will conduct Puccini's Turandot at the Met.

Joseph Colaneri made his Met debut in 2000 leading La Bohe?me, and has conducted multiple performances with the company including Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, Falstaff, and Nabucco. From 1987-1998, he was a conductor with The New York City Opera and has been a member of the conducting staff at the Met since 1998. Additionally, he is the director of the opera program at Mannes College of Music.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR AND CREATIVE TEAM:

Norma is the first of two new productions Sir David McVicar will stage with the company this season. He made his Met debut in 2009 staging Il Trovatore, followed by Handel's Giulio Cesare, and the double bill of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. During the 2015-16 season, he completed an ambitious directorial accomplishment: staging the Met premieres of all three operas in Donizetti's Tudor Queens trilogy. McVicar has also staged multiple operas around the world including at the Vienna State Opera, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The?a?tre des Champs Elyse?es, Frankfurt Opera, Scottish Opera, and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, as well as the Glyndebourne Festival and Salzburg Festival. In December, he will direct the Met's new production of Tosca.

Robert Jones previously designed the sets for the Met premiere of Donizetti's Anna Bolena, as well as Giulio Cesare and Strauss's Die Fledermaus. His other opera credits include designing sets at the Paris Opera, Berlin State Opera, Vienna State Opera, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. He has designed sets for multiple productions on the West End including Fatal Attraction, Kiss Me Kate, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz.

Moritz Junge's credits with the company include designing costumes for McVicar's stagings of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci and Roberto Devereux. His work with other opera companies includes the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Hannover State Opera, English National Opera, the Bolshoi Theatre, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. His work spans from designing costumes for The National Theater, Theater Aachen, and Theater Oberhausen to costumes for the Royal Ballet and Paris Ballet.

Paule Constable has been the lighting designer on multiple productions with the company since her Met debut in 2008 designing lighting for Philip Glass's Satyagraha. Her other Met credits include the recent new productions of Roberto Devereux, Don Giovanni, Anna Bolena, Giulio Cesare, Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Leha?r's The Merry Widow, and Le Nozze di Figaro. She has been the lighting designer for various opera houses in Europe including the Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, English National Opera, Vienna State Opera, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden along with the Glyndebourne Festival. Her work has been seen across the West End and Broadway, and she has won two Tony Awards for her work on War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. Later this season, she will be the lighting designer for the company's new production of Mozart's Cosi? fan tutte.

Leah Hausman has choreographed three of McVicar's productions at the Met: Roberto Devereux, Maria Stuarda, and Il Trovatore. She has worked as a choreographer and movement director for La Scala, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Royal Dutch Opera, and Royal Opera, Covent Garden. She has also choreographed for the National Theatre and Old Vic in England. In addition to choreography, Hausman has also directed productions at The Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre. Later this season, she will be the movement director for the Met's new production of Tosca.

LIVE OPENING NIGHT SCREENING IN TIMES SQUARE:

On September 25, the Norma premiere will be transmitted live to Times Square. The opera will begin at 6:30 pm, preceded by pre-taped content previewing the upcoming Met season at 6.00pm. Attendance is free and no tickets are required. Seats will be available on a first-come first-served basis in Times Square at Military Island (between 43rd and 44th Streets) and at Duffy Square (between 46th and 47th Streets), with additional standing room available at both locations.

The Times Square relay of the Opening Night Gala is presented in cooperation with the City of New York and the Times Square Alliance. The participating screens in Times Square ABC SuperSign, American Eagle Times Square, Bank of America Times Square, Branded Cities Network (Reuters Sign and Nasdaq Tower), Clear Channel Spectacolor HD 126, 127, and 128, Express Times Square, and Jamestown One Times Square.

The live transmission to Times Square is made possible with the cooperation of the City of New York, with leadership support provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Additional funding is provided by the Metropolitan Opera Guild and Opera News. This program is also supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works, and by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The simulcast is presented in partnership with Times Square Arts, the public art program for the Times Square Alliance.

NORMA FUN FACTS:

Following the success of Bellini's La Sonnambula starring Giuditta Pasta as Amina, La Scala commissioned the composer to write a new opera again starring Pasta. Bellini and his librettist Felice Romani decided the play by Alexandre Soumet would be the perfect choice to adapt.

Initially, Pasta was hesitant to sing Casta diva, which today is considered one of the most famous arias from the 19th century, citing that it was "ill adapted to her vocal abilities". To this day, the role of Norma is considered one of the most difficult roles in a soprano's repertory. Notable soprano Lilli Lehmann, who sang the role with the company in the 1890s, once said that singing all three Bru?nnhilde roles in Wagner's Ring cycle in one evening would be less stressful than singing one Norma.

Norma had its Met premiere in 1890 and has been performed by the company 156 times to date. Notable singers who have starred in the title role with the company include Montserrat Caballe?, Maria Callas, Lilli Lehmann, Renata Scotto, Joan Sutherland, and Shirley Verrett.

NORMA LIVE IN HD AND RADIO BROADCASTS:

The October 7 matinee performance of Norma will be transmitted live around the world at 12:55 p.m. ET hosted by Deborah Voigt. The transmission will be seen in more than 2,000 movie theaters in 73 countries around the world. The September 25 performance of Norma will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 75, as will the performances on October 3, October 20, and December 16. The September 25 performance will also be streamed live on the Met's web site, www.metopera.org.

The Met: Live in HD series 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. Transmission of The Met: Live in HD in Canada is made possible thanks to the generosity of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr. A recording of the December 16 performance will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

Pictured: Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role of Bellini's Norma. Photo by Paola Kudacki/Metropolitan Opera.

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