Category Archives: In Focus

Die Frau ohne Schatten: In Focus

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Met Opera

Die Frau ohne Schatten In Focus Premiere: Vienna State Opera, 1919 The fourth collaboration of Richard Strauss and librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal was in many ways their most ambitious: a heavily symbolic morality tale about love and marriage that unfolds … Continue reading →

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Der Rosenkavalier: In Focus

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Met Opera

Der Rosenkavalier In Focus Premiere: Royal Opera House, Dresden, 1911 Strauss’s most popular opera was an instant success at its premiere, earning a secure spot in the repertory that has not wavered in the 100 years since. Set in an … Continue reading →

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Two Boys: In Focus

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Met Opera

Two Boys In Focus Premiere: English National Opera, London, 2011 The first full-scale opera by young American composer Nico Muhly, Two Boys is the also the first piece to reach the Met stage from the Met/Lincoln Center Theater New Works Program, … Continue reading →

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream: In Focus

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Met Opera

A Midsummer Night’s Dream In Focus Premiere: Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh, 1960 Wit, romance, a bewitching air of wonder, and moments of genuine human emotion—all the dramatic elements that have made Shakespeare’s fantasy-comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream an audience favorite for centuries … Continue reading →

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The Nose: In Focus

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Met Opera

  The Nose In Focus Premiere: Maly Opera Theater, St. Petersburg (then Leningrad), 1930 The first of only two completed operas by the great Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, The Nose is an iconoclastic and unusual work. It is based on … Continue reading →

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Così fan tutte: In Focus

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Met Opera

Così fan tutte: In Focus Premiere: Vienna, Court Theater, 1790 The third and final collaboration between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte is a fascinating paradox: a frothy comedy of manners with an intensely dark take on human nature; an … Continue reading →

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Eugene Onegin: In Focus

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Met Opera

Eugene Onegin In Focus Premiere: Maly Theater, Moscow, 1879, with students from the Moscow Conservatory. Professional premiere: Bolshoi Theater, 1881 Tchaikovsky’s many moods—tender, grand, melancholy—are all given free rein in Eugene Onegin, the composer’s lush adaptation of Alexander Pushkin’s iconic text of … Continue reading →

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Norma: In Focus

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Met Opera

Norma In Focus Premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1831 This opera is an extraordinary fusion of sublime melody, vocal challenge, and dramatic power. It examines an ageless and archetypal situation: a powerful woman compromises her ideals for love, only to … Continue reading →

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