Thursday, September 24, 2009

Metropolitan Opera at SLAM, 2009

Directly from the St. Louis Art Museum web site:

Saturday, October 10, 12:00 p.m.
Tosca
(3 hours, 30 minutes; 2 intermissions)
Composer Giacomo Puccini; Conductor James Levine; Production Luc Bondy; Karita Mattila, Marcelo Álvarez, George Gagnidze, Paul Plishka

"From the very first bar of the piece, the opera seizes you and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last note," says Music Director James Levine. Luc Bondy, acclaimed for his imaginative theater and opera productions, directs. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

Saturday, October 24, 12:00 p.m.
Aida
(4 hours; 2 intermissions)
Composer Giuseppe Verdi; Conductor Daniele Gatti; Production Sonja Frisell; Violeta Urmana, Dolora Zajick, Johan Botha, Carlo Guelfi, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Stefan Kocán

The Met has assembled a cast of powerful voices to match Aida's epic scale. Violeta Urmana stars in the title role of the enslaved Ethiopian princess, with Dolora Zajick as her rival for the affections of Johan Botha's Radamès.

Saturday, November 7, 12:00 p.m.
Turandot
(3 hours, 30 minutes; 2 intermissions)
Composer Giacomo Puccini; Conductor Andris Nelsons; Production Franco Zeffirelli; Maria Guleghina, Marina Poplavskaya, Marcello Giordani, Samuel Ramey

Franco Zeffirelli's breathtaking production stars Maria Guleghina in the title role of the ruthless princess. As Calàf, Marcello Giordani sings "Nessun dorma." Andris Nelsons conducts.

Saturday, December 19, 12:00 pm
Les Contes d'Hoffmann
(3 hours; 2 intermissions)
Composer Jacques Offenbach; Conductor James Levine; Production Bartlett Sher; Kathleen Kim, Anna Netrebko, Ekaterina Gubanova, Kate Lindsey, Joseph Calleja, Alan Held

A powerhouse team joins forces for Offenbach's psychological fantasy. James Levine conducts, and Tony Award winner Bart Sher (South Pacific) returns after the triumph of his Met Barber of Seville to direct. Joseph Calleja sings the title role opposite Anna Netrebko as the tragic Antonia.

Auditorium Details:

The Museum theatre seats 480 people. The screen is approximately 12 feet by 22 feet, and the opera broadcasts will be received in high-definition via satellite. The auditorium uses a wide-screen, high-definition projector at 1080i. The sound system is Dolby 5.1 digital surround. Those seeking the best sound experience will want to obtain seats in the center rear of the front section.

Ticket Information:

$22 ($15 Members of the Saint Louis Art Museum, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Metropolitan Opera, New York, and children 12 and under).

Advance tickets are highly recommended and are available through MetroTix at www.metrotix.com and at 314.534.1111. Tickets are also available in person at the Museum. Tickets purchased through MetroTix will incur a $2.75 service fee per ticket; the service fee is waived for tickets purchased at the Museum.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

OSTL Season Reviewed In "Opera News"

Judith Malafronte reviews the 2009 Opera Theatre St. Louis season in the September issue of Opera News. Here's the first paragraph:
The festival atmosphere at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis — the combination of standard and exotic repertoire, the superb young ensemble and the return of favorite stars — continued this season, even as the company undergoes a transition in administration. OTSL's excellent reputation — built by general director Charles MacKay, who now helms Santa Fe Opera, music director Stephen Lord and the late Colin Graham, longtime artistic director — rests in the hands of a new triumvirate, in which Lord has been joined by artistic director James Robinson and the energetic young visionary Timothy O'Leary, who succeeded MacKay as general director this season. The company's 2010 season will bear the first real fruits of the new team's collaboration.

Click here to read the entire review.