The MET Opera Season

[whipped guy]

The MET box office opens today (Sunday August 10) to the general public. There is an interesting combination of the old, the new, the rare, and the traditional. There will be quite a bit of Verdi, but just a smidgen of Wagner. What are you planning to see?

 

 

This Bel Canto maven has plans for Il Barbiere di Siviglia even though like most opera buffs I can sing it in my sleep. Furthermore, fine opera that it, I don't consider it to be among the most "interesting" that Rossini composed. Consequently, this would not be normally on my list. However, I will I be in NYC for business, and I most definitely would want to hear tenor Lawrence Brownlee have his way with Almaviva's big showpiece aria "Cessa di più resistere"!

 

 

Of course the Bel Canto "must see" of the season is the new production of Rossini's La Donna del Lago... Who can't resist Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Florez together in the same production? Throw in Daniela Barcellona and John Osborn and it's a no-brainier! Plus, the piece itself, aside from the fact that it is rarely done, is definitely much more adventurous than Barbiere. In addition, the staging looks as though it will be attractive and fortunately traditional in nature.

 

 

Depending on how my schedule develops over the months, as I will be out if the area for several extended periods, I might consider winging it the last minute for a couple of others, but I'm not quite sure what or when at this point in time. Though Hoffmann and Don Giovanni are favorites that I am considering if I can make things work.

 

 

In any event, it would be interesting to hear what others are considering as the MET's new season approaches!

[sydneyboy]

Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Florez did ''La Donna del Lago'' at Covent Garden about 18 months ago. I read a review of the opening night in ''The Spectator''. Their opera critic is not a fan of the bel canto repertoire but described them both as being in stupendous vocal form and ventured the view that it was possibly the most spectacular singing ever heard at the Royal Opera House. High praise indeed. I envy you New Yorkers.

[uwsman2]

It looks like there will actually be a Met Opera season!

[TruHart1]

It looks like there will actually be a Met Opera season!

 

Thank goodness. I still remember the mess of the 1969 season when the unions could not agree with management. It seems we lost about 2 or 3 months that season!

 

TruHart1

[whipped guy]

I know the sister of a member of the MET chorus and she said that when Peter Gelb took over as general manager the atmosphere toward the various unions changed compared to the Joseph Volpe regime. Of course Volpe was a carpenter when he first joined the MET and worked his way up through the ranks so that would account for a different mindset. Gelb is all about marketing and trying to get the MET into as many venues as possible such as the HD broadcasts, recordings and videos via the MET's website, and increased commercial releases of MET performances. Volpe would never allow much of that because the unions would not be getting their fair share. For Gelb that is not his main concern.

 

At any rate, fortunately it seems that the season will open as planned if the stagehands etc. come to an agreement. I also remember the debacle of 1969-70. With any luck something similar will be avoided in 2I14-15. With the NY City Opera now defunct it would be a major blow to the arts in NYC if the MET were to be silent for a significant period of time.

[+ WilliamM]

I know the sister of a member of the MET chorus and she said that when Peter Gelb took over as general manager the atmosphere toward the various unions changed compared to the Joseph Volpe regime. Of course Volpe was a carpenter when he first joined the MET and worked his way up through the ranks so that would account for a different mindset. Gelb is all about marketing and trying to get the MET into as many venues as possible such as the HD broadcasts, recordings and videos via the MET's website, and increased commercial releases of MET performances. Volpe would never allow much of that because the unions would not be getting their fair share. For Gelb that is not his main concern.

 

You and I can attend Met performances.

 

Most of the people at the HD showings I have attended are elderly who may not have the money or the physical ability to journey to New York. Wouldn't the ideal person in Gelb's position as general manager try very hard to think of all elements related to the Met equally, not just the unions?

[whipped guy]

You and I can attend Met performances.

 

Most of the people at the HD showings I have attended are elderly who may not have the money or the physical ability to journey to New York. Wouldn't the ideal person in Gelb's position as general manager try very hard to think of all elements related to the Met equally, not just the unions?

Actually that was exactly my point about Gelb. He is all about marketing and expanding the MET's footprint. However, perhaps I was not clear, but from the point of view of the unions, compared to when Volpe was GM, the union concerns have been put on the back burner. Volpe limited the MET's expansion into areas such as HD because as a former union member (and this is the partucular chorus member's [see above] point of view not mine) he felt that the unions would be short changed their due recompense. Gelb is more concerned with expansion than catering to the unions... again this is the point of view as expressed to me by the sister of a member of the MET chorus. I'm not taking sides. I'm simply stating things as they were explained to me either rightly or wrongly...

[+ WilliamM]

WG, it was not clear, at least to me, that the entire first paragraph of your first post was essentially the opinion of the sister of a member of the Met chorus. And it is likely the opinion of union members of the Met in general. Is that correct?

 

I have attended seven or eight Met HD presentations over the years at a theater very near the dorms of a major, well-known university. I almost never see young people there even for "Nixon in China." Also, I have never seen an ad for the HD broadcasts in that university's student newspaper. I understand I am presenting a very, very small sample. But, it is still disturbing, at least to me.

[whipped guy]

WG, it was not clear, at least to me, that the entire first paragraph of your first post was essentially the opinion of the sister of a member of the Met chorus. And it is likely the opinion of union members of the Met in general. Is that correct?

 

I have attended seven or eight Met HD presentations over the years at a theater very near the dorms of a major, well-known university. I almost never see young people there even for "Nixon in China." Also, I have never seen an ad for the HD broadcasts in that university's student newspaper. I understand I am presenting a very, very small sample. But, it is still disturbing, at least to me.

When I typed my original post regarding the potential Met settlement with their unions I was doing so on a small phone keyboard while pressed for time. Consequently I attempted to get my point across as succinctly and quickly as possible... However, from my clarification I was definitely expressing the fact that as far as I was lead to believe Gelb is not as pro union as was Volpe. At least the member of the chorus in question was considering an earlier retirement depending on the outcome of the recent negotiations.

 

Regarding HD attendance, I have only been to two... Rossini's Ory and Wagner's Walkure... and you can't get much more diverse than that! That was at a local Ivy League University several years ago. While there were definitely many students, I did get the impression that there were more faculty in attendance.

 

Now I would still be interested in hearing what operas my fellow posters would be interested in seeing this coming season. Plus, since the subject of the HD broadcasts was brought into the conversation, those who not able to get to the MET itself hopefully will chime in as well.

[+ WilliamM]

Since I saw Walkure very near an Ivy League university as well, I wonder why the difference. Perhaps the Met leaves it the local theater to get the word out. I mentioned the attendance issue because in the long run if only middle-aged and elderly people attend the HD screenings, it's a failure for Gelb. Although Gelb will almost certainly be gone from the Met before final conclusions are made.

 

I have not responded to your question about operas this season, mostly because I am attending "Macbeth" with a friend for a Saturday matinee in late Sept. (her choice). I have not recovered enough from the price of the tickets to think deeply about the rest of the season.

 

Most important, I apologize for not getting your friend's comment correct. My second post was one too many. You have more than shown yourself to be a knowledgeable and reliable poster on opera and everything else (and a nice person) over the years.

[whipped guy]

Since I saw Walkure very near an Ivy League university as well, I wonder why the difference. Perhaps the Met leaves it the local theater to get the word out. I mentioned the attendance issue because in the long run if only middle-aged and elderly people attend the HD screenings, it's a failure for Gelb. Although Gelb will almost certainly be gone from the Met before final conclusions are made.

 

I have not responded to your question about operas this season, mostly because I am attending "Macbeth" with a friend for a Saturday matinee in late Sept. (her choice). I have not recovered enough from the price of the tickets to think deeply about the rest of the season.

 

Most important, I apologize for not getting your friend's comment correct. My second post was one too many. You have more than shown yourself to be a knowledgeable and reliable poster on opera and everything else (and a nice person) over the years.

First... NEVER a need for an apology with me... Plus, I wrote it rather hurriedly as I said..

 

Incidentally, the MET HD's are advertised in the local University Newspaper and tickets are offered for free to the university community. It is something not widely known outside of the university.

 

Second... I totally agree about the price of MET tickets... Plus the pricing is totally insane... For example, one row in front of where I will be sitting for La Donna del Lago is priced about $100 more... Plus, when checking the online seating chart of available seats, the higher priced seats are the ones that get sold out first. Add in hotel prices for those of us that don't live in the city, plus transportation into town, and it gets pricey indeed.

 

What really hurts is when the performance turns out to be less than stellar. Analogous to hiring an escort for big bucks and he does not live up to expectations... One must choose carefully.

[MscleLovr]

Very interesting thread.

 

Is it certain now that the Met will not be on strike? And if there is indeed a strike, do you know if subscription monies will be refunded? As a foreign visitor to NYC, I agree with Whippedguy's comment "Add in hotel prices for those of us that don't live in the city, plus transportation into town, and it gets pricey indeed."

 

And just to add to Sydneyboy's comment on La Donna Del Lago, I saw it in performance at Covent Garden and the singing was indeed spectacular tho the staging is a little odd. And IIRC Covent Garden did not raise ticket prices for the production; top-priced seats are about $350.

[uwsman2]

Although I don't think contracts have been concluded with all the unions, and there are still ratification votes to be done, my sense now is that the season is back on track.

 

And the Met will refund the price of tickets if the season is cancelled. I suspect that if the season were just delayed, they would probably offer a ticket exchange for a later performance, just my supposition.

 

But I'm still waiting for a refund of the balance on my NYC Opera subscription. That's a different story, of course, because they filed for bankrupcty, and subscribers are treated as unsecured creditors. Eventually we may get some small portion of what we paid for our tickets, provided there is anything left after the priority creditors are paid off.

[bostonman]

I'm very happy that the Met has seemingly managed to pull themselves together. I don't get to spend much time in NYC, but I am definitely looking forward to the HD presentations and the Sirius radio broadcasts. (Still angry, though, that the HD of Klinghoffer was cancelled.)

[+ WilliamM]

Final Met Ticket Selections -- well mostly

 

At this point, I have only bought tickets to three operas: Macbeth, The Death of Klinghoffer and Iolanta/Bluebeard's Castle.

 

The final choice was tough. But, I couldn't commit after mid-February and want to see at least one Russian opera a season.

 

Sitting here wondering how Lauren Bacall managed to have an estate valued at 26 million dollars, only because it's unlikely Bacall had problems making ticket selections.