The delectable details of the 2007-2008 season at the Metropolitan (discussed this morning in a press conference with Peter Gelb, James Levine and representatives of the new season's production teams) may be found on the Met's web site. Our publisher JJ was there in the flesh, and he forwards his impressions:
The biggest news this morning was something unspoken. Instead, it was Levine's body language, which (in contrast to previous years) suggested he is both comfortable and secure working with Gelb. Levine stayed for the entire press conference and was particularly attentive when Phillip Glass was speaking.
Mr. Gelb reflected on the successes of the current season, which include:
James Levine chimed in that what he finds "even more exciting" than the many innovations this year is that he sees a strong sense of follow-through. It is one thing to get new audiences into the theater the first time, but to sustain that audience you must offer them quality. He adds that he is pleased with how Gelb works with him on a day-to-day basis on solving problems. Levine will conduct the new productions of Lucia and Macbeth next season, plus revivals of Manon Lescaut and Tristan und Isolde, as well as the Met Orchestra's Carnegie Hall series.
Tweaks to next season include revival of the Anthony Minghella Butterfly with Patricia Racette and Roberto Alagna, Barbiere and (as reported by La Cieca a while ago) The First Emperor.
Mary Zimmerman (funny, unpretentious and smart) talked about her production of Lucia. Scene changes in this staging will be done "a vista."
Glass and associate director and designer Julian Crouch introduced Satyagraha. The composer stressed the political and social content of the work, and Crouch talked about how the set materials of corrugated iron and newspaper were suggested by the themes of the opera.
Stephen Wadsworth waxed un peu teachy-teachy on the subject of Iphigénie en Tauride ("Gluck was an ethnic Czech, did you know that?"), but, as Dawn Fatale pointed out, at least the set does not include a built-in shower. The edition of the score will be based on Gluck's Vienna revision, in which Oreste is a tenor, presumably in order to facilitate the participation of Placido Domingo.
The other producers appeared on video. The most buzzworthy statement from this segment was from Adrian Noble, who says the design of his Macbeth is suggested by photographs by Diane Arbus.
The cutest stage director of the whole group was Laurent Pelly (La Fille du Régiment), with Crouch and Richard Jones (Hansel and Gretel) tied for second.
Zoe Caldwell will the the Duchesse de Krakenthorp.
In response to reporters' questions, Gelb said that the Met has negotiated rights to release all its archival performances on CD, DVD, download on demand and "media not yet invented." Anne Midgette asked if there were updates on new commissions by the Met, but Gelb declined to comment, saying that the Met would have a statement later this season.
And then, finger sandwiches and coffee on the Bass Grand Tier, where yet another of parterre.com's web of reliable sources noted that the Gérard Mortier/NYCO deal is all but signed on the dotted line.
27 February 2007
To infinity, and beyond!
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15 comments:
I got my wish: Gheorghiu will make her big-screen debut in La Boheme next season. No Act II for Renee this time. And Roberto as Pinkerton is a kind of a shocker. Mattila is Manon Lescaut will be a revelation. That's one long list the Met has released. Really exciting.
All thrilling, and thanks to La Cieca for providing us much of this information months or even years ago.
One things bears comment:
"In addition, some of the world’s leading conductors will appear in the Met’s 2007-08 season: Maurizio Benini (Norma); Harry Bicket (La Clemenza di Tito); Philippe Jordan (Le Nozze di Figaro); Nicola Luisotti (La Bohème); Gianandrea Noseda (Un Ballo in Maschera and War and Peace); Kirill Petrenko (Die Zauberflöte); David Robertson (Die Entführung aus dem Serail); and Emmanuel Villaume (Les Contes d’Hoffmann)."
That paragraph is a joke. Those are not the wordld's leading conductors. Not by a long shot. We've talked about this before, and I hope this is one area Gelb will help push in the future, especially as Levine fades.
Of anything, the thing that piqued me the most is that Damrau is doing both the Queen of the Night and Pamina. Love love love that.
Interestingly, Peter Gelb said that he was "particularly excited" (or words to that effect) that Vladimir Jurowski was coming back to conduct. He should get more than Hansel and Gretel.
Thanks for the great report La Cieca. I've been over the moon since yesterday when I found out that Tristan und Isolde is going to be one of the cinecasts next season. I love this Gelb fella more and more. Before he came, we were lucky if we got one Met production on PBS per season. Now, many stations are getting six per season.
I agree that teh Met's conductor roster has not been as high-profile as its singer roster. However, there are efforts to make changes -- for example Ricardo Muti. Considering the list of conductors posted: Harry Bicket is great in the baroque rep. His Rodelinda in Toronto was exquisite. Gianandrea Noseda has been making quite a name for himself. And I hear Philip Jordan's name often.
Yes, but where's the Strauss?
do they really think gruber's voice will have recovered by then for the announced lady macbeth?????
oh well, her upcoming turandots should tell.
has the Met announced any important debuts (new artists) for next season?
All I can say is WOW.
contrast: I have now found out (from a review in today's newspaper) why the "Don Giovanni" I saw in Paris was so dark on stage you couldn't make the action out, and "La Juive" a few days later seemed to have only one spotlight. A strike of lighting engineers. Strange the house management didn't explain or apologise. We were just left in the dark.
During my week in Paris my day at the Musee Orsai was wiped out by... a lightning strike. On another day Louvre staff were on strike. Paris was just like London in the 1970s.
charlie b:
The usual lighting director at the Florentine Opera of Milwaukee a few years ago (I don't know his name or if he still is) was known as the Prince of Darkness because of his preferences. His Don Pasquale was actally sufficiently bright though.
It drives me nuts that they're using the Vienna edition. Not only is it reworked with Oreste as a tenor, losing the vocal contrast, there are a number of subtle differences in vocal lines and scansion that they'll have to cheerfully mow through to get it back into French. It's just an unhappy solution, although I'm so thrilled to see any kind of resurgence in interest in Gluck's works that I'll just fume quietly and musicologically.
Very interesting on NYCO. So Mortier was responsible for getting Michael Haneke to do his contemporary (=violent, witless, humourless, coarse, facile, and above all anti-Mozartean) "Don Giovanni" in Paris last month. Well, if that is what New York gets, you can write off one of the houses. But that could be an aceptable price (New Yorkers will say) for the fantastic march forwards at the Met.
i went to boccanegra tonight but to my chagrin those nice brochures aren't out yet (wishful thinking i know) Angela was a revelation as usual but i was saddened to find out that there are no rush tickets for onegin tomorrow!!! regarding the new season....i just worry about those HD broadcasts. I know someone brought this up before, but can peter grimes really sell as a broadcast? I'm sure romeo and juliette will sell cuz of N&V but that still doesn't make up for the fact that its just a 2nd if not 3rd rate opera. And why oh why is gruber doing macbeth instead of um...URMANA?! I also cringe at the thought of that god awful T&I production being broadcast. On a positive note, the rest of the season sounds very nice, especially racette as butterfly! I'm a bit disappointed damrau is just doing magic flute....i thought she was going to do constanze? i'm also about to have an orgasm just thinking about mattila's manon and dessay's lucia! I also love that the rush tix are back again next season!
I notice the Ruth Ann Swenson is listed - I wonder if this means that the buyout rumors was unfounded?
So many exciting things on offer. The Fille is just amazing (though Zoe Caldwell as the Duchess? Covent Garden got Dawn French ... what a hoot! I wonder if Shirley Maclaine speaks French ....)
And Debbie and Ben in T&I. The production may be "godawful" (as scifisci calls it), but we LOVE Debbie! And we hope that Heppner has recovered sufficiently from the Lohengrin fiasco last season. (Elllllllsssssaaaaa ... there's a frog in my throat!)
And the of course Anna Netrebko and Rolando V. in R&J. Not Jussi and Bidu (but then who could be?)
Thank you La Cieca!
Sterlinkay: "New York City Opera has made a reactive, panic move that will blow up in their faces. I think they saw NYCO becoming more & more irrelevant given Gelb's re-energized MET and decided they needed to do something bold. However, there is bold and then there is INSANE."
Very well said. Any director who thinks that opera is irrelevant unless it's changed to address the issues of today is sign of trouble (not that I want all my productions to be traditional -- not at all).
Jussilives: I believe that Heppner got over that "crisis" the next day. He was suffering from allergies. I saw him in concert several weeks later and he was in stellar form. And from what I heard, he was in great form for the entire run of Lohengrin except for the broadcast which was a matinee and apparently irritated his allergies. The evening performances were all fine. Heppner's bad luck is that his one bad performance of the run was broadcast for all to hear.
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