Patrick Furrer to Fill in as Conductor for Final Performance of DON CARLOS at The Metropolitan Opera

Patrick Furrer will conduct the final performance of Verdi's Don Carlos today, Saturday, March 26th, replacing Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who has withdrawn due to illness. Furrer previously conducted the March 18 and 22 performances.

The Met's new production of the original five-act French version of Don Carlos is directed by David McVicar and stars Matthew Polenzani in the title role, Sonya Yoncheva as Élisabeth de Valois, Jamie Barton as Eboli, Etienne Dupuis as Rodrigue, Eric Owens as Philippe II, and John Relyea as the Grand Inquisitor.

The performance will be transmitted live to cinemas around the world as part of the Met's Live in HD series. For further information, please visit www.metopera.org.

For the first time in company history, the Metropolitan Opera staged the original five-act French version of Verdi's Don Carlos, with eight performances February 28-March 26. Verdi's epic opera about doomed love during the Spanish Inquisition first premiered in French at the Paris Opera in 1867. Verdi later translated the work to Italian with the more common Don Carlo, which has been a staple of the Met's repertory. "The opera was composed in French, and that is evident in the way the words connect to the notes and the melodies," says Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who will lead these performances and who previously conducted the Italian version at the Met in 2010.

The opera demands an exemplary sextet of principal artists, and David McVicar's new staging, which marks his 11th Met production, features an all-star cast. Tenor Matthew Polenzani sings the title role, with soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Élisabeth de Valois and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Eboli. Baritone Etienne Dupuis is Rodrigue, and bass-baritones Eric Owens and John Relyea are Philippe II and the Grand Inquisitor.

The creative team-comprising set designer Charles Edwards, costume designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting designer Adam Silverman, and movement director Leah Hausman-has crafted a vision that captures the struggle for freedom and light amid the darkness and oppression of Inquisition-era Spain.

The performance of Don Carlos on Saturday, March 26, will be transmitted live to cinemas around the globe as part of The Met: Live in HD series and broadcast over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

The February 28 and March 18 performances will be will be broadcast live on Met Opera Radio on Sirius XM Channel 355 and streamed live on the Met's website, metopera.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.