The not too distant future
UPDATE: The Met’s 2012-13 season brochure and press release are now online.
EARLIER: The Met’s top-secret hush-hush season announcement will emerge from the Holy Grail shrine later today. Until then, La Cieca thought you would enjoy having all the reliable rumors for 2012-13 in the same place, a magical medium called… the Internet!
Here’s what this afternoon’s press release is rumored to include:
New productions:
L’elisir d’amore. September 24 (Opening Night), 27, October 1, 5, 10, 13m, January 30, February 2, 6, 9m. Conductor: Maurizio Benini; Production: Bartlett Sher; Set Designer: Michael Yeargan; Costume Designer: Catherine Zuber; Lighting Designed by: Jennifer Tipton. Adina: Anna Netrebko, Nemorino: Matthew Polenzani, Belcore: Mariusz Kwiecien, Dulcamara: Ambrogio Maestri (Sep, Oct) / John Del Carlo (Jan, Feb).
The Tempest. October 23, 27, 31, November 3m, 6, 10m, 14, 17m. Conductor: Thomas Adès; Production: Robert Lepage; Set Designer: Jasmine Catudal; Costume Designer: Kym Barrett; Lighting Designed by: Michel Beaulieu; Video Designer: David Leclerc. Ariel: Audrey Elizabeth Luna, Miranda: Isabel Leonard, Trinculo: Iestyn Davies, Ferdinand: Alek Shrader, Caliban: Alan Oke, King of Naples: William Burden, Antonio: Toby Spence, Prospero: Simon Keenlyside.
Un Ballo in Maschera. November 8, 12, 15, 19, 24, 27, 30, December 4, 8m, 14. Conductor: Fabio Luisi; Production: David Alden; Set Designer: Paul Steinberg; Costume Designer: Brigitte Reiffenstuel; Lighting Designed by: Adam Silverman; Choreographer: Maxine Braham. Amelia: Karita Mattila, Oscar: Kathleen Kim, Ulrica: Dolora Zajick (Nov 8, 12, 15, 19, 24) / Stephanie Blythe (Nov 27, 30, Dec 4, 8, 14), Riccardo: Marcelo Álvarez (Nov 8, 12, 15, 19, 24, 30) / Roberto De Biasio (Nov 27), Renato: Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
Maria Stuarda. December 31, January 4, 8, 12, 15, 19m, 23, 26. Conductor: Maurizio Benini; Production: David McVicar; Set & Costume Designer: John Macfarlane; Lighting Designed by: Jennifer Tipton; Choreographer: Leah Hausman. Elisabetta: Elza van den Heever, Maria Sturada: Joyce DiDonato, Leicester: Francesco Meli, Cecil: Joshua Hopkins, Talbot: Matthew Rose
Rigoletto. January 28, 31, February 4, 8, 12, 16m, 19, 23, April 13, 16, 20, 24, 27, May 1. Conductor: Michele Mariotti (Jan, Feb) / Marco Armiliato (Apr, May); Production: Michael Mayer; Set Designer: Christine Jones; Costume Designer: Susan Hilferty; Lighting Designer: Kevin Adams; Choreographer: Steven Hoggett. Gilda: Diana Damrau (Jan, Feb) / Lisette Oropesa (Apr, May), Maddalena: Svetlana Volkova (Jan, Feb) / Nancy Fabiola Herrera (Apr, May), Duke of Mantua: Piotr Beczala (Jan, Feb) / Vittorio Grigolo (Apr, May), Rigoletto: Željko Lucic (Jan, Feb) / George Gagnidze (Apr, May), Sparafucile: Stefan Kocán (Jan, Feb) / Enrico Giuseppe Iori (Apr, May).
Parsifal. February 15, 18, 21, 27, March 2m, 5, 8. Conductor: Daniele Gatti; Production: François Girard; Set Designer: Michael Levine; Costume Designer: Thibault Vancraenenbroeck; Lighting Designer: David Finn; Video Designer: Peter Flaherty; Choreographer: Carolyn Choa; Dramaturg: Serge Lamothe. Kundry: Katarina Dalayman, Parsifal: Jonas Kaufmann, Amfortas: Peter Mattei, Klingsor: Evgeny Nikitin, Gurnemanz: René Pape.
Giulio Cesare. April 4, 9, 12, 19, 22, 27m, 30, May 3, 7, 10. Conductor: Harry Bicket; Production: David McVicar; Set Designer: Richard Jones; Costume Designer: Brigitte Reiffenstuel; Lighting Designer: Paule Constable; Choreographer: Andrew George. Cleopatra: Natalie Dessay, Sesto: Alice Coote, Cornelia: Patricia Bardon, Giulio Cesare: David Daniels, Tolomeo: Christophe Dumaux, Achilla: Guido Loconsolo.
Revivals:
Aida. November 23, 26, 29, December 3, 7, 12, 15m, 19, 22, 28, Conductor: Fabio Luisi, Aida: Liudmyla Monastyrska (Nov, Dec. 12, 15) / Hui He (Dec 3, 7, 19, 22, 28), Amneris: Olga Borodina, Radamès: Marco Berti (Nov, Dec 3, 7) / Roberto Alagna (Dec 12, 15, 19, 22, 28), Amonasro: Alberto Mastromarino (Nov, Dec 3, 7) / George Gagnidze (Dec 12, 15, 19, 22, 28), Ramfis: Stefan Kocán, The King: Miklós Sebestyén
Il Barbiere di Siviglia. December 18, 22m, 26m, 27, 29, January 3, 5, Conductor: Yves Abel, Rosina: Isabel Leonard, Count Almaviva: Alek Shrader, Figaro: Rodion Pogossov, Dr. Bartolo: John Del Carlo, Don Basilio: Jordan Bisch
Carmen. September 28, October 2, 6, 11, 15, 18, February 9, 13, 16, 20, 23m, 26, March 1, Conductor: Michele Mariotti, Micaëla: Kate Royal (Sep, Oct) / Ekaterina Sherbachenko (Feb 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, Mar) / Hei-Kyung Hong (Feb 26), Carmen: Anita Rachvelishvili, Don José: Yonghoon Lee (Sep, Oct) / Andrew Richards (Feb, Mar), Escamillo: Kyle Ketelsen (Sep, Oct 2, 6, 15) / Dwayne Croft (Oct 11) / Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Feb, Mar)
La Clemenza di Tito. November 16, 20, 24m, December 1m, 6, 10, Conductor: Harry Bicket, Servilia: Lucy Crowe, Vitellia: Barbara Frittoli, Sesto: Elina Garanca, Annio: Kate Lindsey, Tito: Giuseppe Filianoti, Publio: Oren Gradus
Le Comte Ory. January 17, 21, 25, 29, February 2m, 5, Conductor: Maurizio Benini, Countess Adèle: Nino Machaidze, Isolier: Karine Deshayes, Ragonde: Susanne Resmark, Count Ory: Juan Diego Flórez, Raimbaud: Nathan Gunn, The Tutor: Nicola Ulivieri
Les Dialogues des Carmélites. May 4m, 9, 11, Conductor: Louis Langrée, Blanche de la Force: Isabel Leonard, Mme Lidoine: Patricia Racette,Constance: Erin Morley, Mère Marie: Elizabeth Bishop, First Prioress: Felicity Palmer, Chevalier de la Force: Paul Appleby
Don Carlo. February 22, 25, 28, March 6, 9m, 13, 16, Conductor: Lorin Maazel, Elisabeth de Valois: Sondra Radvanovsky, Eboli: Anna Smirnova, Don Carlo: Ramón Vargas, Rodrigo: Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Philip II: Ferruccio Furlanetto, Grand Inquisitor: Eric Halfvarson
Don Giovanni. November 28, December 1, 5, 8, 11, 15, 20, Conductor: Edward Gardner, Donna Anna: Susanna Phillips, Donna Elvira: Emma Bell, Zerlina: Ekaterina Siurina, Don Ottavio: Charles Castronovo, Don Giovanni: Ildar Abdrazakov, Leporello: Erwin Schrott, Masetto: David Soar, The Commendatore: Raymond Aceto
Faust. March 21, 25, 28, April 2, 5, Conductor: Alain Altinoglu, Marguerite: Marina Poplavskaya, Siébel: Julie Boulianne, Faust: Piotr Beczala, Valentin: Alexey Markov, Méphistophélès: John Relyea.
Francesca di Rimini. March 4, 9, 12, 16m, 19, 22, Conductor: Marco Armiliato, Francesca: Eva Maria Westbroek, Paolo ilBello: Marcello Giordani, Malatestino: Robert Brubaker, Gianciotto: Mark Delavan.
Götterdämmerung. April 23, May 2, 11m, Conductor: Fabio Luisi, Brünnhilde: Deborah Voigt (Apr 23, May 11) / Katarina Dalayman (May 2), Gutrune: Wendy Bryn Harmer, Waltraute: Karen Cargill, Siegfried: Jay Hunter Morris (Apr 23, May 2) / Lars Cleveman (May 11), Gunther: Iain Paterson, Alberich: Eric Owens (Apr 23, May 2) / Richard Paul Fink (May 11), Hagen: Hans-Peter König
Le Nozze di Figaro. October 29, November 3, 7, 10, 13, 17, Conductor: David Robertson, Countess Almaviva: Maija Kovalevska (Oct, Nov 3, 7, 10, 13) / Hei-Kyung Hong (Nov 17), Susanna: Mojca Erdmann, Cherubino: Christine Schäfer, Count Almaviva: Gerald Finley, Figaro: Ildar Abdrazakov
Otello. October 9, 13, 16, 20m, 27m, March 11, 15, 20, 23, 27, 30, Conductor: Semyon Bychkov (Oct) / Plácido Domingo (Mar), Desdemona: Renée Fleming (Oct) / Krassimira Stoyanova (Mar), Otello: Johan Botha (Oct) / José Cura (Mar), Cassio: Michael Fabiano (Oct) / Alexey Dolgov (Mar), Iago: Falk Struckmann (Oct) / Thomas Hampson (Mar)
Das Rheingold. April 6m, 25, May 4, Conductor: Fabio Luisi, Freia: Wendy Bryn Harmer, Fricka: Stephanie Blythe, Erda: Meredith Arwady, Loge: Stefan Margita, Mime: Gerhard Siegel (Apr) / Robert Brubaker (May), Wotan: Mark Delavan (Apr) / Greer Grimsley (May), Alberich: Eric Owens (Apr) / Richard Paul Fink (May), Fasolt: Franz-Josef Selig, Fafner: Hans-Peter König.
Siegfried. April 20m, 29, May 8, Conductor: Fabio Luisi, Brünnhilde: Deborah Voigt (Apr 20, May / Katarina Dalayman (April 29), Erda: Meredith Arwady, Siegfried: Jay Hunter Morris (Apr) / Lars Cleveman (May), Mime: Gerhard Siegel (Apr) / Robert Brubaker (May), Wanderer: Mark Delavan (Apr) / Greer Grimsley (May), Alberich: Eric Owens (Apr) / Richard Paul Fink (May).
La Traviata. March 14, 18, 23m, 26, 30m, April 2, 6, Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Violetta Valéry: Diana Damrau, Alfredo Germont: Saimir Pirgu, Giorgio Germont: Plácido Domingo
Il Trovatore. September 29m, October 4, 8, 12, 17, 20, 25, January 9, 12m, 16, 19, 24, Conductor: Daniele Callegari, Leonora: Carmen Giannattasio (Sep 29, Oct. 4) / Sondra Radvanovsky (Oct 12, 17, 20, 25) / Patricia Racette (Jan 9, 12, 19, 24) / Angela Meade (Jan 16), Azucena: Dolora Zajick (Sep, Oct) / Stephanie Blythe (Jan), Manrico: TBA (Sep, Oct) / Marco Berti (Jan), di Luna: Franco Vassallo (Sep 29, Oct 4, 8, 12, 20) / Ángel Ordeña (Oct 17) / Alexey Markov (Jan), Ferrando: Morris Robinson (Sep, Oct) / Christophoros Stamboglis (Jan)
Les Troyens. December 13, 17, 21, 26, 29m, January 1, 5m, Conductor: Fabio Luisi, Cassandra: Deborah Voigt, Dido: Susan Graham, Anna: Karen Cargill, Aeneas: Marcello Giordani, Iopas: Eric Cutler, Chorèbe: Dwayne Croft, Narbal: Kwangchul Youn
Turandot. September 26, 29, October 3, 6m, 30, November 2, 5, 9, January 2, 7, 10, Conductor: Dan Ettinger, Turandot: Maria Guleghina (Sep, Oct 3, 6) / Iréne Theorin (Oct 30, Nov, Jan), Liù: Hibla Gerzmava (Sep, Oct 3, 6) / Takesha Meshé Kizart (Oct 30, Nov) / Hibla Gerzmava (Jan), Calaf: Marco Berti (Sep, Oct 3, 6) / Marcello Giordani (Oct 30, Nov) / Walter Fraccaro (Jan), Timur: James Morris (Sep, Oct, Nov) / Samuel Ramey (Jan)
Die Walküre. April 13m, 26, May 6, Conductor: Fabio Luisi, Brünnhilde: Deborah Voigt (Apr 13, May) / Katarina Dalayman (Apr 26), Sieglinde: Martina Serafin, Fricka: Stephanie Blythe, Siegmund: Simon O’Neill, Wotan: Mark Delavan / Greer Grimsley (May), Hunding: Hans-Peter König.
A Strauss-free season? I guess he just doesn’t rate…!
Pardon me while I gnash my teeth — some very strange casting choices indeed.
Oh yes, let’s engage Guleghina to assay Turandot yet one more time, since she does it so well and God knows there’s no one else on the planet who can sing it.
Likewise, Anna Smirnova is apparently the only person left on the planet who can sing Eboli.
And Poplavskaya gets another chance to make it through the finale of Faust.
Can’t imagine Damrau singing Traviata but I guess everybody takes a crack at it these days.
That said, I’m glad to see Greer Grimsley getting one of the nods for Wotan; curious to see how/what he’ll do.
Since Parsifal is “E”, will we get a discount for the short operas like Salome & Elektra?
Metropolitan Opera Adopts Dynamic Pricing
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/02/23/metropolitan-opera-adopts-dynamic-pricing/
It’s not just the seating plan that’s gone dynamic, the operas have gone dynamic too, and each has been assigned a letter indicating its price range. To sit in the “Orchestra Premium Rear” (Yep, that’s the name of one of the seven sections downstairs) on a Tuesday night for Nozze di Figaro (an A opera) is $235, for Parsifal (an E opera) it’s $305. Yikes, that’s dynamic all right.
That was tried for one season back in the mid 1970s and it was quickly dropped. Of course at the time there were some very big names in the roster, thus Sutherland, Caballe, Price, Sills, et al. performances were priced higher than others.
I guess the Met could charge more for performances with Netrebko, Florez, Kaufmann…who else?.. in the cast. But what happens when one of the name stars cancel? Audience gets a refund? lol
Will shorter operas be cheaper?
Covent Garden has been doing that forever, at least as far as I know and yes I remember one occasion long long ago when Pavarotti ( I think ) cancelled and Giacomo Aragall (I think)replaced him, for a whole run of performances, not just a last minute thing and ticket holders were given a partial refund. But have I got this right, the Met is going to start charging more now for superstar nights?
Well, new productions cost more. Other than that, it’s hard to say what they go by in the land of dynamism. Florez in Comte Ory on a mid-week night is an A (the lowest price), but a mid-week Carmen with Rachvelishvili and Richards is a D (next-to-highest). Maria Stuarda on Tuesday Jan. 15 is a C; on Wednesday Jan. 23 with the same cast, it’s a D. Do you think this might increase waiting time on the line at the box office?
Indeed they did offer a refund for the Pavarotti cancellation, and yes, he was replaced by Aragall (who was fine). We did the noble thing and asked for the refund to go to the ROH, however, they recently did exactly the same thing when Domingo had to cancel his Tamerlano appearances and this time we were not so generous and accepted the refund. My husband nearly died of boredom during the opera and I had to physically prevent him from leaving at the interval (after which swathes of seats were left empty). Kurt Streit replaced PD.
Ha, that’s what I call a stroke of luck, Manou! I’d take Streit over Domingo in Handel any day…
Hello All: Anyone understand why Rene Pape is singing less at the Met, as for next year for instance, only Gurnemanz?
Perhaps the answer is related to Mae West’s remark on her doubts about W.C. Fields.
That is…?
i.e., “My only doubts about him come in bottles.”
Just got the Met brochure for next season. Interesting how they have priced the performances.
New productions in general get the highest price but depends on the day of the week.
Some pricing says a lot I think. All the Francescas are at the lowest price (A) except for the matinee broadcast (D). But some Carmens and Aidas go up to the top E category. La Rondine, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze and Le Comte Ory are also priced low.
The Holiday Barbers are significantly cheaper than the others.
Happy : Stuarda, McVickar’s Cesare, Barbiere, Dialogues, Troyens.
DiDonato (Stuarda) Mattei (Amfortas) Monastyrska (Aida) Crowe (Servilia) Palmer (Croissy) Serafin (Sieglinde) Stoyanova (Desdemona) Bychkov (Otello)
NOT happy : Domingo (conducting Otello) Dessay (Cleopatra) Machaidze (Adele) Erdmann (Susanna – SERIOUSLY??) Domingo (Germont)
Let me add my 2 cents to the 2012-13 season:
Tempest looks good, including the cast.
Seems like the Ulricas will be the best of Ballo (but also look forward to Hvor).
Wonder how many chances will be made to the vocal lines in Maria Stuarda with a MS with a lower voice than the E.
Detour: Villazon jumped in in Lucia for the Met in Japan and – according to reports – it went well. So, should one not expect him to be back at the Met at some point?
Great for Lisetta O to sing a leading role – should be interesting.
Parsifal looks very good.
Met’s Troyen looks a bit “old” compared to Covent Garden. Susan G will probably be fine – but why is the Met so in love with Marcello Giordano – so many HDs – and he is not the most handsome or charismatic actor. Like Ernani, why not Mr Biasio? Also, why have him as Paolo? Paolo must be goodlooking and charismatic – Domingo was (in my view) great with Scotto (magical) in the early 80-es. This is ANOTHER part that should have been Mr Kaufmann!!! But based on this, Mr Giordani seems to be the leading tenor at the Met – stranged.
Traviata – well, looking at the Verdi canon, the elder Germont actaully seems to be most congenial for Domingo. The age is ok and the writing is fairly lyrical. This should be a MUCH better fit than e.g. Rigoletto and other possible parts (on the other hand, I agree with Mr Handelman that the idea of Mr Domingo as the Hollander seems bizarre – who would have thought the James Morris and Domingo would ever share a part – And I agree with the persons who find it somewhat strange of Mr Domingo to choose SB for his OONY concert, why not e.g. Thais that he is also doing now in Valencia? Or Luisa Fernanda which is not very demanding but very charming and congenial and not too demanding?).
And nice to see that Samuel Ramey will still sing a few performances.
I actually like Giordani … but after hearing him huff and puff to get through Ernani, I can’t imagine how he will get through Aeneas.
Re: Francesca – Robert Alagna has the role in his repertoire – I believe he did it in Paris last year. He’d be a tad more convincing than Giordani (and barring Del Monaco rising from the dead, I don’t know anybody that can really sing it.)
Meade was a winner in the 2007 auditions – and as documented in “The Audition”, was a formidable talent even then. Perhaps the first soprano in a generation who is completely up to the demands of early Verdi and dramatic bel canto operas. The MET had an opportunity to book her before the world found out about her – and Gelb booked her for cover assignments and 1 production from 2008 – 2013. Next year she gets 1 friggin performance. Yeah, Peter really knows how to spot talent.
And I guess we’ll have to wait for a Norma so Gelb can bring Julianna DiGiacomo back as Clothilde! (Though she can, of course, come cover). Meantime, she seems to be somehow managing to get by with Valentine in Madrid, Trovatore with the Israel Philharmonic under Mehta and in Spain, the Verdi Requiem in Palermo and Berlin.
And with Pape – probably La Cieca has hit it on the head as to why he is not here mrre. But if I had a singer I was afraid might show up a little, shall we say, impaired – I wouldn’t put him onstage as Gurnemanz (which I believe is in the running for longest roles in opera.) Maybe Placido is ready to step in …