A scene from Verdi’s “La Traviata” | Photo by Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera
Launched in 1931, the Met’s Saturday matinee broadcasts are the longest-running continuous classical radio series in American broadcast history. Tune in to Classical KDFC each Saturday morning at 10am for another wonderful Metropolitan Opera Broadcast.
See what’s coming up below:
January 18, 2020
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak stars as Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenor Dmytro Popov as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritone Quinn Kelsey as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon conducts one of opera’s greatest scores.
January 25, 2020
La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini
Three casts of captivating artists bring Puccini’s classic tragedy of bohemian friends and lovers to life in Franco Zeffirelli’s immortal staging. Tenor Roberto Alagna stars as the exuberant Rodolfo, alongside soprano Maria Agresta as the fragile Mimì. Marco Armiliato conducts.
February 1, 2020
Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, Dubos and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin
One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.
February 8, 2020
La Damnation de Faust by Hector Berlioz
Berlioz’s compelling take on the Faust legend returns for the first time in a decade, with an ideal lineup of stars. High-flying tenor Michael Spyres sings the doomed and besotted Faust, opposite dazzling mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the forsaken Marguerite and bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the malevolent Méphistophélès. Edward Gardner conducts.
February 15, 2020
Manon by Jules Massenet
A take on the quintessentially French tale of the beautiful young woman who is incapable of forsaking both love and luxury, Massenet’s Manon features one of the truly unforgettable, irresistible, and archetypal female characters in opera. While the story is firmly set in class and gender issues of the past, the character of Manon herself is timeless, convincing, and familiar. The opera has been a success ever since its premiere, championed by a diverse roster of singers who have cherished its dramatic opportunities, exalted style, and ravishing music.
February 22, 2020
Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
A profoundly humane comedy, Le Nozze di Figaro is a remarkable marriage of Mozart’s music at the height of his genius and one of the best librettos ever set. In adapting a play that caused a scandal with its revolutionary take on 18th-century society, librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte focused less on the original topical references and more on the timeless issues embedded in the frothy drawing-room comedy.
February 29, 2020
Agrippina by George Frideric Handel
Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome receives its first Met performances, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius.
March 7, 2020
Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Coney Island once again comes to the stage of the Met with the first revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular staging inspired by the sideshows of the boardwalk. The pairs of young lovers are a casting dream: soprano Nicole Car, mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, with the glorious bass-baritone Gerald Finley as the cynical Don Alfonso and the charming soprano Heidi Stober as the mischievous maid Despina. Harry Bicket conducts.
March 14, 2020
Der Fliegende Holländer by Richard Wagner
The great bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel returns to the company for the first time since 2012, in the title role of the cursed sea captain doomed to sail the open ocean for eternity. Valery Gergiev conducts a new production by François Girard, whose visionary 2013 take on Parsifal set the recent Met standard for Wagner stagings. With sweeping sets by John Macfarlane, Girard’s new production turns the Met stage into a rich, layered tableau reminiscent of a vast oil painting. The gifted German soprano Anja Kampe, in her Met debut, is the devoted Senta, whose selfless love is what the Dutchman seeks, with bass Franz-Josef Selig as her father, Daland, and tenor Sergey Skorokhodov as her deserted former lover, Erik.
March 21, 2020
La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini
Rossini’s effervescent take on the Cinderella story returns, with rising star mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught in the title role and tenor sensation Javier Camarena as her Prince Charming. James Gaffigan conducts the lively action, which also features bass-baritone Maurizio Muraro as the bumbling Don Magnifico, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the benevolent Alidoro, and baritone Davide Luciano as the wily servant Dandini.
March 28, 2020
Werther by Jules Massenet
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Massenet’s tragedy, a perfect vehicle for outstanding tenors, starring Piotr Beczała, who certainly fits the bill. The magnificent mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is Charlotte, the object of Werther’s misguided affections, alongside sopranos Erin Morley and Ying Fang as Sophie and baritone Etienne Dupuis as Albert, in Sir Richard Eyre’s arresting production.
April 4, 2020
Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck
Mark Morris’s spirited take on the ancient Orpheus myth stars mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Orfeo, the grieving lover on a quest through the underworld. Soprano Hei-Kyung Hong sings the plaintive Euridice. Mark Wigglesworth conducts Gluck’s elegant score, a pinnacle of the Baroque repertoire.
April 11, 2020
Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
Soprano Anna Netrebko, whom the New York Times hailed as “magnificent” when she made her role debut as Tosca in 2018, returns as Puccini’s explosive diva, back by popular demand. Tenor Brian Jagde stars as the idealistic painter Cavaradossi and baritone Michael Volle completes the opera’s fatal love triangle as the sinister Scarpia. Bertrand de Billy conducts Sir David McVicar’s stunning production.
April 18, 2020
Simon Boccanegra by Giuseppe Verdi
Audience favorite Ailyn Pérez takes on the touching role of Amelia Grimaldi, with legendary baritone Carlos Álvarez returning to the Met for the first time in more than a decade in the title role. Elegant tenor Joseph Calleja is her lover, Gabriele Adorno, and magisterial bass Dmitry Belosselskiy completes the principal cast as Amelia’s grandfather, Jacopo Fiesco. Carlo Rizzi takes the podium for Verdi’s timeless tale of political and family intrigue.
April 25, 2020
Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
One of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Nina Stemme, reprises her fierce portrayals of the title princess. Carlo Rizzi takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece.
May 2, 2020
Káťa Kabanová by Leoš Janáček
Janáček’s gripping domestic drama makes a rare appearance on the Met stage, its first since 2005. The soaring soprano Susanna Phillips sings the title role, a young woman forced by fate to choose between true love and family honor, with beloved mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick as her unyielding mother-in-law. Tenor Pavel Černoch is the young object of Káťa’s love, and legendary bass Sir John Tomlinson is his rich but cruel uncle. Lothar Koenigs conducts one of the defining operatic scores of the 20th century.
May 9, 2020
Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti
Soprano Diana Damrau, following her triumph as Violetta in last season’s new production of Verdi’s La Traviata, stars as the martyred Mary, Queen of Scots, in Donizetti’s bel canto showcase. Star mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton is her imperious rival Queen Elizabeth I, and the silken-voiced tenor Stephen Costello is the noble Earl of Leicester. Maurizio Benini conducts Sir David McVicar’s handsome production.
Launched in 1931, the Met’s Saturday matinee broadcasts are the longest-running continuous classical radio series in American broadcast history. Tune in to Classical KDFC each Saturday morning at 10am for another wonderful Metropolitan Opera Broadcast.
See what’s coming up below:
January 18, 2020
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
Michael Mayer’s sumptuous staging, a highlight of the 2018–19 season, returns with two casts of bright stars. Sopranos Aleksandra Kurzak stars as Violetta, the opera’s tragic heroine, opposite tenor Dmytro Popov as her ardent lover, Alfredo, and baritone Quinn Kelsey as Alfredo’s stern father, Germont. Karel Mark Chichon conducts one of opera’s greatest scores.
January 25, 2020
La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini
Three casts of captivating artists bring Puccini’s classic tragedy of bohemian friends and lovers to life in Franco Zeffirelli’s immortal staging. Tenor Roberto Alagna stars as the exuberant Rodolfo, alongside soprano Maria Agresta as the fragile Mimì. Marco Armiliato conducts.
February 1, 2020
Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, Dubos and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin
One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green.
February 8, 2020
La Damnation de Faust by Hector Berlioz
Berlioz’s compelling take on the Faust legend returns for the first time in a decade, with an ideal lineup of stars. High-flying tenor Michael Spyres sings the doomed and besotted Faust, opposite dazzling mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as the forsaken Marguerite and bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the malevolent Méphistophélès. Edward Gardner conducts.
February 15, 2020
Manon by Jules Massenet
A take on the quintessentially French tale of the beautiful young woman who is incapable of forsaking both love and luxury, Massenet’s Manon features one of the truly unforgettable, irresistible, and archetypal female characters in opera. While the story is firmly set in class and gender issues of the past, the character of Manon herself is timeless, convincing, and familiar. The opera has been a success ever since its premiere, championed by a diverse roster of singers who have cherished its dramatic opportunities, exalted style, and ravishing music.
February 22, 2020
Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
A profoundly humane comedy, Le Nozze di Figaro is a remarkable marriage of Mozart’s music at the height of his genius and one of the best librettos ever set. In adapting a play that caused a scandal with its revolutionary take on 18th-century society, librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte focused less on the original topical references and more on the timeless issues embedded in the frothy drawing-room comedy.
February 29, 2020
Agrippina by George Frideric Handel
Handel’s tale of intrigue and impropriety in ancient Rome receives its first Met performances, with star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the controlling, power-hungry Agrippina and Harry Bicket conducting. Sir David McVicar’s production ingeniously reframes the action of this black comedy about the abuse of power to “the present,” where it should loudly resonate. The all-star cast features mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey as Agrippina’s son and future emperor Nerone, soprano Brenda Rae as the seductive Poppea, countertenor Iestyn Davies as the ambitious officer Ottone, and bass Matthew Rose as the weary emperor Claudius.
March 7, 2020
Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Coney Island once again comes to the stage of the Met with the first revival of Phelim McDermott’s popular staging inspired by the sideshows of the boardwalk. The pairs of young lovers are a casting dream: soprano Nicole Car, mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, with the glorious bass-baritone Gerald Finley as the cynical Don Alfonso and the charming soprano Heidi Stober as the mischievous maid Despina. Harry Bicket conducts.
March 14, 2020
Der Fliegende Holländer by Richard Wagner
The great bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel returns to the company for the first time since 2012, in the title role of the cursed sea captain doomed to sail the open ocean for eternity. Valery Gergiev conducts a new production by François Girard, whose visionary 2013 take on Parsifal set the recent Met standard for Wagner stagings. With sweeping sets by John Macfarlane, Girard’s new production turns the Met stage into a rich, layered tableau reminiscent of a vast oil painting. The gifted German soprano Anja Kampe, in her Met debut, is the devoted Senta, whose selfless love is what the Dutchman seeks, with bass Franz-Josef Selig as her father, Daland, and tenor Sergey Skorokhodov as her deserted former lover, Erik.
March 21, 2020
La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini
Rossini’s effervescent take on the Cinderella story returns, with rising star mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught in the title role and tenor sensation Javier Camarena as her Prince Charming. James Gaffigan conducts the lively action, which also features bass-baritone Maurizio Muraro as the bumbling Don Magnifico, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as the benevolent Alidoro, and baritone Davide Luciano as the wily servant Dandini.
March 28, 2020
Werther by Jules Massenet
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Massenet’s tragedy, a perfect vehicle for outstanding tenors, starring Piotr Beczała, who certainly fits the bill. The magnificent mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is Charlotte, the object of Werther’s misguided affections, alongside sopranos Erin Morley and Ying Fang as Sophie and baritone Etienne Dupuis as Albert, in Sir Richard Eyre’s arresting production.
April 4, 2020
Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Gluck
Mark Morris’s spirited take on the ancient Orpheus myth stars mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Orfeo, the grieving lover on a quest through the underworld. Soprano Hei-Kyung Hong sings the plaintive Euridice. Mark Wigglesworth conducts Gluck’s elegant score, a pinnacle of the Baroque repertoire.
April 11, 2020
Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
Soprano Anna Netrebko, whom the New York Times hailed as “magnificent” when she made her role debut as Tosca in 2018, returns as Puccini’s explosive diva, back by popular demand. Tenor Brian Jagde stars as the idealistic painter Cavaradossi and baritone Michael Volle completes the opera’s fatal love triangle as the sinister Scarpia. Bertrand de Billy conducts Sir David McVicar’s stunning production.
April 18, 2020
Simon Boccanegra by Giuseppe Verdi
Audience favorite Ailyn Pérez takes on the touching role of Amelia Grimaldi, with legendary baritone Carlos Álvarez returning to the Met for the first time in more than a decade in the title role. Elegant tenor Joseph Calleja is her lover, Gabriele Adorno, and magisterial bass Dmitry Belosselskiy completes the principal cast as Amelia’s grandfather, Jacopo Fiesco. Carlo Rizzi takes the podium for Verdi’s timeless tale of political and family intrigue.
April 25, 2020
Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
One of opera’s most thrilling dramatic sopranos, Nina Stemme, reprises her fierce portrayals of the title princess. Carlo Rizzi takes the podium to conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production of Puccini’s final masterpiece.
May 2, 2020
Káťa Kabanová by Leoš Janáček
Janáček’s gripping domestic drama makes a rare appearance on the Met stage, its first since 2005. The soaring soprano Susanna Phillips sings the title role, a young woman forced by fate to choose between true love and family honor, with beloved mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick as her unyielding mother-in-law. Tenor Pavel Černoch is the young object of Káťa’s love, and legendary bass Sir John Tomlinson is his rich but cruel uncle. Lothar Koenigs conducts one of the defining operatic scores of the 20th century.
May 9, 2020
Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti
Soprano Diana Damrau, following her triumph as Violetta in last season’s new production of Verdi’s La Traviata, stars as the martyred Mary, Queen of Scots, in Donizetti’s bel canto showcase. Star mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton is her imperious rival Queen Elizabeth I, and the silken-voiced tenor Stephen Costello is the noble Earl of Leicester. Maurizio Benini conducts Sir David McVicar’s handsome production.
