See ten nights of FREE Metropolitan Opera performances on a giant screen in Lincoln Center Plaza, starting this weekend.
This 10th anniversary Met Opera Summer HD Festival features ten performances from the Met’s Live in HD series of cinema transmissions, including such favorites as Madame Butterfly and Der Rosenkavalier.
As always, the series begins with the screening of a film about opera. This year, its the zany Marx Brothers making merry mayhem in A Night at the Opera.
The showings are daily, Friday, August 24 through Labor Day Monday, September 3, with approximately 3,000 seats set up in front of the opera house each night, as well as additional standing room around Lincoln Center Plaza.
Screenings start between 7:30 and 8pm, depending on the day and the length of the opera, but seats fill up fast, so the advice is to claim yours no less than 45 minutes before start time.
Friday, August 24, 8 pm
A Night at the Opera
The most popular of 13 films created by the legendary Marx Brothers, A Night at the Opera endures as one of the funniest comedies to ever appear on the silver screen. The straightforward plot follows the brothers as they try to launch the career of an aspiring Italian tenor, allowing ample opportunity for their trademark hijinks, from the witty banter of the Contract Scene to the film’s raucous finale backstage at a performance of Verdi’s Il Trovatore. A co-presentation of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Opera. The Marx Brothers, of course, grew up right here in New York City.
- Approximate running time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Saturday, August 25, 8 pm
Roméo et Juliette Gounod
A pair of exuberant artists, tenor Vittorio Grigolo and soprano Diana Damrau, delight as opera’s iconic star-crossed lovers. Original transmission: January 21, 2017
- Approximate running time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Sunday, August 26, 7:45 pm
Norma Bellini
Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky takes on the commanding title role, alongside mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and tenor Joseph Calleja, in Sir David McVicar’s fiery staging. Original transmission: October 7, 2017
- Approximate running time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Monday, August 27, 8 pm
Elektra R. Strauss
Soprano Nina Stemme delivers a shattering performance as the deranged title princess lusting for vengeance, in Patrice Chéreau’s acclaimed production. Original transmission: April 30, 2016
- Approximate running time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Tuesday, August 28, 8 pm
Il Barbiere di Siviglia Rossini
Bartlett Sher’s madcap take on this classic bel canto comedy stars baritone Christopher Maltman in the title role, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as the clever Rosina, and tenor Lawrence Brownlee as the ardent Count Almaviva. Original transmission: November 22, 2014
- Approximate running time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Wednesday, August 29, 7:30 pm
Lulu Berg
Berg’s riveting 20th-century masterpiece bursts to life in William Kentridge’s stunning production, with soprano Marlis Petersen as the alluring yet elusive title character. Original transmission: November 21, 2015
- Approximate running time: 3 hours
Thursday, August 30, 7:45 pm
Rusalka Dvořák
Mary Zimmerman’s fantastical production features soprano Kristine Opolais as the melancholy water nymph at the center of Dvořák’s dark fairy tale. Original transmission: February 25, 2017
- Approximate running time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Friday, August 31, 8 pm
L’Elisir d’Amore Donizetti
Donizetti’s bubbly comedy about a spunky landowner, a hapless peasant, and the dubious love potion that may or may not bring them together stars soprano Pretty Yende and tenor Matthew Polenzani. Original transmission: February 10, 2018
- Approximate running time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Saturday, September 1, 8 pm
Un Ballo in Maschera Verdi
An all-star cast—including tenor Marcelo Álvarez, soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, and the incomparable baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky—comes together for Verdi’s tragedy of love, friendship, and betrayal. Original transmission: December 8, 2012
Approximate running time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Sunday, September 2, 7:15 pm
Der Rosenkavalier R. Strauss
In Strauss’s poignant yet insightful comedy, soprano Renée Fleming and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča lead an unforgettable performance, which also features bass Günther Groissböck and soprano Erin Morley. Original transmission: May 13, 2017
Approximate running time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Monday, September 3, 8 pm
Madama Butterfly Puccini
Anthony Minghella’s striking production stars soprano Kristine Opolais as the tragic title geisha, opposite tenor Roberto Alagna as her unfaithful American lover, and includes the haunting Un Bel Di, possibly the most famous aria in all of opera (and my own personal favorite). Original transmission: April 2, 2016
- Approximate running time: 2 hours 30 minutes
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