THE MERRY WIDOW, LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN and More Set for The Met's 2014-15 Live in HD Season, Kicking Off Today

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 65 countries around the world, will feature ten operas in the 2014-15 season, including all six new productions in the Met season. All ten performances, transmitted live from the Met stage, will feature the world's finest singers, conductors, and theatrical artists.

The six new productions include three repertory favorites-Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, directed by Richard Eyre; Lehár's operetta The Merry Widow, directed by Susan Stroman in her Met debut and starring Renée Fleming in the title role; and the verismo double bill Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, directed by David McVicar-each of which has its first Live in HD transmission in the coming season.

Three operatic rarities having Met premieres in 2014-15 will also be transmitted as part of the series: John Adams's modern masterpiece The Death of Klinghoffer; Tchaikovsky's lyrical fairy tale Iolanta, starring Anna Netrebko in the title role and presented in a double bill with Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle; and Rossini's bel canto gem La Donna del Lago, starring Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez in the leading roles.

Met Music Director James Levine, who returns to a full performing schedule in 2014-15, will lead the HD transmission of Le Nozze di Figaro as well as the first HD performance of an opera with which he has long been associated, Wagner's brilliant human comedy Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

Three of the series' most popular operas will return with new casts. Anna Netrebko sings Lady Macbeth for the first time at the Met in Verdi's Shakespearean tragedy, led by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi, who is also on the podium for the transmission of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. When Bizet's Carmen was first transmitted Live in HD in 2011, it became the best-selling transmission in series history; in 2014-15, it returns with Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing her signature role of the smoldering gypsy. Vittorio Grigolo sings the title role of the poet who is four times unlucky in love in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann.

"This is our ninth season in a row of connecting opera fans to our live performances," said Met General Manager Peter Gelb. "We're glad that we are able to continue to present an eclectic selection of operas, thereby offering new repertoire experiences to our opera lovers in movie theaters around the world."

The HD season will begin today, October 11 at 12:55 p.m. ET with Verdi's Macbeth. Future transmissions include Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (October 18 at 12:55 p.m.); Bizet's Carmen (November 1 at 12:55 p.m.); John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer (November 15 at 12:55 p.m.); Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (December 13 at 12 p.m.); Lehár's The Merry Widow (January 17 at 12:55 p.m.); Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann (January 31 at 12:55 p.m.); Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle (February 14 at 12:30 p.m.); Rossini's La Donna del Lago (March 14 at 12:55 p.m.); and Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci (April 25 at 12:30 p.m.). All ten operas will be Saturday matinee performances, transmitted live from the Met stage. All start times are Eastern Time; for local start times and rebroadcast information, please visit www.metopera.org/hdlive.

Further details on each live transmission, including complete casting, is available below.

About The Met: Live in HD - The Met: Live in HD series, which now reaches more than 2,000 theaters in 65 countries, makes the Met the world's leading provider of alternative cinema content and the only arts institution with an ongoing global series of this scale. When the series launched in 2006, the Met was the first arts company to experiment with alternative cinema content. Since then, the program has grown every season, with more than 14 million tickets sold to date.

The Met: Live in HD series has increased accessibility to Met performances for audiences around the world. With an global average ticket price of $23 in the 2013-14 season, the series has made world-class performances accessible to millions of opera lovers each season.

Met stars serve as hosts for the HD series, conducting live interviews with cast, crew, and production teams, and introducing the popular behind-the-scenes features.

Tickets for the ten transmissions in the 2014-15 Live in HD season will go on sale in August in the U.S. and Canada, with Met Members offered priority before tickets are made available to the general public. International ticket sales dates and details on ordering tickets for the 2014-15 Live in HD series vary from country to country and will be announced separately by individual distributors.

The Met: Live in HD 2014-15 Schedule

Macbeth (Verdi)

October 11, 2014 at 12:55 p.m. ET

Conductor: Fabio Luisi

Production: Adrian Noble

Set and Costume Designer: Mark Thompson

Lighting Designer: Jean Kalman

Choreographer: Sue Lefton

Cast: Anna Netrebko (Lady Macbeth), Joseph Calleja (Macduff), Željko Lu?i? (Macbeth), René Pape (Banquo)

The Live in HD season begins October 11 with Verdi's Shakespearean tragedy, starring Anna Netrebko in the vocally and dramatically demanding role of Lady Macbeth. Adrian Noble's acclaimed 2007 production, conducted by Fabio Luisi, also stars Željko Lu?i? in the title role, Joseph Calleja as Macduff, and René Pape as Banquo.

Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
NEW PRODUCTION

October 18, 2014 at 12:55 p.m. ET

Conductor: James Levine

Production: Richard Eyre

Set and Costume Design: Rob Howell

Lighting Design: Paule Constable

Choreographer: Sara Erde

Cast: Marina Poplavskaya (Countess), Marlis Petersen (Susanna), Isabel Leonard (Cherubino), Peter Mattei (Count), Ildar Abdrazakov (Figaro)

James Levine conducts a new production of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro starring Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role and directed by Richard Eyre, whose other Met productions include the upcoming Werther and the hit 2011 staging of Carmen. Eyre's production of the opera, in which the romantic bonds of a wealthy married couple and their engaged servants are tested over the course of one very eventful day, is set in a stately manor in 1920s Seville. The cast also includes Marlis Petersen as Figaro's quick-witted bride-to-be, Susanna; Peter Mattei as their employer, Count Almaviva; Marina Poplavskaya as Almaviva's wife, the long-suffering Countess; and Isabel Leonard as the boisterous page Cherubino.

Carmen (Bizet)

November 1, 2014 at 12:55 p.m. ET

Conductor: Pablo Heras-Casado

Production: Richard Eyre

Set and Costume Designer: Rob Howell

Lighting Designer: Peter Mumford

Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Cast: Anita Hartig (Micaëla), Anita Rachvelishvili (Carmen), Aleksandrs Antonenko (Don José), Ildar Abdrazakov (Escamillo)

Richard Eyre's "gripping and brilliant production" of Carmen (The New York Times) is the most popular opera in the history of the Live in HD series. Anita Rachvelishvili sings the title role of the seductive gypsy, a part she has sung to acclaim at many of the world's leading opera houses. Aleksandrs Antonenko sings the obsessed soldier Don José, rising soprano Anita Hartig sings Micaëla, and Ildar Abdrazakov is the toreador Escamillo in this performance, led by Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado.

The Death of Klinghoffer (Adams)
MET PREMIERE

November 15, 2014 at 12:55 p.m. ET

Conductor: David Robertson

Production: Tom Morris

Set Design: Tom Pye

Costume Design: Laura Hopkins

Lighting Design: Jean Kalman

Video Design: Finn Ross

Sound Design: Mark Grey

Choreographer: Arthur Pita

Cast: Michaela Martens (Marilyn Klinghoffer), Sean Panikkar (Molqi), Paulo Szot (The Captain), Alan Opie (Leon Klinghoffer), Aubrey Allicock (Mamoud), Ryan Speedo Green ("Rambo")

John Adams's meditative opera is based on the 1985 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro and the subsequent murder of a Jewish passenger. The Met premiere, a co-production with English National Opera, is directed by Tom Morris, whose other credits include the international theatrical hit War Horse. David Robertson conducts a cast led by Paulo Szot as the Captain of the Achille Lauro; Alan Opie as the title character; Michaela Martens as Klinghoffer's wife, Marilyn; Sean Pannikar as Molqi; Aubrey Allicock in his Met debut as Mamoud; and Ryan Speedo Green as "Rambo."

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner)

December 13, 2014 at 12 p.m. ET

Conductor: James Levine

Production: Otto Schenk

Set Designer: Günther Schneider-Siemssen

Costume Designer: Rolf Langenfass

Lighting Designer: Gil Wechsler

Cast: Annette Dasch (Eva), Karen Cargill (Magdalene), Johan Botha (Walther von Stolzing), Paul Appleby (David), Johan Reuter (Hans Sachs), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Beckmesser), Hans-Peter König (Pogner), Matthew Rose (Nightwatchman)

James Levine conducts Wagner's grand human comedy Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg in its first-ever Live in HD performance. Johan Reuter stars as Hans Sachs, with Johan Botha as Walther, Annette Dasch as Eva, Karen Cargill as Magdalene, Paul Appleby as David, Johannes Martin Kränzle in his Met debut as Beckmesser, and Hans-Peter König as Pogner.

The Merry Widow (Lehár)
NEW PRODUCTION

January 17, 2015 at 12:55 p.m. ET

Conductor: Andrew Davis

Production: Susan Stroman

Set Design: Julian Crouch

Costume Design: William Ivey Long

Lighting Design: Paule Constable

Choreographer: Susan Stroman

English Translation: Jeremy Sams

Cast: Renée Fleming (Hanna), Kelli O'Hara (Valencienne), Nathan Gunn (Danilo), Alek Shrader (Camille de Rosillon), Thomas Allen (Baron Zeta)

Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman, whose many credits include the Tony Award-winning musicals Crazy For You, Contact, and The Producers, makes her Met debut with a lavish new staging of Lehár's effervescent operetta The Merry Widow, performed in English in a new translation by Jeremy Sams. Lehár's best-known composition has been an audience favorite since its 1905 premiere and features a great deal of well-known music, including "Vilja," "You'll Find Me At Maxim's," and "The Merry Widow Waltz." Renée Fleming will add a new character to her wide-ranging Met repertory of 22 roles as Hanna, the widowed Parisian millionairess. Andrew Davis will conduct a cast that also includes Nathan Gunn as Hanna's lover Danilo; Alek Shrader as the young nobleman Camille de Rosillon; Thomas Allen as the scheming Baron Zeta; and Broadway soprano Kelli O'Hara in her Met debut as the Baron's coquettish wife Valencienne.

Les Contes d'Hoffman (Offenbach)

January 31, 2015 at 12:55 p.m. ET

Conductor: Yves Abel

Production: Bartlett Sher

Set Designer: Michael Yeargan

Costume Designer: Catherine Zuber

Lighting Designer: James F. Ingalls

Choreographer: Dou Dou Huang

Cast: Hibla Gerzmava (Olympia, Antonia, Giulietta, Stella), Kate Lindsey (Nicklausse/The Muse), Vittorio Grigolo (Hoffman), Thomas Hampson (Four Villains)

Vittorio Grigolo stars in the title role of Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, opposite Abkhazian soprano Hibla Gerzmava as all four of the opera's heroines-the mechanical doll Olympia, the consumptive artist Antonia, the courtesan Giulietta, and the self-absorbed actress Stella. Kate Lindsey reprises her performances as Nicklausse and Thomas Hampson adds a role to his expansive Met repertory as the Four Villains. Yves Abel conducts.

Iolanta/Duke Bluebeard's Castle (Tchaikovsky/Bartók)
NEW PRODUCTION

February 14, 2015 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Conductor: Valery Gergiev

Production: Mariusz Treli?ski

Set Design: Boris Kudlicka

Costume Design: Marek Adamski

Lighting Design: Marc Heinz

Choreographer: Tomasz Wygoda

Video Projection Design: Bartek Macias

Cast: Anna Netrebko (Iolanta), Piotr Beczala (Count Tristan Vaudémont), Alexey Markov (Robert), Elchin Azizov (Ibn-Hakia), Alexei Tanovitski (King René); Nadja Michael (Judith), Mikhail Petrenko (Bluebeard)

Mariusz Treli?ski, artistic director of Warsaw's Polish National Opera, makes his Met debut with a double bill of two rarely performed one-act works: Tchaikovsky's romantic fairy tale Iolanta, about the psychological awakening of a blind princess, and Bartók's harrowing Duke Bluebeard's Castle, in which newlywed Judith must open seven locked doors to discover the full depths of her husband's dark secrets. Valery Gergiev conducts the double bill, which is a co-production with Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera. Anna Netrebko stars as the title character in Iolanta, with Piotr Beczala and Alexey Markov as Vaudémont and Robert, two rivals for her love. Nadja Michael sings the central role of Judith in Duke Bluebeard's Castle, with Mikhail Petrenko as her mysterious and menacing new husband.

La Donna del Lago (Rossini)
MET PREMIERE

March 14, 2015 at 12:55 p.m. ET

Conductor: Michele Mariotti

Production: Paul Curran

Set and Costume Design: Kevin Knight

Lighting Design: Duane Schuler

Projection Design: Driscoll Otto

Cast: Joyce DiDonato (Elena), Daniela Barcellona (Malcolm Groeme), Juan Diego Flórez (Giacomo), John Osborn (Rodrigo), Oren Gradus (Duglas)

Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez star in the bel canto showcase La Donna del Lago, having its first-ever Met performances in 2014-15. DiDonato sings the title role of Elena, a young woman pursued by two men, with Flórez in his fifth Live in HD bel canto role as Giacomo, the benevolent king of Scotland. Michele Mariotti conducts debuting Scottish director Paul Curran's staging, a co-production with Santa Fe Opera, where it premiered in 2013. The cast also includes Daniela Barcellona in the trouser role of Malcolm, John Osborn as Rodrigo, and Oren Gradus as Duglas.

Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (Mascagni/Leoncavallo)
NEW PRODUCTION

April 25, 2015 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Conductor: Fabio Luisi

Production: David McVicar

Set Design: Rae Smith

Costume Design: Moritz Junge

Lighting Design: Paule Constable

Choreographer: Andrew George

Vaudeville Consultant: Emil Wolk

Cast: Eva-Maria Westbroek (Santuzza), Marcelo Álvarez (Turiddu), Željko Lu?i? (Alfio); Patricia Racette (Nedda), Marcelo Álvarez (Canio), George Gagnidze (Tonio), Lucas Meachem (Silvio)

David McVicar directs the first new Met production of the popular verismo double bill in 45 years, with Marcelo Álvarez making his company role debut in both leading tenor parts: the unrepentant seducer Turiddu and the clown Canio. Eva-Maria Westbroek will sing the role of Santuzza, the abandoned woman at the heart of Cavalleria Rusticana, with Željko Lu?i? as the chivalrous Alfio. Patricia Racette will star as Canio's ill-fated wife Nedda in Pagliacci, with George Gagnidze in his first Met performances as Tonio. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads both operas.

Pictured: Jacques Offenbach's LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN, with Vittorio Grigolo in the title role, will be transmitted as part of "The Met: Live in HD" series on January 31, 2015. Photo by Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera.

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