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GP at the Met: La Cenerentola: La Cenerentola Production Credits

colin fitzpatrick — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:48:22 +0000

Directed by
GARY HALVORSON

Conductor
MAURIZIO BENINI

Production
CESARE LIEVI

Set and Costume Designer
MAURIZIO BALÒ

Lighting Designer
GIGI SACCOMANDI

Choreographer
DANIELA SCHIAVONE

Stage Director
SHARON THOMAS

Host
THOMAS HAMPSON

Cast in order of vocal appearance

Clorinda
RACHELLE DURKIN

Tisbe
PATRICIA RISLEY

Angelina, known as Cenerentola
ELĪNA GARANČA

Alidoro
JOHN RELYEA

Don Magnifico
ALESSANDRO CORBELLI

Don Ramiro
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE

Dandini
SIMONE ALBERGHINI

Recitative Accompanist
ROBERT MYERS

Chorus Master
DONALD PALUMBO

Musical Preparation
JOAN DORNEMANN
ROBERT MYERS
JANE KLAVITER
J. DAVID JACKSON
CAREN LEVINE
HEMDI KFIR

Assistant Stage Directors
ERIC EINHORN
DANIEL RIGAZZI

Dramaturg
PAUL CREMO

Prompter
JANE KLAVITER

Met Titles
SONYA FRIEDMAN

A METROPOLITAN OPERA HIGH-DEFINITION PRODUCTION

Supervising Producers
MIA BONGIOVANNI
ELENA PARK

Producers
LOUISA BRICCETTI
VICTORIA WARIVONCHIK

Music Producer
JAY DAVID SAKS

Associate Director
CHRISTINE CLARK BRADLEY

Engineer-in-Charge
MARK SCHUBIN

Technical Supervisor
RON WASHBURN

Technical Director
EMMETT LOUGHRAN

Production Mixer
TOM HOLMES

Audio Supervisor
BILL KING

Television Lighting
WAYNE CHOUINARD

Writers
MATT DOBKIN
ELLEN KEEL

Video
BILLY STEINBERG
PAUL RANIERI
MATTY RANDAZZO

Camera
MIGUEL ARMSTRONG
MANNY GUTIERREZ
CHARLIE HUNTLEY
JAY MILLARD
ALAIN ONESTO
DAVID SMITH
RON WASHBURN
MARK WHITMAN

Robotic Camera Technicians
RON TRAVISANO
RICK COMPEAU
MARTIN MARIETTA

Audio Operations Director
JOHN KERSWELL

Audio
CHRIS CALLUS
LOUISE DE LA FUENTE
MATTHEW GALEK
ED HARTLEY
KEN HUNOLD
SEAN McCLINTOCK
JUSTIN MILNER
BLAKE NORTON
AL THEURER

Videotape
ALAN BUCHNER
STEVEN JOYCE

Television Stage Managers
TERENCE BENSON
PHYLLIS DIGILIO

English subtitles adapted by
DAVID REBHUN

Broadcast Graphics
DEBORAH CAVANAUGH

Score Consultant
MICHAEL HEASTON

Make-up for Ms. Garanča and Mr. Brownlee
MATIKI ANOFF

Media Librarian/Archivist
MICHAEL GRIEBEL

Production Associates
ALEXANDRA EASTMAN
YOLANDA S. WILLIAMS

BACKSTAGE AT THE MET

Director
DEBBIE MILLER

Associate Director
KAREN McLAUGHLIN

Production Supervisor
HILARY LEY

Associate Producers
MARISA BIAGGI
MATTHEW PRINCIPE

Field Producer
BARRY GOODMAN

Camera
JOHN KOSMACZEWSKI

Steadicam
JOE DE BONIS

Assistant Camera
KEVIN MURPHY

Head Utility
JAMES WASHBURN

Utility
BOB BENEDETTI
MIKE CUNNINGHAM
ANTHONY DEFONZO
MIKE MORAN

Opening Title Sequence by
SAKAE ISHIKAWA

Production Assistants
ALYSE HORN
ENZO E. MARTINEZ
BRITTANY RETTY
HARRIET SNYDER
DOROTHY YANG

Assistant to Mr. Halvorson
SARA MARTON

Video Editor
GARY BRADLEY

On-line Editor
SCOTT CUMBO

Audio Editor
JOHN BOWEN

Post-Production Audio Mix
KEN HAHN

Pos-Production Manager
MONA OBERMAN

METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION

General Manager
PETER GELB

Music Director
JAMES LEVINE

ASSISTANT MANAGERS

Artistic
SARAH BILLINGHURST

Production
LESLEY KOENIG

Editorial & Creative Content
ELENA PARK

Operations
STEWART PEARCE

Development
CORALIE TOEVS

Director of Communications
LEE ABRAHAMIAN

Director of Media & Presentations
MIA BONGIOVANNI

Director of Worldwide HD Distribution
JULIE BORCHARD-YOUNG

Acting Chief Financial Officer
DIANA FORTUNA

Artistic Administrator
JONATHAN FRIEND

General Counsel
SHARON E. GRUBIN

Director of Human Resources & Labor Relations
ANN MARIE HACKETT

Director of Development
ELIZABETH HURLEY

Director of Marketing
KAREN KARP

Director of the Arnold & Marie Schwartz Gallery Met
DODIE KAZANJIAN

House Manager
JAMES NAPLES

Director of National Council Auditions
GAYLETHA NICHOLS

Director of Music Administration
CRAIG RUTENBERG

Technical Director
JOHN SELLARS

Director of Archives
ROBERT TUGGLE

Senior Artistic Advisor
EVA WAGNER-PASQUIER

Executive Director of Lindemann Young Artist Development Program
BRIAN ZEGER

Director of New Business Development
LAURA MITGANG

METROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA

Orchestra Manager
ROBERT SIRINEK

Concertmaster
LAURA HAMILTON

Librarian
ROBERT SUTHERLAND

METROPOLITAN OPERA CHORUS

Chorus Master
DONALD PALUMBO

Assistant Chorus Master
JOSEPH LAWSON

METROPOLITAN OPERA BALLET

Dance Director
JOSEPH FRITZ

Deputy Dance Director
ANDREW ROBINSON

Stage Managers
THERESA GANLEY
MARGO MAIER-MOUL
SCOTT MOON
JONATHAN WATERFIELD

STAGE OPERATIONS

Master Carpenter
STEPHEN A. DIAZ

Master Electrician
PAUL DONAHUE

Properties Master
JAMES R. BLUMENFELD

Wig and Hair Stylist
TOM WATSON

Make-up Artist
VICTOR CALLEGARI

Wardrobe Supervisor
WILLIAM MALLOY

Costume Shop Head
LESLEY WESTON

Resident Costume Designer
SYLVIA NOLAN

Met Titles Supervisor
MICHAEL PANAYOS

Production Facilities
ALL MOBILE VIDEO INC.
ATLANTIC CINE EQUIPMENT (ACE)
DOLBY LABORATORIES
REMOTE RECORDING

Media Counsel
FRANKLIN, WEINRIB,
RUDELL & VASALLO, P.C.

HD Press Representatives
PETER E. CLARK
CHARLIE SIEDENBURG

The stage production of La Cenerentola was made possible by Alberto Vilar.

La Cenerentola is performed in the critical edition by Alberto Zedda and Philip Gossett, Fondazione Rossini, Pesaro, in cooperation with Casa Ricordi, Milan

For GREAT PERFORMANCES

Series Producer
BILL O’DONNELL

Executive Producer
DAVID HORN

A Metropolitan Opera production in association with PBS and WNET.ORG

Executive Producer
PETER GELB

GP at the Met: La Cenerentola: Preview of La Cenerentola

colin fitzpatrick — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:18:34 +0000

Over the centuries, the story of Cinderella and her cruel stepmother and ugly stepsisters has been interpreted in countless ways across different genres. Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola is perhaps the most famous operatic version of the Cinderella story, and it is like no other interpretation. This opera has no fairy godmother, no pumpkin that turns into a carriage, and no glass slipper. However, unlike most other operas, it has a happy ending. The production is rated TV-PG and will air on Great Performances at the Met in HD on Saturday, August 15 at Noon on PBS (check local listings) and on WNET/THIRTEEN on Thursday, August 20 at 9 p.m.

Watch a preview below:

(View full post to see video)

Mezzo soprano Elīna Garaňca, who played Rosina in another one of Rossini’s operas, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, now claims the role of the title heroine in La Cenerentola; her Prince Charming is played by Lawrence Brownlee. “It’s actually a coincidence that I’m returning in another of Rossini’s works,” admits Garaňca. Of the opera’s most memorable coloratura showpiece, “Nacqui alľ affanno,” Garaňca says “for me it’s the Olympics – adrenaline at its highest. To get through it, I must switch on all the buttons in the computer in my head and body.”

Italian opera in the early 19th century focused heavily on the range, inflection, and tone of the human voice; this style became known as “bel canto,” or “beautiful singing.” While many opera singers tried to wow audiences by improvising with this technique and adding trills and lilts to their singing, Rossini’s operas, especially La Cenerentola, had bel canto already built right into the scores.

Great Performances at the Met: La Cenerentola is the tenth of 11 productions airing this season on the series. The performance is sung in Italian with English surtitles. Maestro Maurizio Benini conducts, as veteran baritone Alessandro Corbelli demonstrates his impeccable comic timing to match the gravitas of Met favorite John Relyea; the librettist is Jacopo Ferretti.

Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers, and PBS. Corporate support for Great Performances at the Met is provided by Toll Brothers.

Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik are Producers. Peter Gelb is Executive Producer. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is Series Producer; David Horn is Executive Producer.

GP at the Met: La Sonnambula: Preview of La Sonnambula

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:44:24 +0000

Natalie Dessay’s moon-kissed fingernails are all aglow as she “walks the walk” of Vincenzo Bellini’s quintessential character Amina, perhaps the most renowned woman sleepwalker in opera history, in Zimmerman’s production of the 1831 classic La Sonnambula, Latin for “The Somnambulist.” The production will air on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances at the Met Saturday, July 11 at Noon on PBS HD (check local listings) and is rated TV-PG.

Watch a preview:

(View full post to see video)

Great Performances at the Met is a presentation of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

The sixth of Bellini’s professional operas, La Sonnambula is set in a tiny village on the Swiss Alps. Mary Zimmerman’s present-day version, however, is set in a rehearsal space where the actors are staging a production of La Sonnambula set in the Swiss Alps. The story begins as the village is preparing for the wedding of Amina, played by Dessay, and Elvino, played by Juan Diego Flórez (Dessay and Florez just returned from their sensational run together in La Fille du Régiment at opera houses around the world). Themes of jealousy, mistaken identity, and innocence prevail, as Bellini’s sleepwalking beauty is put to the ultimate test to prove her undying love for her betrothed to the hauntingly mysterious music of Bellini and libretto by Felice Romani.
Great Performances At the Met: La Sonnambula is the eighth of 11 productions airing this season on the series. The performance is sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Visit Great Performances Online at www.pbs.org/gperf for additional information on this and other Great Performances programs. For the Met, Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park are Supervising Producers, and Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik are Producers. Peter Gelb is Executive Producer. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is Series Producer; David Horn is Executive Producer.

GP at the Met: Madama Butterfly: Cast and Credits

colin fitzpatrick — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:10:46 +0000

In memory of Anthony Minghella

Directed by
GARY HALVORSON

Conductor
PATRICK SUMMERS

Production
ANTHONY MINGHELLA

Director and Choreographer
CAROLYN CHOA

Set Designer
MICHAEL LEVINE

Costume Designer
HAN FENG

Lighting Designer
PETER MUMFORD

Puppetry
BLIND SUMMIT THEATRE
MARK DOWN
NICK BARNES

Host
RENÉE FLEMING

Cast in order of vocal appearance

Lt. B.F. Pinkerton
MARCELLO GIORDANI

Goro
GREG FEDDERLY

Suzuki
MARIA ZIFCHAK

U.S. Consul Sharpless
DWAYNE CROFT

Cio-Cio-San
PATRICIA RACETTE

Cio-Cio-San’s Relatives

Cousin
LAURA FRIES

Mother
LINDA MAYS

Uncle Yakuside
STEPHEN PAYNTER

Aunt
JEAN BRAHAM

Imperial Commissioner
KEITH MILLER

The Registrar
CHRISTIAN JEONG

The Bonze, Cio-Cio-San’s Uncle
DEAN PETERSON

Yamadori
DAVID WON

Kate Pinkerton
EDYTA KULCZAK

Cio-Cio-San’s Child
KEVIN AUGUSTINE
TOM LEE
MARC PETROSINO

Ballet

Female Solo
HSIN PING CHANG

Male Solo
JAMES GRABER

Chorus Master
DONALD PALUMBO

Assistant Choreographer
ANITA GRIFFIN

Musical Preparation
ROBERT MYERS
DONNA RACIK
ROBERT MORRISON
GARETH MORRELL
JOSHUA GREENE
HEMDI KFIR

Assistant Stage Directors
GREGORY KELLER
PAULA WILLIAMS

Dramaturg
PAUL CREMO

Prompter
DONNA RACIK

Met Titles
CHRISTOPHER BERGEN

Puppets made by
BLIND SUMMIT THEATRE

A METROPOLITAN OPERA HIGH-DEFINITION PRODUCTION

Supervising Producers
MIA BONGIOVANNI
ELENA PARK

Producers
LOUISA BRICCETTI
VICTORIA WARIVONCHIK

Music Producer
JAY DAVID SAKS

Associate Director
CHRISTINE CLARK BRADLEY

Engineer-in-Charge
MARK SCHUBIN

Technical Supervisor
RON WASHBURN

Technical Director
EMMETT LOUGHRAN

Production Mixer
TOM HOLMES

Audio Supervisor
BILL KING

Television Lighting
WAYNE CHOUINARD

Writers
MATT DOBKIN
ELLEN KEEL

Video
BILLY STEINBERG
PAUL RANIERI
MATTY RANDAZZO

Camera
MIGUEL ARMSTRONG
MANNY GUTIERREZ
CHARLIE HUNTLEY
JAY MILLARD
ALAIN ONESTO
DAVID SMITH
RON WASHBURN
MARK WHITMAN

Robotic Camera Technicians
RICK COMPEAU
MARTIN MARIETTA
RON TRAVISANO

Audio Operations Director
JOHN KERSWELL

Audio
JOHN BATES
CHRIS CALLUS
LOUISE DE LA FUENTE
MATTHEW GALEK
ED HARTLEY
KEN HUNOLD
SKIP KENT
STEVE LAMPHERE
SEAN McCLINTOCK
BLAKE NORTON

Videotape
ALAN BUCHNER
STEVEN JOYCE

Television Stage Managers
TERENCE BENSON
DOUG FOGEL
ARTHUR LEWIS

Subtitles Cued by
JOHN GELLER

Broadcast Graphics
DEBORAH CAVANAUGH

Score Consultant
BENJAMIN SOSLAND

Make-up for Ms. Racette
MATIKI ANOFF

Media Librarian/Archivist
MICHAEL GRIEBEL

Production Associates
ALEXANDRA EASTMAN
YOLANDA S. WILLIAMS

BACKSTAGE AT THE MET

Director
DEBBIE MILLER

Associate Director
KAREN McLAUGHLIN

Production Supervisor
HILARY LEY

Associate Producers
MARISA BIAGGI
MATTHEW PRINCIPE

Field Producer
BARRY GOODMAN

Camera
LARRY SOLOMON

Steadicam
JOE DE BONIS

Assistant Camera
KEVIN MURPHY

Head Utility
JAMES WASHBURN

Utility
FRANK BOURASSA
MIKE CATABANO
KEITH CONOD
MIKE MORAN

OPENING AND INTERMISSION FEATURES

Opening Title Sequence by
SAKAE ISHIKAWA

Renée Fleming’s wardrobe provided by
ESCADA

Production Assistants
LISA HAMPTON
ALYSE HORN
ENZO E. MARTINEZ
HARRIET SNYDER
DOROTHY YANG

Video Editor
GARY BRADLEY

On-line Editor
SCOTT CUMBO

Audio Editor
JOHN BOWEN

Post-Production Audio Mix
KEN HAHN

Post-Production Manager
MONA OBERMAN

METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION

General Manager
PETER GELB

Music Director
JAMES LEVINE

ASSISTANT MANAGERS

Artistic
SARAH BILLINGHURST

Production
LESLEY KOENIG

Editorial & Creative Content
ELENA PARK

Operations
STEWART PEARCE

Development
CORALIE TOEVS

Director of Communications
LEE ABRAHAMIAN

Director of Media & Presentations
MIA BONGIOVANNI

Director of Worldwide HD Distribution
JULIE BORCHARD-YOUNG

Acting Chief Financial Officer
DIANA FORTUNA

Artistic Administrator
JONATHAN FRIEND

General Counsel
SHARON E. GRUBIN

Director of Human Resources & Labor Relations
ANN MARIE HACKETT

Director of Development
ELIZABETH HURLEY

Director of Marketing
KAREN KARP

Director of the Arnold & Marie Schwartz Gallery Met
DODIE KAZANJIAN

House Manager
JAMES NAPLES

Director of National Council Auditions
GAYLETHA NICHOLS

Director of Music Administration
CRAIG RUTENBERG

Technical Director
JOHN SELLARS

Director of Archives
ROBERT TUGGLE

Senior Artistic Advisor
EVA WAGNER-PASQUIER

Executive Director of Lindemann Young Artist Development Program
BRIAN ZEGER

Director of New Business Development
LAURA MITGANG

METROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA

Orchestra Manager
ROBERT SIRINEK

Concertmaster
LAURA HAMILTON

Librarian
ROBERT SUTHERLAND

METROPOLITAN OPERA CHORUS

Chorus Master
DONALD PALUMBO

Assistant Chorus Master
JOSEPH LAWSON

METROPOLITAN OPERA BALLET

Dance Director
JOSEPH FRITZ

Deputy Dance Director
ANDREW ROBINSON

Stage Managers
THERESA GANLEY
GARY DIETRICH
MARGO MAIER-MOUL
THOMAS H. CONNELL III

STAGE OPERATIONS

Master Carpenter
STEPHEN A. DIAZ

Master Electrician
PAUL DONAHUE

Properties Master
JAMES R. BLUMENFELD

Wig and Hair Stylist
TOM WATSON

Make-up Artist
VICTOR CALLEGARI

Wardrobe Supervisor
WILLIAM MALLOY

Costume Shop Head
LESLEY WESTON

Resident Costume Designer
SYLVIA NOLAN

Met Titles Supervisor
MICHAEL PANAYOS

Production Facilities
ALL MOBILE VIDEO INC.
ATLANTIC CINE EQUIPMENT (ACE)
DOLBY LABORATORIES
REMOTE RECORDING

Media Counsel
FRANKLIN, WEINRIB,
RUDELL & VASALLO, P.C.

HD Press Representatives
PETER E. CLARK
CHARLIE SIEDENBURG

The stage production of Madama Butterfly is made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Sid R. Bass

Madama Butterfly is a co-production with English National Opera and the Lithuanian National Opera

For GREAT PERFORMANCES

Series Producer
BILL O’DONNELL

Executive Producer
DAVID HORN

A Metropolitan Opera production in association with PBS and WNET.ORG

Executive Producer
PETER GELB

GP at the Met: Madama Butterfly: Preview of Madama Butterfly

colin fitzpatrick — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:35:25 +0000

Anthony Minghella’s sumptuous production of Madama Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini’s heartbreaking tale of love and betrayal, offers viewers a rare visual treat Saturday, June 20 at Noon (ET) on Great Performances at the Met on PBS HD (check local listings).

Watch a preview:

Great Performances at the Met is a presentation of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

Minghella, who died unexpectedly in March 2008, marks his debut in opera with the re-staging of Madama Butterfly – this is also the first time in 20 years that a new production has opened at the Met. The New York Times described it as “a gorgeous cinematic spectacle.”

Soprano Patricia Racette stars as Cio-Cio-San, the young geisha who chooses to die honorably, rather than suffer in shame after learning of her husband’s betrayal. Racette returns to the Met stage after her first appearance in the title role drew a wide-range of critical acclaim. “Her singing was robust, nuanced and passionate,” raved The New York Times. “In every dimension, Ms. Racette’s effort was exceptional; hers is a performance not to be missed.” Tenor Marcello Giordani co-stars as Cio-Cio-San’s American husband Pinkerton. The telecast also features mezzo-soprano Maria Zifchak as Cio-Cio-San’s maid Suzuki and baritone Dwayne Croft as Sharpless.

Madama Butterfly, conducted by Patrick Summers, features costumes by Han Feng, with sets by Michael Levine, lighting by Peter Mumford, choreography by Carolyn Choa, and puppetry by the Blind Summit Theater.

Great Performances at the Met: Madama Butterfly is the ninth of 11 productions airing this season on the series. It is sung in Italian with English surtitles. The production was transmitted onstage as part of The Met: Live in HD March 7, 2009, and recorded for this telecast.

Ranked as number one in Opera America’s list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America, Madama Butterfly wasn’t well-received when it opened initally in February 1904. Puccini revised the opera, and several months later, it opened to much success.

For the Met, Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park are Supervising Producers, and Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik are Producers. Peter Gelb is Executive Producer. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn is executive producer.

GP at the Met: Orfeo ed Euridice: Credits for Orfeo ed Euridice

colin fitzpatrick — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:44:53 +0000

Directed by
BARBARA WILLIS SWEETE

Conductor
JAMES LEVINE

Production
MARK MORRIS

Set Designer
ALLEN MOYER

Costume Designer
ISAAC MIZRAHI

Lighting Designer
JAMES F. INGALLS

Choreographer
MARK MORRIS

Host
JOYCE DiDONATO

Cast in order of appearance

Orfeo
STEPHANIE BLYTHE

Amor
HEIDI GRANT MURPHY

Euridice
DANIELLE DE NIESE

Harpsichord
JOSHUA GREENE

Chorus Master
DONALD PALUMBO

Musical Preparation
DENNIS GIAUQUE
BRADLEY MOORE
JOSHUA GREENE
KAZEM ABDULLAH
LEONARDO VORDONI

Assistant Stage Directors
ERIC EINHORN
DAVID KNEUSS
GINA LAPINSKI

Stage Band Conductor
GREGORY BUCHALTER

Dramaturg
PAUL CREMO

Met Titles
FRANCIS RIZZO

Assistants to Mark Morris
MATTHEW ROSE
JOE BOWIE

Associate Costume Designer
COURTNEY LOGAN

A METROPOLITAN OPERA HIGH-DEFINITION PRODUCTION

Supervising Producers
MIA BONGIOVANNI
ELENA PARK

Producers
LOUISA BRICCETTI
VICTORIA WARIVONCHIK

Music Producer
JAY DAVID SAKS

Associate Director
JAY MILLARD

Engineer-in-Charge
MARK SCHUBIN

Technical Supervisor
RON WASHBURN

Technical Director
JON PRETNAR

Production Mixer
JORGE SILVA

Audio Supervisor
BILL KING

Television Lighting
WAYNE CHOUINARD

Writers
MATT DOBKIN
ELLEN KEEL

Video
BILLY STEINBERG
MAC PRIVETTE
PAUL RANIERI
MATTY RANDAZZO

Camera
MIGUEL ARMSTRONG
MANNY GUTIERREZ
CHARLIE HUNTLEY
ALAIN ONESTO
DAVID SMITH
LARRY SOLOMON
RON WASHBURN
MARK WHITMAN

Audio
JOHN BATES
CHRIS CALLUS
LOUISE DE LA FUENTE
MATTHEW GALEK
ED HARTLEY
KEN HUNOLD
JOHN KERSWELL
STEVE LAMPHERE
SEAN McCLINTOCK
BLAKE NORTON
AL THEURER

Videotape
ALAN BUCHNER
STEVEN JOYCE

Head Utility
JAMES WASHBURN

Utility
BOB BENEDETTI
FRANK BOURASSA
KEITH CONOD
JOHN HENEGHAN
MIKE MORAN

Television Stage Managers
TERENCE BENSON
PHYLLIS DIGILIO

English subtitles adapted by
DAVID REBHUN

Broadcast Graphics
DEBORAH CAVANAUGH

Score Consultant
HABIB AZAR

Make-up for Ms. de Niese
MATIKI ANOFF

Media Librarian/Archivist
MICHAEL GRIEBEL

Production Associates
ALEXANDRA EASTMAN
YOLANDA S. WILLIAMS

PRE-SHOW

Steadicam
JOE DE BONIS

Assistant Camera
BRETT WALTERS

Camera
BILL FINLEY

Production Supervisor
HILARY LEY

Associate Producers
MARISA BIAGGI
MATTHEW PRINCIPE

Field Producer
BARRY GOODMAN

Title Sequence Edited by
SAKAE ISHIKAWA

Production Assistants
ALYSE HORN
ENZO E. MARTINEZ
HARRIET SNYDER
DOROTHY YANG

METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION

General Manager
PETER GELB

Music Director
JAMES LEVINE

ASSISTANT MANAGERS

Artistic
SARAH BILLINGHURST

Production
LESLEY KOENIG

Editorial & Creative Content
ELENA PARK

Operations
STEWART PEARCE

Development
CORALIE TOEVS

Director of Communications
LEE ABRAHAMIAN

Director of Media & Presentations
MIA BONGIOVANNI

Director of Worldwide HD Distribution
JULIE BORCHARD-YOUNG

Acting Chief Financial Officer
DIANA FORTUNA

Artistic Administrator
JONATHAN FRIEND

General Counsel
SHARON E. GRUBIN

Director of Human Resources & Labor Relations
ANN MARIE HACKETT

Director of Development
ELIZABETH HURLEY

Director of Marketing
KAREN KARP

Director of the Arnold & Marie Schwartz Gallery Met
DODIE KAZANJIAN

House Manager
JAMES NAPLES

Director of National Council Auditions
GAYLETHA NICHOLS

Director of Music Administration
CRAIG RUTENBERG

Technical Director
JOHN SELLARS

Director of Archives
ROBERT TUGGLE

Senior Artistic Advisor
EVA WAGNER-PASQUIER

Executive Director of Lindemann Young Artist Development Program
BRIAN ZEGER

Director of New Business Development
LAURA MITGANG

METROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA

Orchestra Manager
ROBERT SIRINEK

Concertmaster
DAVID CHAN

Librarian
ROBERT SUTHERLAND

METROPOLITAN OPERA CHORUS

Chorus Master
DONALD PALUMBO

Assistant Chorus Master
JOSEPH LAWSON

METROPOLITAN OPERA BALLET

Dance Director
JOSEPH FRITZ

Deputy Dance Director
ANDREW ROBINSON

Stage Managers
MARGO MAIER-MOUL
RAYMOND MENARD
SCOTT MOON

STAGE OPERATIONS

Master Carpenter
STEPHEN A. DIAZ

Master Electrician
PAUL DONAHUE

Properties Master
JAMES R. BLUMENFELD

Wig and Hair Stylist
TOM WATSON

Make-up Artist
VICTOR CALLEGARI

Wardrobe Supervisor
WILLIAM MALLOY

Costume Shop Head
LESLEY WESTON

Resident Costume Designer
SYLVIA NOLAN

Met Titles Supervisor
MICHAEL PANAYOS

Production Facilities
ALL MOBILE VIDEO INC.
DOLBY LABORATORIES
REMOTE RECORDING

Media Counsel
FRANKLIN, WEINRIB,
RUDELL & VASALLO, P.C.

HD Press Representatives
PETER E. CLARK
CHARLIE SIEDENBURG

The stage production of Orfeo ed Euridice made possible by Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer J. Thomas, Jr.

Performed in the Vienna version, 1762, edited by Ann Amalie Albert and Ludwig Finscher, by arrangement with Bärenreiter, publisher and copyright owner

For GREAT PERFORMANCES

Series Producer
BILL O’DONNELL

Executive Producer
DAVID HORN

A Metropolitan Opera production in association with PBS and WNET.ORG

Executive Producer
PETER GELB

GP at the Met: Orfeo ed Euridice: Preview of Orfeo ed Euridice

colin fitzpatrick — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:28:36 +0000

Stephanie Blythe commands the Met stage as the grieving husband Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice Saturday, May 16 at Noon (ET) on Great Performances at the Met on PBS HD (check local listings).

Watch a preview:

Great Performances at the Met is a presentation of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

Orfeo ed Euridice is the mythical tale of poet-singer Orfeo, who driven by despair, enters the underworld determined to retrieve his dead wife. Mezzo-Soprano Blythe, in her first performance as Orfeo, battles the Furies with her powerhouse voice and “conveys piercing emotional subtleties with every glance and phrase,” wrote The New York Times. Danielle de Niese co-stars as the beloved wife Euridice. Mark Morris directs and choreographs, featuring costumes by Isaac Mizrahi. The telecast is conducted by James Levine and presented by THIRTEEN’s award-winning performances series Great Performances.

Also starring soprano Heidi Grant Murphy as the god of love Amor, Great Performances at the Met: Orfeo ed Euridice is the eighth of 11 productions airing this season on the series. The performance is sung in Italian with English surtitles.

GP at the Met: La Rondine: Preview of La Rondine

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:19:44 +0000

Opera’s golden couple, Angela Gheorghiu and husband Roberto Alagna, offer viewers a rare chance to experience Giacomo Puccini’s attempt to meld Italianate opera with the bittersweet Viennese operetta formula Saturday, April 25 at noon (ET) on Great Performances at the Met on PBS HD (check local listings). Last seen at the Met in 1936, La Rondine (The Swallow) is the tale of an unhappy kept woman who opts for one last fling with an idealistic young man, then returns – like the swallow – to her rich benefactor, sadder and more worldly wiser.

Watch a preview below:

Soprano Gheorghiu and tenor Alagna (“singing with ravishing, tender voices and onstage intimacy,” wrote AP) are the lovers Magda and Ruggero, with tenor Marius Brenciu as Magda’s friend Prunier and veteran Met bass Samuel Ramey as her keeper, the banker Rambaldo. Marco Armiliato conducts.

The glittering new Art Deco production is by Nicolas Joël, with sets by Ezio Frigerio, costumes by Franca Squarciapino and lighting by Duane Schuler. “A beguiling production,” raved The New York Times, “sophisticated, charming and poignant.”

Great Performances at the Met: La Rondine, the seventh of 11 productions airing this season, is sung in Italian with English surtitles; Giuseppe Adami wrote the libretto, after A.M. Willner and Heinz Reichert. The production was transmitted onstage as part of The Met: Live in HD January 10, 2009, and recorded for this telecast. Brian Large directs, with series favorite Renée Fleming as host. Jay Saks is audio producer.

The world’s most popular (and arguably slowest) opera composer, Giacomo Puccini oversaw La Rondine’s premiere in Monte Carlo in 1917. It followed La Fanciulla del West (Girl of the Golden West)) by seven years and preceded Il Trittico by one.

Visit Great Performances Online at pbs.org/gperf for additional information on this and other Great Performances programs.

GP at the Met: Lucia di Lammermoor: Lucia di Lammermoor preview

colin fitzpatrick — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:39:02 +0000

Donizetti’s beloved Lucia di Lammermoor stars the Met’s brightest star, Anna Netrebko, Wednesday, April 15 at 9 p.m. (ET) on Great Performances at the Met on PBS HD (check local listings).

Soprano Netrebko, returning to the Met stage for the first time since giving birth to son Tiago in September, dazzles in the demanding title role, a young woman driven to madness by love and politics. Piotr Beczala co-stars as Lucia’s head-strong lover Edgardo. The telecast is conducted by Marco Armiliato and presented by THIRTEEN in 5.1 surround sound.

Watch a preview:

“These enormously gifted and appealing artists won ardent ovations,” cheered The New York Times. “We are lucky to have them around.”

Eschewing the work’s traditional 1700s Scottish setting, the production – by Mary Zimmerman and which opened the Met last season – was hailed by AP as “handsomely traditional and imaginatively provocative.” Zimmerman – along with set designer Daniel Ostling, costume designer Mara Blumenfeld, lighting designer T. J. Gerckens, and choreographer Daniel Pelzig – stages the bel canto favorite as a Victorian ghost story

The piece, with its famous Mad Scene (and Sextet), has long served as a vehicle for beloved coloratura sopranos. Since its premiere in 1836, it has showcased such legendary interpreters as Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, and, most recently Anna Netrebko and Natalie Dessay.

Also featuring baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as Lucia’s brother, Enrico, and Ildar Abdrazakov as Raimondo, Great Performances at the Met: Lucia di Lammermoor is the sixth of 11 productions airing this season on the series. It is sung in Italian with English surtitles; Salvatore Cammarano wrote the libretto. The production was transmitted onstage as part of The Met: Live in HD February 7, 2009, and recorded for this telecast. Gary Halvorson directs, with Natalie Dessay as host. Jay Saks is audio producer.

Great Performances at the Met is a production of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, Vivian Milstein, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers, and PBS. Corporate support for Great Performances at the Met is provided by Toll Brothers.

GP at the Met: Thais: Thais

colin fitzpatrick — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:08 +0000

Renée Fleming is Egyptian courtesan Thaïs in Jules Massenet’s perfumed tale of lust and salvation Saturday, March 28 at noon on Great Performances at the Met on PBS HD (check local listings). Joining the soprano is brilliant baritone Thomas Hampson as the tortured monk Athanaël, who falls from grace in his attempt to lead the Godless voluptuary to redemption. Presented by THIRTEEN in 5.1 surround sound, the telecast is conducted by Jesús López-Cobos and features tenor Michael Schade as Thaïs’ lover, Nicias.

Watch a preview:

“Renée Fleming owns the title role,” wrote The New York Times when the new Met production of the 1894 work premiered last December, calling her performance “vocally sumptuous and unabashedly show-stealing.” Hampson, the paper added, is “in top form,” singing with “plaintive sound and sensitive lyricism.”

The production, which comes from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, is by John Cox, with new costumes for Renée Fleming by renowned designer Christian Lacroix. Duane Schuler is the lighting designer; Sara Jo Slate makes her Met debut as choreographer.

Great Performances at the Met: Thais, the fifth of 11 productions airing this season, is sung in French with English surtitles; Louis Gallet wrote the libretto. It was transmitted onstage as part of The Met: Live in HD December 20, 2008, and recorded for this telecast. Gary Halvorson directs, with Plácido Domingo as host and Jay Saks as audio producer.