parterre box

A new feature just introduced on the Met’s website allows customers to view and select exact seats available for a given performance. It’s handy for those of us in the audience who prefer a certain row or area, but another less obvious benefit is that the online maps offer a snapshot of how ticket sales are going for a given performance. For example, here’s what Orchestra looks like for the February 2 repeat of Eugene Onegin:

The “o” symbol stands for a currently unsold seat; the dots are the seats that are already ticketed — so it does appear that a lot of seats for Onegin are going to show up on same-day rush or simply remain unfilled. (In contrast, for tonight’s Lucia only a handful of Family Circle standing room places remain available.)

Your doyenne dusts off her singing pipes and then welcomes a guest from the Great White Way into our luxurious new Sunnyside studios, all as introduction to the third act of Adriana Lecouvreur starring Magda Olivero, on this week’s Unnatural Acts of Opera.

Adriana Lecouvreur, Act 3

All the way from exotic Portland, Operaman writes:

Yesterday I attended the Met HD transmission of Orfeo ed Euridice and, once I have told you my reactions and feelings about this show, I cannot wait to hear what members of your cher public who saw or heard it have to say about it. And I must let it be known immediately that I don’t purport to be able to critique this work with the sophistication or depth and breadth of knowledge displayed by so many of your correspondents. My views should be considered vox pop so I hope your readers will bear that in mind.

First, the piece. Gluck. Who knew? Maestro Levine, on camera before the show, described it as a “truly great, great masterpiece of music” and while I am used to the hyperbole with which conductors and directors describe their piece of the moment, in this case I don’t know how one could argue. One thing which surprised me was that it didn’t sound one bit derivative of anyone else’s work. Not like Mozart of course who was only, what, seven years old when Gluck wrote this Orfeo? But not like Handel or Purcell or anyone else with whose work I am familiar. This was sui generis – and how exciting for that. The writing is rich, colourful and shows a respect for the drama as expressed in the libretto in a way that alas is rare in opera of any period.  Read more »