Gold standard
Like everyone else, La Cieca was watching Mad Men last night, and suddenly something clicked. She realized that the “current” time on the series as of last night was August, 1966—which means that sometime in the next week or two the chronology of the Gotham-based melodrama will coincide with the opening of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, September 16. And what that further means is a) La Cieca is old and b) the 50th anniversary of the “New Met” is only four seasons away.
That’s where you come in.
Your doyenne proposes a competition in which you, the cher public, play impresario. Your challenge: to program the Met’s 2016-17 “Golden Anniversary” season, with a list of repertoire to be performed along with as much detail about casting and personnel as you care to include.
Your projected season ideally should rival in ambition Mr. Bing’s spectacular first Lincoln Center season, which featured two world premieres (Antony and Cleopatra and Mourning Becomes Elektra), a company premiere (Die Frau Ohne Schatten), six more new productions and about 20 revivals. You are permitted to include in your plans any repertoire that is already rumored for the 2016-17 season.
Please propose your season in the comments section of this post. The competition opens immediately and closes at midnight on Sunday, April 29. From the entries in the comments section La Cieca’s blue-ribbon panel will select two winners: Best in Show (for overall excellence) and Gelb’s Folly (for humorous entertainment value). Each of the winners will receive a coveted Amazon gift card
Dazzle me!
Company premiere:
Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario – a comedic stage play with music) (Mozart)
[in English]
SPEAKING ROLES ONLY:
Frank the impresario: Alec Baldwin
Eiler the banker: Stanley Tucci
Madame File, actress & mistress of Eiler: Kristen Johnston
Madame Crona, actress: Tracey Ullman
Mr. Herz, actor: Daniel Davis
Madame Vogelsang, actress: Daphne Rubin-Vega
SPEAKING & SINGING ROLES:
Madame Herz: Kathleen Kim
Madame Silberklang: Erika Miklósa
Mr. Vogelsang, singer: Matthew Polenzani
Buff, actor: Joshua Bloom
New productions:
Arabella
Arabella: Miah Persson
Mandryka: Christopher Maltman
Zdenka: Heidi Stober
Fiakermilli: Kathleen Kim
Company premiere:
La finta giardiniera (Mozart)
Sandrina: Erika Miklósa
Arminda: Nicole Cabell
Serpetta: Lisette Oropesa
Ramiro: Isabel Leonard
Conte Belfiore: Ramón Vargas
Don Anchise, Il podestá: Robert Brubaker
Nardo : Gerald Finley
New productions :
Porgy and Bess
Porgy: Eric Owens / Jonathan Lemalu
Bess: Nicole Cabell
Sportin’ Life: Kenneth Tarver
Maria: Denyce Graves
Clara: Danielle De Niese
Alceste
Alceste:Annette Dasch
Admète: Toby Spence
Evandre: Robert Brubaker
Hercule: Paulo Szot
Apollo: Rod Gilfry
Hansel and Gretel [in English]
(a more upbeat, wholesome, G-rated family version production that is truly suitable for children and families)
Hansel: Isabel Leonard
Gretel: Ashley Emerson
Gertrude (the mother): Susan Bullock
Peter (the father): Eric Owens
The Witch: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Alceste
Alceste:Annette Dasch
…………..
You *are* joking, I hope?
Dasch’s vocal material suits her well to Berlioz’s Andromache.
How about Christine Goerke as Alceste?
One more:
Company premiere:
Antigona (Traetta)
Antigona: Marina Rebeka
Ismene: Ekaterina Siurina
Emone: Joyce DiDonato
Creonte: Joseph Kaiser
Adrasto: Steve Davislim
conducted by William Christie or Harry Bicket
Since I’m not nearly funny enough to try a witty scenario, here’s a detailed real-life one. I tried to think hard about which singers that now are just breaking out or about to break out will be massive stars or reliable house singers in five years, and I think I’ve got a good group together. Some of this casting is not great…because I think this is a case of would COULD happen, not what would be ideal. I leave it up to you to decide what is deliberate.
New Productions
World Premiere: Nico Muhely’s “Morning in America” – a politically charged look at the rise of the Occupy and tea party movements in 2011 through the eyes of various news networks and a harried policewoman trying to keep the peace during the protests.
Fabio Luisi, Bartlett Sher
Renee Fleming (Sarah Palin), Susannah Biller (an Occupier), Lalya Claire (our hero’s daughter), Joyce DiDonato (as a policewoman, our hero), Stephanie Blythe (a Tea Partier), William Burden (John Stewart), Thomas Hampson (Bill O’Reilly), Eric Owens (Police Captain)
Result: Opening night is offset by conflicting protests from the two political movements involved, creating massive press. Reviews are middling but marginally positive.
World Premiere: Mark Adamo’s Citizen Kane
Patrick Summers, Leonard Foglia
Jay Hunter Morris (Charles Foster Kane), Daniele de Neise (Susan Kane), Kate Lindsay (Emily Kane), Lucas Meachem (Jed Leland), Alek Shrader (Mr. Bernstein), Sir Thomas Allen (Mr. Thatcher), Michael Sumeal (The Reporter), Mark Delevan (Gettys)
Result: The casting of Daniele DeNeise in a role where everyone must comment on how awful her singing is provokes much wit from the Parterre crowd. The opera is a massive success.
Company Premiere: Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath
Ricky Ian Gordon, Francesca Zambello
Nathan Gunn (Tom Joad), Susan Graham (Ma), Kelly Kaduce (Rosasharn), Roger Honeywell (Casey), Dwayne Croft (John), Keith Miller (Ragged Man)
Result: Critically adored, but audiences stay away for fear of being sent into clinical depression.
Company Premiere: The Cunning Little Vixen (Janacek)
Jiri Behlakovhic, Tom Morris (Director of “War Horse”)
Lisette Oropesa (Vixen), Gerald Finley (Forester), Alice Coote (Fox)
Result: Though the production provokes some controversy by “demoting” the singers to puppeteer the intricate animal puppets, the result is a crowd pleaser. Alice Coote cancels half of the run, replaced by Tamara Mumford.
Tristan und Isolde
Willy Decker, Simon Rattle,
Nina Stemme, Gary Lehmann, Rene Pape, Peter Mattei, Stephanie Blythe
Result: An instant classic.
Cosi fan Tutte
Alan Gilbert, Michael Grandage
Elza van den Heever, Lucy Crowe, Isabel Leonard, Alek Shrader, Benedict Nelson, Gerald Finley
Result: Production and Musical values both strong, though some question vociferously if the imports of cast’s two brits is strictly necessary. Michael Grandage learned his lesson well from Giovanni and stepped up his game.
Tosca
Fabio Luisi, Richard Jones
Amanda Echalaz/Patricia Racette, Massimo Giordano/Adam Deigel, Ambrosio Maestro/Bryn Terfel
Result: Echalaz’s Tosca is considered a huge success. The production is not well-liked, the grumbled sentiment being that “at least its not the Bondy” with people STILL clamoring to bring back the Zef.
Les Contes d’Hoffmann
Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Phelim McDermot and Julian Crouch
Anna Netrebko/Erin Wall, Isabel Leonard, Matthew Polenzani/Roberto Alagna, Luca Pisaroni/Kyle Ketelsen
Result: After the Bartlett Sher disaster, the new production is a delight and a season highlight. The now-standard Michael Kaye edition is performed to great success. Netrebko decides the time is right for Olympia and Giuletta (Olympia quietly transposed down a bit). We’re not so sure, but it’s good enough to split the discussion. When she goes out before the matinee broadcast, Gelb sends on Erin Wall (already contracted for the 2nd cast) in all three roles, and a star is well and truly born.
Otello
Fabio Luisi, Martin Scorsese
Jonas Kaufmann/Roberto Alanga, Anna Netrebko/Marina Poplavskaya, Placido Domingo/George Gagnidze
Result: Long-Time opera fan Scorsese has a stunning debut as a stage director. This is Domingo’s first Iago, at age 75 (Let’s face it…he’ll still be around). It is, as always, highly controversial but people concur its one of his better baritone attempts. Kaufmann’s Otello and Netrebko’s Desdemona are far less controversial in their triumph, but Kaufmann cancels half the run, replaced by Anders Antoneko for two performances and by Jay Hunter Morris for another. The second cast is not particularly well received.
RING CYCLE
Robert LaPage, Fabio Luisi
Eva-Maria Westbroek, (Brünnhilde), Heidi Melton/Wendy Bryn Harmer (Sieglinde), Wendy Bryn Harmer (Gutrune/Freia), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Fricka), Sarah Connolly (Waltraute), Meredith Arwady (Erda) Lance Ryan (Siegfried), Brandon Jovanovich (Siegmund), Rene Pape/Vitalij Kowaljow (Wotan), Bryn Terfel (Alberich), Hans-Peter König (Hagen/Fafner/Hunding)
Notes: By this point, while the Machine remains, Robert LaPage has been replaced by stage directors who actually know what they are doing to the immense improvement of the cycle. Eva-Maria Westbroek takes on her first Brunnhildes to a general success, the general consensus being that Walkure is the least congenial role for her.
AIDA
Nicolai Luisotti
Latonia Moore, Stephanie Blythe, Yonghoon Lee, Quinn Kelsey, Jeremy Gaylon
BOHEME
Derrick Inouye
Ailyn Perez/Ana Maria Martinez, Talise Tevigne, David Lomeli/Marius Brenciu, Brian Mulligan, Christian van Horn
CARMEN
Plácido Domingo/Joseph Colaneri
Ana Maria Martinez, Kate Aldrich, Bryan Hymel, Paolo Szot
TURANDOT
Paolo Carignani
Lise Lindstrom, Leah Crocetto, Anders Antoneko, Hyung Yun, Oren Gradus
MAGIC FLUTE (In English, Holiday Show)
Andrew Davis
Heidi Stober, Kathleen Kim, Andrew Bidlack, Radam Pogassov, Morris Robinson
BARBIERE
Yves Abel
Kate Lindsay, Lawrence Brownlee, Franco Pomponi, Patrick Carfizzi, Ferruccio Furlanetto
TRAVIATA
Marco Armiliato
Ailyn Perez, Stephen Costello, Simon Keenlyside
FALSTAFF*
Maurizio Benini
Patricia Racette, Rachelle Durkin, Dolora Zajick, Michael Fabiano, Ambrosio Maestri, Nathan Gunn
DON GIOVANNI
Louis Langrée
Diana Damrau, Elina Garanca, Lalya Claire, Joseph Kaiser, Erwin Schrott, Kyle Ketelsen, Ryan Kuster, Morris Robinson
RIGOLETTO
Lisette Oropesa/Alberta Shimutrova, Tamara Mumford, Giuseppe Filanoti, Dmitri Hvorstovsky/Quinn Kelsey, Jeremy Gaylon
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Patrick Summers
Kristine Opolais, Lucy Schaufer, Adam Deigel, Dwayne Croft
DER ROSENKAVALIER*
Edo de Waart
Martina Serefin, Joyce DiDonato, Layla Claire, Boaz Daniel, Franz-Josef Selig
EUGENE ONEGIN*
Kirill Petrenko
Amanda Eschevez, Kate Lindsay, Piotr Beczala, Dalibor Jenis, David Pittsinger
DON CARLO
Fabio Luisi
Sondra Radvanovsky, Anita Rachvelishvili, Brandon Jovanovich/Yonghoon Lee, Mariusz Kwiecen, Hao Jiang Tian, Andrea Silvestrelli
PARSIFAL
Daniele Gatti
Ekaterina Semenchuk, Stuart Skelton, Alan Held, Richard Paul Fink, Hans-Peter König
L’ELISIR
Yves Abel
Kathleen Kim, David Lomeli, Nathan Gunn, Bryn Terfel,
MANON
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Nino Maichidze, Vittorio Grigolo, Paolo Szot, David Pittsinger
ELEKTRA
James Conlon
Deborah Voigt, Oksana Dyka, Waltraud Meier, Alan Held
CAV*/PAG*
Gianandrea Noseda
Ana Maria Martinez (Nedda) Latonia Moore (Santuzza), Roberto Alagna (Turiddu/Canio), George Gagnidze (Alfio/Tonio), Lucas Meachem (Silvio)
MARIA STUARDA
Alain Altinoglu
Angela Meade (Maria), Marina Rebeka (Elisabetta), Charles Castronovo (Percy)
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER*
Antonio Pappano
Eric Owens, Jennifer Wilson, Gregory Carroll, Raymond Aceto
The Metropolitan Opera’s was faced with what seemed like an insurmountable problem. A mere few months before the ambitious plans for the 2016-17 season was to be announced, a New York State Court upheld a New York City administrative ruling that the Metropolitan Opera could not continue to use its Robert LePage production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen unless it was licensed to operate as an amusement park. While, it might have been possible to complete the paperwork in time, the lawyers representing the unions working at the Met determined that this would trigger a “Double Duty” clause in the union contracts, thus forcing all union employees to be paid at overtime rates for the entire season. Furthermore, when a generous board member offered to fund a last revival of the Schenk Ring, it was disclosed that the sets and costumes for that production were sealed in Agnes Varis’ funeral pyramid so that she could enjoy a traditional Wagner Ring production in the afterlife.
Luckily, director Stefan Herheim contacted the Met with a novel plan. He offered to devise a staging of the Ring that would use costumes and sets from existing Metropolitan Opera productions. After much discussion, he chose Herbert Wernicke’s Die Frau Ohne Schatten for Das Rheingold, Franco Zeffirelli’s Tosca for Die Walkuere , Luc Bondy’s Tosca for Siegfried and Colin Graham’s Ghosts of Versailles for Gotterdammerung. Funds for the many extra rehearsals necessitated by this extraordinary enterprise were raised through a first-ever operatic Kickstarter campaign organized by the RegieFreunden und ParterreTöchter GeMineShaft. In anticipation of the many questions this approach would engender, Met Archivist Robert Tuggle held an emergency session of the Global Opera Archivist League (GOAL) to discuss how to represent these performances in the Met Opera performance database. Fabio Luisi returns to conduct a cast of understudies.
Despite the unprecedented effort necessary to deliver a completely new Ring production in a single season, the Met will still move forward with 6 of the 7planned new productions. Robert Lepage’s production of Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise had to postponed amidst rumors of trouble with the 500 remote-controlled animatronic birds being built for that production. Other new productions will include:
Vanessa by Samuel Barber (Opening Night)
Production by Bartlett Sher;
Conductor -- Leonard Slatkin
Vanessa – Angela Gheorghiu;
Anatol – Matthew Polenzani
Erika – Joyce DiDonato
Old Baroness – Natalie Dessay
Les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Production by Jack O’Brien
Conductor -- Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Marguerite de Valois – Diana Damrau
Raoul de Nangis – Eric Cutler
Valentine -- Krassimira Stoyanova
Count de Nevers – Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Marcel – Eva Podles
The Bassarids by Hans Werner Henze (Met Premiere, co-production with the ENO)
Production by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch
Conductor Simon Rattle
Dionysus – Stuart Skelton
Pentheus – Peter Mattei
Agave – Angela Denoke
There’s Something about Marie (World Premiere) A seriocomic pastiche on the subject of war featuring music from Wozzeck, Die Soldaten, The Good Solider Schweik, Karl V, The Passenger, Licht, and Miss Saigon.
Libretto and English Translations by Jeremy Sams
Production by Mary “Alois” Zimmerman.
Conductor -- William Christie
The Soldier -- Nathan Gunn
Marie -- Karita Mattila
The General -- Placido Domingo
Sycorax -- Joyce DiDonato
Emcee -- Joel Grey
A Comely Refugee -- Katherine Jenkins
Barbarella – Music and Lyrics by Mark Adamo (World Premiere).
Production by Ru Paul
Sets by Flotilla de Barge
Costumes by Lady Bunny
Conductor -- Michael Tilson Thomas
Barbarella -- Angela Gheorghiu
Pygar – Rod Gilfry
The Great Tyrant – Eva Podles
The revivals will include a number of classic productions, some dating from the Met’s early years in Lincoln Center and even before. As the directors of many of these productions are deceased, Theresa Caputo, the star of the show Long Island Medium on TLC will be brought on as a consultant to channel the intentions of the original directors. In addition, no conductors of revivals will be announced to allow for the possibility of James Levine’s return to conducting. Highlights include:
Der Rosenkavalier: Anja Harteros -- Marschallin; Sophie Koch – Octavian ; Marliss Petersen -- Sophie; Ferruccio Furlanetto – Baron Ochs; Andrea Bocelli -- Italian Tenor (Metropolitan Opera stage debut); Valzacchi – Placido Domingo
Werther: Jonas Kaufmann – Werther; Anna Caterina Antonacci – Charlotte (debut)
Porgy and Bess: In an unusual approach necessitated by Mariusz Kwiecien’s desire to sing Porgy and the restrictions imposed by the Gershwin Estate, Morgan Freeman will act the part and perform the dialogue while Mr. Kwiecien’s sings from the side of the stage. These performances, already referred to as Pierogi and Bess by the opera blogs, will also feature Takesha Meshe Kizart as Bess.
Anna Bolena: Mariella Devia finally returns to the Met for just 3 performances.
L’Italiana in Algeri: Isabella – Olga Borodina; Lindoro – Juan Diego Florez; Mustafa – Ildar Abrazakov; Elvira – Kathleen Battle (another return)
Les vêpres siciliennes (using the existing Vespri production): Duchesse Hélène – Patricia Racette ; Henri –Joseph Calleja; Guy de Monfort – Dmitri Hvorostovsky; Jean Procida -- Ferruccio Furlanetto
Idomeneo: Idomeneo Joseph Calleja ; Ilia – Lisette Oropesa; Idamante – Anne Sophie von Otter; Elettra – Anna Netrebko
BRAVA DAWN!
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!!
(I spewed Diet Coke when I read ‘Mary “Alois” Zimmerman”)
New Productions
Cosi fan tutte -- The Jersey Shore meets Mozart. Conducted by Philippe Jordan, who is the new Music Director of the Met.
La Traviata -- A Kennedy Family drama.
Il Barbiere di Siviglia -- Revised to fix the disaster that currently ensues after Figaro and the count climb over the wall.
King Lear -- World Premiere of a New Production!
Lucia di Lammermoor -- The mad scene is revised with more chromaticism. We were going to have Natalie Dessay perform the role, but given recent events, we might just have to use our old standby, Angela Gheorghiu.
Madame Bovary -- World Premiere of a New Production! (This is the opening night production.)
Paradise Lost -- World Premiere of a New Production!
Tosca -- Hurray, we’re bringing back the Franco Zeffirelli production! In the third act, Cavaradossi doses off for a bit, and in the dream sequence he has, the hologram of Pavarotti sings E Lucevan Le Stelle (a la Tupac at Coachella).
- For the special New Year’s Eve production, made possible by the blessed support of Mercedes Bass (btw, we think you should marry M. Zuckerberg RIGHT NOW), seats selling at the standard rate of the parterre section for opening night and 500 lottery winners will travel to see the live performances staged at each of the locations and at each of the times where each of the acts is set. Perhaps we should surround Castel Sant’Angelo with rubber, foam and balloons so we can all try jumping to find out once and for all if Tosca can actually jump to her death.
Repertory Productions
Aida (Sondra Radvanovsky and Stephanie Blythe – who can have any role she damn well pleases); La Boheme; Capriccio (Renee Fleming); Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci; Dido and Aeneas; Don Giovanni; Elektra; La Fanciulla del West; Der Fliegende Hollander; Iphigenie en Tauride; Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (please bring back this thrillingly sexy production); Madama Butterfly; Makropulos Case; Mefistofele; Le Nozze di Figaro; Norma (Angela Meade; while good, she’s not THAT good yet; she’s forced to stick with Norma until she wows us with something else); Orfeo ed Euridice; Pelleas et Melisande; Romeo et Juliette (Hei-Kyung Hong, a gem); Der Rosenkavalier; Rusalka; Salome; Samson et Dalila; Tristan und Isolde; Il Trittico (Patrricia Racette!); Turandot (?); Die Zauberflote.
The Ring Cycle -- Hurray, we’re bring back a new and improved the Otto Schenk production! With the recent technological innovation, the gods will finally walk along the rainbow bridge, and horses will fly on stage.