Metropolitan Opera, New Year's Eve, 2019

[+ WilliamM]

In an unprecedented program to celebrate the new year, Anna Netrebko pulls out all the Puccini stops, starring as Mimì, Tosca, and Turandot in one gala evening.

 

The star soprano will sing Act I of La Bohème, opposite tenor Matthew Polenzani, and Act I of Tosca and Act II of Turandot, opposite tenor Yusif Eyvazov. Conducted by Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and featuring an outstanding cast that also includes baritones Quinn Kelsey and Davide Luciano, and bass-baritones Evgeny Nikitin and Christian Van Horn, this will be an evening not to be missed.

 

Each of the acts will be fully staged and costumed in the respective (and spectacular) Zeffirelli and McVicar productions.

I hope there will be a DVD, or a CD.

[bostonman]

opposite tenor Yusif Eyvazov.

 

AKA Mr. Anna Netrebko.

 

On the heels of the new Pavarotti documentary, it's interesting to feel that for the first time perhaps, we live in an era where we really don't have true international celebrity opera stars as we once did - in the sense that even people who weren't into opera knew something about Pavarotti, etc. (I use him as an example because I tend to think he's been the last in the line. We do still have Domingo and Carreras, of course, but they never had quite the "celebrity/household name" cachet that Pav did.) It's not that we shouldn't celebrate the closest we have to that kind of celebrity today, and it's not that I don't like Netrebko or that she and the Met have had a very good relationship, etc. All of that is great.

 

But somehow IMO there's just something a little odd about this Netrebko 24/7 Gala. Maybe I just wish they were featuring her in AN opera, instead of chunks of 3 of them. I'm sure it will be a wonderful event. But still...

 

...and at least Jeremy Sams isn't involved.

[+ WilliamM]

Anna and Jonas Kaufman are well known to people who listen and/or attend operas.

 

They seldom cancel, unlike some the bold faced names of 20 to 50 years ago.

[bostonman]

Anna and Jonas Kaufman are well known to people who listen and/or attend operas..

 

You’re making my point well. Thanks.

[+ sync]

If Putin's influence were not so prevalent in other areas, the

Netrebko/Eyvazov promotion may not have pinged my suspicion.