#Met Opera

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

PLEASE THIS IS SO OUT OF POCKET

(also happy leap day!)

#opera tag #opera #leap day #tosca #met opera #puccini #giacomo puccini #give whoever made this post a fucking raise

[newyorkthegoldenage]

During an intermission at the opening of the 57th regular season of the Metropolitan Opera House on November 24, 1941.

Photo: Associated Press

#vintage New York #1940s #Metropolitan Opera #Met Opera #vintage opera #audience #old Met Opera House #Golden Horseshoe #Nov. 24 #24 Nov. #opera audience

[imichelle-l-rigby]

So… the Metropolitan Opera did something that is so respectable.

With all the Oppenheimer hype, they’ve made their recording of John Adams’ opera Doctor Atomic available for free streaming (until the 27th I believe).

IT IS BEAUTIFUL. AND HAUNTING. YOU WILL NOT REGRET THIS.

The cast. EXQUISITE! I literally gasped so hard I quit breathing at one point in the 2nd act! Just… watch this if you’re into opera or want to see another viewpoint of Oppenheimer and the Manhattan project.

Also, the libretto is taken from letters and first-hand accounts. The aria “Batter My Heart” is in my top 5 arias of all time.

Sorry I’m nerding out, but seriously. Go watch this!

#doctor atomic #oppenheimer #met opera #opera #John Adams #the composer not the founding father

[akathecentimetre]

Milan and the surrounding countryside, early 18th century. Bertarido, king of Lombardy and Milan, has been attacked and deposed by Grimoaldo, an ally of his estranged brother, Gundeberto. Gundeberto was killed in the battle and Bertarido vanished, leaving his queen, Rodelinda, and a young son, Flavio, in the power of the victorious ally, Grimoaldo. As a reward for defeating Bertarido, Grimoaldo was promised the hand of Bertarido’s sister, Eduige—which would grant him a legitimate claim to the throne at Milan. Eduige and Grimoaldo fell in love, but she would not marry him while mourning two brothers—one dead, one presumed so. From abroad Bertarido has sent word of his own death, intending to return to Milan in disguise, rescue his wife and son, and escape to an anonymous life far from the vagaries of politics and the burden of government. The news of his death has devastated both Rodelinda and Eduige. Grimoaldo, intent on gaining the throne, weighs his options, counseled by two advisers—Garibaldo, his closest aide, and Unulfo, a member of Bertarido’s cabinet who maintains intimate ties with the royal family and is the only person who knows that Bertarido still lives. - MetOpera.org ; full opera synopsis here.

Bonus (for @agarthanguide because it's her quote) :

#my gifs #rodelinda #opera #met opera #renee fleming #andreas scholl #iestyn davies #handel #georg friedrich händel

[droughtofapathy]

The Gilded Age's Broadway Divas: Aurora Fane (Kelli O'Hara)

Beloved by all, Aurora Fane enjoys a powerful position in Mrs. Astor's New York. Having suitably recovered from impending financial ruin last season, this season, Aurora has done some ill-fated matchmaking, worn some fantastic hats, and provided beautiful window dressing to scenes where she just sits there and looks pretty.

One of Broadway's (few) leading sopranos, Kelli O'Hara is a dying breed. As trends shift towards a more pop/rock sound, and classical musical theatre becomes a thing of the past, Kelli nevertheless finds her niche. A seven-time Tony nominee, Kelli has won Best Leading Actress in a Musical for the 2015 revival of The King and I. You'll recall another Gilded Age Diva who won for that same role some years prior. A proshot of the NT Live production can be found online. It is a gorgeous shoot, even if I take issue with that show as a whole.

She has also been nominated for Kiss Me, Kate (2019), The Bridges of Madison County (2014), and The Light in the Piazza (2005). Ironically, though Aurora Fane supports The Academy, Kelli is a classically trained opera singer who has appeared on the Met Opera stage three times, and will play Laura Brown in an encore run of The Hours this spring. (See my breakdown post over costumes here.)

However, prior to her opera appearance, Kelli will be starring in the new Broadway musical Days of Wine and Roses for a limited 16-week run, opening on January 28th. Kelli has been nominated for every role she has played since 2005, and this will almost certainly be no different. Booked and busy.

#1: "Shall We Dance?" The King and I (2015)

Kelli's voice is otherworldly angelic. That much we already know very well. The King and I opened in 2015 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center, the third musical Kelli has starred in at that venue. The Beaumont is, of course, right next to The Met Opera, and the only Broadway theater outside the theatre district in Midtown.

As Anna Leonowens, Kelli travels to Siam to teach the children and wives of the king how to speak English. Orientalism aside, the show is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the score is divine in Kelli's mouth. Fun fact: Kelli's replacement was Marin Mazzie in one of her last onstage roles. Marin was the Passion co-star and dear friend to Donna Murphy, our Mrs. Astor.

This video is from the 2015 Tony performance and showcases the incredible quick change Kelli makes between singing "Getting to Know You" and "Shall We Dance?" aided by a team of unbelievable dressers. It is a marvel to witness. As is Ruthie Ann Miles, Kelli's co-star who recently performed in the Encores! production of Light in the Piazza.

#2: "What More Do I Need?" Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration (2020)

In 2020, despite a global pandemic, the theatre community still found a way to honor Stephen Sondheim's milestone 90th birthday with an online concert. Kelli performed a song from Saturday Night, Sondheim's first professional musical that was slated for Broadway in 1955, but was scrapped. It only got its New York premiere in 2000. This particular number is a cabaret favorite, and Kelli is an absolute delight with just a camera and digital accompaniment.

Fun fact: it wasn't until this particular performance that I truly started to appreciate the wonder that is Kelli O'Hara. I had previously seen her in concert just that March, and loved her, of course, but I have a complex relationships with sopranos. I now recognize that I love mature sopranos, but it's the ingenues I can't listen to without wincing.

#3: "They Don't Let You In the Opera" (2016)

Lest we think Kelli is limited in her range and style, this song was written especially for her to showcase her vast talent and comedic timing. Kelli, an Oklahoma farmgirl, isn't the sort of person you'd expect to be both classically trained and country literate.

Kelli, who has been typecast as refined and often repressed characters who go through harrowing emotional experiences, much like Aurora Fane, is more than capable of bringing a rollicking comedy to the mix.

This number is a favorite in Kelli's concert repertoire. There isn't much more to say, except that you need to witness its hilarity for yourself.

#4: “Heaven? Somebody else’s heaven?” The Hours (2023)

Speaking of opera, here is an excerpt from a scene in Act II where Laura Brown has fled to a hotel room to contemplate some very serious courses of action. Kelli, alongside soprano Renee Fleming and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, makes up a trio of phenomenal women in Kevin Putts' adaptation of the book and movie.

The Met Opera theatre seats nearly 4,000 people across six levels. The performers do not use body mics or amplification of any kind, but rather rely on intense vocal training to be heard across the theater. For this reason, alongside the vastly different vocal techniques and styles, musical theatre actors rarely cross over into opera, and vice versa. Notable exceptions include Renee Fleming, Kelli's Light in the Piazza co-star Victoria Clark, and Mary Beth Peil, who made her musical theatre debut in The King and I as yet another Miss Anna, hers in 1985.

#5: "So in Love," Kiss Me, Kate (2019)

Starring in yet another Golden Age musical revival, Kelli brings a different take on Lilli Vanessi, a glamorous movie star in a turbulent relationship. Kelli's vocal talent, of course, speaks for itself. For Kelli, this role was a tribute to her dear friend, the late Marin Mazzie, who had passed away some months before the show opened. Marin, who replaced Kelli in The King and I, had played this same role in the 1999 Broadway revival to great acclaim. In her first entrance of the show, Kelli wore a costume that featured the very same hat Marin wore in her show.

Though this video is beloved, my personal favorite rendition can be heard below. It was taken at a concert Kelli put on at the 92Y in New York last February. In it, Kelli sings for and to Marin, and the entire theatre wept.

Bonus: "Back to Before," Ragtime Reunion Concert (2023)

The role of Mother was originally workshopped by Donna Murphy in Toronto in the early 90s, but she left to do King and I, which worked out well for her. In came dear friend Marin Mazzie, who originated the role on Broadway, and established a precedent no other has been able to top. Also in that cast? Audra McDonald as Sarah, for which she won a Tony, of course.

In 2023, after years of pandemic-related delays, they staged a one-night reunion concert of this special show. And who better to take on Marin's iconic role than Kelli O'Hara? Listen to her "Back to Before" here, and then do yourself a favor and run, don't walk, to listen to Marin's.

#the gilded age #aurora fane #kelli o'hara #met opera #sondheim #ragtime #marin mazzie #kiss me kate #the hours #the king and i

[automaticdreamlandkid]

Un ballo in maschera (Met 2012)

#un ballo in maschera #opera #sondra radvanovsky #dmitri hvorostovsky #marcello alvarez #verdi #met opera

[opera-shitpost]

In honor of the Met announcing their 2023-2024 season today.

For @leporellian.

#it's always a riotous experience in the opera circles when the met announces their season #opera #opera shitpost #opera shitposts #opera memes #met opera #metropolitan opera #puccini #giacomo puccini #tbh over here at opera-shitpost we all love puccini #but by GOD this season is so REPETITIVE when it comes to him specifically #these productions really refuse to die

[himbohopkins]

Peter Mattei as Don Giovanni

#iconic #peter mattei #opera #gifs #don giovanni #met opera #the met

[imyournewcrush]

Me at the Met Opera

#me #met opera #nyc

[whitesteinway]

Anna Netrebko as Norina in Don Pasquale ౨ৎ

#pink #feminine #feminine style #anna netrebko #opera #donizetti #don pasquale #norina #belle epoque #reading #acting #met opera #character #theatre #singing #singer #feminine character #coquette #pinkcore

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

okay SERVE lise

#opera tag #opera #promo pics #lise davidsen #la forza del destino #the force of destiny #met opera #verdi #giuseppe verdi

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Rudolf Bing, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, center, and singers who starred in a refurbished, re-costumed and shortened version of La Forza del Destino to open the Met's 68th season, November 10, 1952. Holding a backstage confab after the final curtain are Cesare Siepi, bass; Zinka Milanov, soprano; Bing; Richard Tucker, tenor, and Leonard Warren, baritone.

Photo: Tom Fitzsimmons for the AP

#vintage New York #1950s #Tom Fitzsimmons #Metropolitan Opera #Met Opera #Cessre Siepi #La Forza del Destino #Zinka Milanov #opera #Rudolf Bing #Richard Tucker #Leonard Warren

[nonesuchrecords]

The Metropolitan Opera announced its 2024–25 season, including the Met premiere of composer John Adams's latest opera, Antony and Cleopatra, on May 12, 2025. The adaptation of Shakespeare's drama stars soprano Julia Bullock, following her company debut in Adams's El Niño this April, as Cleopatra, opposite bass-baritone Gerald Finley's Antony. Adams himself conducts a new staging by director Elkhanah Pulitzer. Read more here.

#met opera #john adams #antony and cleopatra #shakespeare #julia bullock #el nino #gerald finley #opera #nonesuch #nonesuch records

[poeticghoul]

(picture taken by me)

the metropolitan opera house’s sputnik chandeliers!

#met opera #opera #classical music #aesthetic #morute #dollcore

[floodsoftears]

just saw the met operas production of turandot and wow… it was incredible

they put on an absolutely spectacular show even though the set was non functional (i’m really sad about this part) it was getting scary for a moment before the show when they announced the set was broken and like 1/3 or more of the attendees got up and left to get refunded. but they still did it!

the cast and orchestra did such an amazing job i would do anything to get to see it again with the set working.

also my favorite part of turandot is when turandot goes “solve my riddles three boy”

anyways that’s was great

#turandot #met opera #ooooorrggg having feels #it was so unreal #yall already know nessun dorma had me in tears #NOTHING can compare to hearing that live

[rayatii]

So the Met is HD’ing La rondine with Angel Blue and Jonathan Tetelman in the upcoming 2023/2024 season(!!!!!), and Opernhaus Zürich is ALSO putting up Rondine for their 23/24 season, with Ermonela Jaho and Benjamin Bernheim!!!!!

This truly is the Year of the Swallow, huh!!

So, uhm... I’m not saying that I firmly believe that this opera is getting pretty popular nowadays because this was somehow psychically influenced by a bunch of 19-year-olds (read: us) electronically screaming about it (read: the 2009 Met production) all over Tumblr, but that’s totally what I’m saying...

(partly inspired by a conversation with @smile-at-the-stars)

#opera #la rondine #metropolitan opera #met opera #opernhaus zürich #opernhaus zurich #super excited!!! #(both have some pretty tough competition against the 2009 met prod but still excited!!) #yes it's only 2 companies but when it comes to an opera as (relatively) obscure as la rondine then it's a lot