In the new season at the Müpa, broadcasts from the Metropolitan will have a special place once again. The extraordinary HD quality makes opera on the screen be a great experience. Among opera fans of 70 countries, also audience at Budapest can see New York directing, and how star singers, previously only known from news, radio or albums, sing and play.
You can get your tickets already!
Many people don’t like the idea of going to the opera, as they don’t feel comfortable in the shiny opera houses among the golden statues and rooms. They don’t like wearing suits or evening gowns, and find the tickets very expensive. However, music, drama, and innovative directing are important for fans of music and theatre to experience. Broadcasts help us concentrate on the content rather than the externalities: the HD quality makes them almost as good as an opera experience on stage.
The Metropolitan Opera in New York is one of the most important headquarters of music where the biggest world stars, the most popular directors and the best conductors work together. Before, most of us could have never imagined to experience at least one performance in the Met, but thanks to the streaming possibility, we can also visit more and more of these marvellous evenings.
An advantage of Met is the innovative spirit: they will play three new operas this time. In October, Fire Shut Up In My Bones, will be introduced. This is a totally unique opportunity, as it was written by the first African American composer of the Met, Grammy-awarded jazz musician Terence Blanchard, who therefore comes from a jazz direction rather than a classical one. It will be conducted by director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The opera, broadcasted on 23 October in Müpa and in the Festival Theatre, is based on well-known journalist Charles M. Blow’s memoirs.
Also, 34-year-old US-American contemporary composer Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydike will debut. It shows the ancient, sad, but still cathartic, enchanted, and often-adapted mythological story from the female protagonist’s perspective. It is also conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and features two Orpheuses, one of them being the captivating counter-tenor Jakub Józef Orliński, and Eurydike is played by world famous coloratura soprano Erin Morley. This opera will be played at 4 December in the Müpa.
Hamlet by Australian composer Brett Dean will also be played. Another actualised version of an old topic, it will feature a wonderful cast, with Sarah Connolly and John Tomlinson, among others.
Fans of more traditional experiences and romantic operas can also choose from exciting possibilities. There will be Boris Godunov on 9 October – you can already buy tickets for the show, and if you can’t make it that night, you can also see the replay on the next day. It evokes the original performance of 1869 and will be conducted by Sebastian Weigle. With German bass René Pape in the title role, joined by great Slavic singers, the opera will be played in one scene in a big, open scenery.
Later during the season, we can see Cinderella by Massenet, two Verdi operas (Rigoletto and Don Carlos), Ariadne aus Naxos, Turandot, and Lucia di Lammermoori. Apart from Yannick Nézet-Séguin who conducts several pieces, there are also Marek Janowski, Marco Armiliato and Riccardo Frizza. Among directors, there will be well-known names and artistic visions like Stephen Wadsworth, Bartlett Sher, Elijah Moshinsky, David McVicar. And so many singers! René Pape, Piotr Beczała, Szonja Joncseva, Elīna Garanča, Matthew Polenzani, Anna Netrebko, Yonghoon Lee, Ferruccio Furlanetto… They all and many more bring their great art to the audience within Müpa’s walls.
Article: Zsuzsanna Deák
Translation: Zsófia Hacsek
Comments