2018-2019 HD LIVE FROM METROPOLITAN OPERA NEW YORK 2018-2019 SEASON 10 evenings in live from New York including 4 new productions The Metropolitan Opera opens its season with the great Russian diva Anna Netrebko who will sing Aida on October 6th. She will return to the MET stage in Adriana Lecouvreur o n January 12, a new production by Sir David McVicar. Two new productions: La Traviata on December 15 with Diana Damrau and Joan Diego Fló rez and the premiere of Marnie on November 10, based on Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece. Attentive to the renewal of the lyric repertoire, the MET reserves each season a privileged place for contemporary creation. New titular conductor of the house or chestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead Francis Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites on May 11 at the end of a season that hono urs French opera, notably with the new production of Samson and Dalila on 20 October with two ambassadors of French lyric singing: L aurent Naouri and Roberto Alagna. Alagna will return in Don José in Carmen on February 2nd. France will also be in the pit with Philippe Jordan, musical director of the Paris Opera. He will lead the Walkyrie on March 30, with Eva-Maria Westbroeck as Sieglinde, who will have sung a few months earlier the role of Minnie with Jonas Kaufmann in the Fanciulla del West on October 27, a less known opera by Puccini. Finally Pretty Yende and Javier Camarena will be reunited in The Daughter of the Regiment by Donizetti on March 2nd. The operas broadcast live from the MET offer the opportunity to follow the season of one of the most prestigious stages in the world. Live from New York Saturday 6th Oct 6.25pm In the times of the Pharaohs, the slave Aïda and the Egyptian general Radamès love each other despite the political conflicts that are tear ing their countries apart. War broke out and Radamès, victorious, was offered the hand of the daughter of the king of Egypt, Amneris. The choice is offered to him: betray his country or betray his love ... The Met season opens with Sonja Frisell's extravagant production that summons the splendors of ancient Egypt to the Met's stage. The great Russian diva, Anna Netrebko, plays slave Aïda for the first time at the Met against Anita Rachvelishvili, her rival Amneris, in this spectacular Verdi classic. Composer Giuseppe Verdi Production Sonja Frisell Conductor Nicola Luisotti Cast Anna Nettrebko (Aïda), Anita Rachvelishvili (Amneris), Aleksandrs Antonenko (Radamès), Quinn Kelsey (Amonasro), Ryan Speedo (le Roi). Live from New York Saturday 14thWK Oct 6.25pm Thanks to his superhuman strength, Samson frees the people of Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. At the instigation of the High Priest of Dagon, who calls for vengeance, the sulphurous Dalila seduces Samson so that he confides in her the secret of his strength that resides in his hair. As soon as he has given in to her charms, Dalila cuts his hair, reducing him to a mere mortal state. Samson and Dalila contains perhaps the most beautiful declaration of love of the lyric repertoire. Carried by th e duo Elīna Garanča -Roberto Alagna, this opera promises to shipweck many hearts in the new production by Darko Tresnjak. Composer Camille Saint-Säens Production Darko Tresnjak Conductor Sir Mark Elder Cast Elina Garanča (Dalila), Roberto Alagna (Samson), Laurent Naouri (Le Grand Prêtre), Elchin Azizov (Abimélech), Dmitry Belloselskiy (Le Vieillard hébreu) Live from New York Saturday 27th Oct 6.25pm At the time of the Gold Rush, Minnie, the boss of a saloon, falls in love with a stranger, Dick Johnson. She does not know that this is actually the famous bandit Ramerrez wanted by Sheriff Jack Rance. When discovered, Minnie tries everything to save her l over, taking her life in her open hands during a game of poker. Accustomed to hero roles, the great tenor Jonas Kaufmann slips into the shoes of a bandit to capture the heart of soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek. Through this Western-style production, The Girl of the Golden West Girl strongly portrays the love of freedom. Composer Giacomo Puccini Production Giancarlo Del Monaco Conductor Marco Amiliato Cast Jonas Kaufmann (Dick Johnson), Eva-Maria Westbroeck (Minnie), Carlo Bosi (Nick), Željko Lučić (Jack Rance), Michael Todd Simpson (Sonora), Matthew Rose (Ashby), Oren Gradus (Jake Wallace) Live from New York Saturday, 10th Nov 6.25pm The haunting Marnie keeps changing her face ... Constrained to constantly renew her identity, the young woman was establishes herself by cheating on her employers. Caught in the act by her boss Mark Rutland, she falls into odious blackmail: marry him or confront the demons of her past. The sublime soprano Isabel Leonard holds the title role of the mysterious Marnie in this new production inspired by the thrilling thriller of Alfred Hitchcock, with music by Nico Mulhy. This contemporary creation offers us a dive into the cinematic world of the fascinating femme fatale. Composer Nico Mulhy Production Michael Meyer Conductor Roberto Spano Cast Isabel Leonard (Marnie), Janis Kelly (Mrs. Rutland), Denyce Graves (Marnie ’s mother), Iestyn Davies (Terry Rutland), Christopher Maltman (Mark Rutland). Live from New York Saturday, 15th December 6.25pm The courtesan Violetta, supported by a rich baron, dazzles with luxury and pleasure. When the young Alfredo Germont burst into his life, she abandons Paris society to live a peaceful life with him, but pressed by the debts and honor of her lover, she will have to resolve to sacrifice his love. The timeless tragedy by Verdi, inspired by Alexandre Dumas Jr.'s The Lady with Camellias, takes on all its splendour in this new production with dazzling sets that will see the seasons change throughout the opera. The famous soprano Diana Damrau and the tenor Juan Diego Flórez will incarnate the damned lovers. Composer Giuseppe Verdi Production Michael Mayer Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Cast Diana Damrau (Violetta Valéry), Juan Diego Flórez (Alfredo Germont), Quinn Kelsey (Giorgio Germont) Live from New York Saturday, 12th Jan 6.25pm Rivals in life and on stage, the famous traged y actress of the Comédie -Française Adrienne Lecouvreur and the Princess de Bouillon are both in love with the o fficer Maurice de Saxe. Backstage at the theatre, the jealousy of one will lead to the death of the other, poisoned by a bouquet she thought she received from her lover. The great trio Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili and Piotr Beczała engage in love jealousies in Sir David McVicar's new production. From Backstage of the famous French theater to sumptuous ball residences, Parisian life takes possession of the Met stage. Composer Francesco Cilea Production Sir David McVicar Conductor Gianandrea Noseda Cast Anna Netrebko (Adriana Lecouvreur), Anita Rachvelishvili (Princesse de Bouillon), Piotr Beczała (Maurizio), Carlo Bosi (L'Abbé), Ambrogio Maestri (Michonnet), Maurizio Muraro (Prince) Live from New York Saturday, 2nd Febr 6.25pm "She was born free and will die free", sulphurous Carmen seduced the brigadier Don Jose who agrees to desert for her love, but the indomitable bohemian quickly tires of this love to move on to the next. While waiting for her new lover, the bullfighter Escamillo, José tries everything to bring her back to him, from the supplication to the threat of a knife ... The rising star of the operatic scene Clémentine Margaine plays the sulphurous Carmen alongside the couple Aleksandra Kurzak-Roberto Alagna. This cast of high aerobatics gives a new breath to the heady tunes of Carmen in the production by Richard Eyre. Composer Georges Bizet Production Sir Richard Eyre Conductor Louis Langrée Cast Clémentine Margaine (Carmen), Roberto Alagna (Don José), Aleksandra Kurzak (Micaëla), Alexander Vinogradov (Escamillo) Live from New York Saturday, 2nd March 6.25pm As a orphan , Marie was taken in by Sergeant Sulpice, who employs him as a kitchen aid in his regiment. Crazy in love with Marie, the young peasant Tonio engages in the battalion to see her every day. When the Marquise de Berkenfield reveals the true identity of Mary, who is her daughter, the young woman could be separated forever from Tonio. Acclaimed by the lyric press, the South African soprano Pretty Yende returns to the stage of the Met opposite the tenor Javier Camarena for an opera of great vocal virtuosity under the baton of Enrique Mazzola. The alchemist Donizetti's know-how once again acts with this unique blend of melancholy and joy. Composer Gaetano Donizetti Production Laurent Pelly Conductor Enrique Mazzola Cast Pretty Yende (Marie), Javier Camarena (Tonio), Stephanie Blythe (Marquise de Berkenfield), Maurizio Muraro (Sulpice) Live from New York Saturday, 30th March 4.30pm The Siegmund and Sieglinde twins love each other with forbidden love. To protect the laws of marriage, God Wotan sends his daughter the Valkyria Brünnhilde to defeat Siegmund by favo uring his enemy during a fight. Unable to strike the young man, the warrior goddess chose to protect him, risking his life. Wagnerian conductor par excellence, Philippe Jordan directs the work of Wagner deemed as the most moving with the famous ride of the Valkyries. Deeply human, this opera is ideal for taming the repertoire of the German composer. Composer Richard Wagner Production Robert Lepage Conductor Philippe Jordan Cast Christine Goerke (Brünnhilde), Stuart Skelton (Siegmund), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde), Jamie Barton (Fricka), Greer Grimsley (Wotan), Günther Groissböck (Hunding) Live from New York Saturday, 11th May 5.30pm Destined to a certain death, imprisonned in their convent, the Carmelite sisters put their faith to the test. In doubt and anguish, one of them, Blanche de la Force, manages to free herself from human passions and overcome her fear to walk towards the guillotine.