Deborah Voigt sings the title role of Minnie in Giancarlo Del Monaco’s 1991 production, with Marcello Giordani as Dick Johnson (the disguised bandit Ramerrez) and Lucio Gallo as the villainous sheriff Jack Rance. San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the work, which the composer told The New York Times in 1910 he considered “the best of [his] operas.”

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Set in a mining camp during the California Gold Rush, saloon owner Minnie has her sights set on the mysterious Dick Johnson, and nothing—not horses, hangmen, nor a high-stakes poker game—can keep her from finding true love.

The debut of La Fanciulla del West on December 10, 1910 was the first-ever world premiere presented by the Met. It earned nineteen curtain calls for Puccini, stage director David Belasco, stars Emmy Destinn and Enrico Caruso, and conductor Arturo Toscanini. A review in the New York Herald suggests that the evening was a triumph for all involved: “The event had been looked forward to as socially one of the most brilliant in the history of the house, and the result justified expectation…In a word, it was the kind of premiere of which older Europe would have been very proud and of which New York would have been envious.”

As for the current production, the Associated Press praised Voigt for “a riveting and moving portrayal” displaying a “shining top that pierced through the sumptuous orchestration…her warm, endearing manner combined with an infectious stage-dominating moxie to make [the role] all her own.” As Dick Johnson, Giordani “is at his best here” said the New York Daily News. Under the baton of Luisotti “the score emerged as arguably Puccini’s most subtly written and boldly modern music” (The New York Times).

Great Performances at the Met: La Fanciulla del West was directed for the live HD transmission by Barbara Willis Sweete and hosted by Met soprano Sondra Radvanovsky. Jay David Saks is the music producer. The performance is sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Great Performances is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, public television viewers and PBS. Corporate support for Great Performances at the Met is provided by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder®. Additional funding for Great Performances at the Met: La Fanciulla del West is provided by The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund.

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.

Turandot airs on THIRTEEN’S Great Performances at the Met on PBS on Sunday, February 28 at noon EST (check local listings).

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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.

Great Performances at the Met: Turandot is the fourth of 10 productions airing this season during the 2009-2010 series. The performance is sung in Italian with English surtitles. The set designs are by Zeffirelli. Costume designs are by Anna Anni and Dada Saligeri, and the lighting designer is Gil Wechsler. Chiang Ching is the choreographer and supervisor of stylized movement, and the stage director is David Kneuss.

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, America’s luxury home-builder®.

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.

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

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.

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. Special funding for the telecast was provided by The Annenberg Foundation.

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.

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.

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. Special funding for this telecast is provided by the Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund.

Visit Great Performances Online at 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.

Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera

Composer: Giacomo Puccini

Librettists: Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

Production: Franco Zeffirelli

Conductor: Nicola Luisotti

Performers: Angela Gheorghiu (Mimì), Ramón Vargas (Rodolfo), Ainhoa Arteta (Musetta), Ludovic Tézier (Marcello), Quinn Kelsey (Schaunard), Oren Gradus (Colline), Paul Plishka (Benoit/Alcindoro)

Synopsis:
Franco Zeffirelli’s timeless interpretation of the Puccini favorite has been delighting audiences at the Met for more than 20 years. GREAT PERFORMANCES at the Met is there when yet another magnificent cast takes to the stage in this enduring classic. Exciting young conductor Nicola Luisotti presides over a glorious vocal ensemble led by Angela Gheorghiu, who sings Mimì at the Met for the first time in twelve years, opposite tenor Ramón Vargas as her lover, Rodolfo.

Opera synopsis courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Funding for GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: “La Bohème” has been provided by Toll Brothers, the Irene Diamond Fund, the Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund, M. Beverly and Robert G. Bartner, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS.

Related Web Sites

• Nicola Luisotti, Conductor
• Angela Gheorghiu, Soprano
• Ramón Vargas, Tenor
• Ainhoa Arteta, Soprano
• Quinn Kelsey, Baritone
• Paul Plishka, Bass

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Designer: Lenny Drozner
Graphic Art: Ying Zhou-Hudson, Emily Nonouchi
Technical Director: Brian Lee
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation: Brian Santalone

GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages copyright © 2007 Educational Broadcasting Corporation.

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

Television Credits

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: “La Bohème”

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