GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Metropolitan Opera and Fathom Events present the ninth season of the Emmy® and Peabody award-winning “The Met: Live in HD” series in cinemas beginning Oct. 11 with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” at 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55 a.m. CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT. “The Met: Live in HD” 2014–2015 series will feature 10 live performances, including five new productions. Each broadcast will take place on a Saturday, with pre-recorded encore presentations on the following Wednesday evening. Fathom fans will also get to go behind the scenes with the Met's stars. Singers serve as hosts for the HD series, conducting live interviews with cast and crew members as well as production teams. They introduce the popular behind-the-scenes features during intermission, giving the audience an unprecedented look at what goes into staging an opera at one of the world’s great houses. The series has become a global phenomenon with more than 15 million tickets sold since its inception.
Tickets for “The Met: Live in HD 2014–2015” are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in more than 650 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
“The Metropolitan Opera will continue to astound audiences in its ninth season of ‘The Met: Live in HD’ series,” Fathom Events’ CEO John Rubey said. “This series is nothing short of amazing, and we’re proud to make the opera experience accessible and affordable to fans of all ages.”
“The Met: Live in HD,” the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live transmissions to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 67 countries around the world, will feature 10 operas in the 2014-15 season, including five new productions in the Met season. All 10 performances, transmitted live from the Met stage, will feature the world’s finest singers, conductors, and theatrical artists.
“The Met: Live in HD 2014-2015” series planned schedule** is as follows:
Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55
a.m. CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT
MACBETH (Verdi)
Star
soprano Anna Netrebko delivers her searing portrayal of Lady
Macbeth, the mad and murderous mate of Željko Lučić’s doomed
Macbeth, for the first time at the Met. Adrian Noble’s
chilling production of Verdi’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy also
stars Joseph Calleja as Macduff and René Pape as Banquo
with Fabio Luisi conducting.
Wednesday, Oct. 15 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of MACBETH
(Available in select cinemas
only)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55
a.m. CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
(Mozart)
Music Director James Levine conducts a
spirited new production of Mozart’s masterpiece, directed by Richard
Eyre, who sets the action of this classic domestic comedy during the
gilded age of the late 1920s. Dashing bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov
leads the cast in the title role of the clever servant, opposite Marlis
Petersen as his bride, Susanna, with Peter Mattei as
the philandering Count they work for, Amanda Majeski as
the long-suffering Countess, and Isabel Leonard as the
libidinous pageboy, Cherubino.
Wednesday, Oct. 22 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
(Available in
select cinemas only)
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55 a.m.
CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT
CARMEN (Bizet)
Richard
Eyre’s mesmerizing production of Bizet’s steamy melodrama returns
with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing her signature
role of the ill-fated gypsy temptress. Aleksandrs Antonenko plays
her desperate lover, the soldier Don José, and Ildar Abdrazakov
is the swaggering bullfighter, Escamillo, who comes between them. Pablo
Heras-Casado conducts the irresistible score.
Wednesday, Nov. 5 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of CARMEN
(Available in select cinemas
only)
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014 – 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55
a.m. CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT
IL BARBIERE DI
SIVIGLIA (Rossini)
The Met’s effervescent
production of Rossini’s classic comedy – featuring some of opera’s most
instantly recognizable melodies– stars Isabel Leonard as the
feisty Rosina, Lawrence Brownlee as her conspiring flame,
and Christopher Maltman as the endlessly resourceful and charming
barber, himself. Michele Mariotti conducts the vivid and tuneful
score.
Wednesday, Nov. 26 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
(Available in
select cinemas only)
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014 – 12:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00
a.m. CT/ 10:00 a.m. MT/ 9:00 a.m. PT
DIE MEISTERSINGER
VON NÜRNBERG (Wagner)
James Levine
conducts Wagner’s epic comedy—back at the Met for the first time in
eight years—about a group of Renaissance “master singers” whose song
contest unites a city. Johan Reuter, Johan Botha, and Annette
Dasch lead the superb international cast in this charming and
magisterial celebration of the power of music and art.
Wednesday, Dec. 17 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG
(Available
in select cinemas only)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015 – 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55
a.m. CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT
THE MERRY WIDOW
(Lehár)
The great Renée Fleming stars as the
beguiling woman who captivates all Paris in Lehár’s enchanting operetta,
seen in a new staging by Broadway virtuoso director and choreographer Susan
Stroman (The Producers, Oklahoma!, Contact).
Stroman and her team of set designer Julian Crouch (Satyagraha,
The Enchanted Island) and costume designer William Ivey Long
(Cinderella, Grey Gardens, Hairspray) have created
an art-nouveau setting that climaxes with singing and dancing grisettes
at the legendary Maxim’s. Nathan Gunn co-stars as Danilo
and Kelli O’Hara is Valencienne. Sir Andrew Davis
conducts.
Wednesday, Jan. 21 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of THE MERRY WIDOW
(Available in select
cinemas only)
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 – 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55
a.m. CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT
LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN
(Offenbach)
The magnetic tenor Vittorio Grigolo
takes on the title role of the tortured poet and unwitting adventurer in
the Met’s kaleidoscopic production of Offenbach’s energetic, operatic
masterpiece. Erin Morley as Olympia, Hibla Gerzmava
as Antonia and Stella, and Christine Rice as Giulietta
each sing an idealized embodiment of some aspect of Hoffmann’s
desire. Thomas Hampson portrays the shadowy Four Villains,
and Yves Abel conducts the sparkling score.
Wednesday, Feb. 4 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN
(Available in
select cinemas only)
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 – 12:30 p.m. ET/ 11:30
a.m. CT/ 10:30 a.m. MT/ 9:30 a.m. PT
IOLANTA/ BLUEBEARD’S
CASTLE (Tchaikovsky/ Bartók)
On the heels of her
triumphant Met performances in Eugene Onegin, soprano Anna
Netrebko takes on another Tchaikovsky heroine in the first opera of
this intriguing double bill, consisting of an enchanting fairy tale (Iolanta)
followed by an erotic psychological thriller (Duke Bluebeard’s Castle).
Netrebko stars as the beautiful blind girl who experiences love for the
first time in Iolanta, while Nadja Michael is the
unwitting victim of the diabolical Bluebeard, played by Mikhail
Petrenko. Both operas are directed by Mariusz Treliński, who
was inspired by classic noir films of the 1940s. Iolanta also
stars Piotr Beczala, and Valery Gergiev conducts both
operas.
Wednesday, Feb. 18 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of IOLANTA/ BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE
(Available
in select cinemas only)
Saturday, March 14, 2015 – 12:55 p.m. ET/ 11:55
a.m. CT/ 10:55 a.m. MT/ 9:55 a.m. PT
LA DONNA DEL LAGO
(Rossini)
Bel canto superstars Joyce DiDonato and Juan
Diego Flórez join forces for this Rossini showcase of vocal
virtuosity, set in the medieval Scottish highlands and based on a
beloved novel by Sir Walter Scott. DiDonato is the “lady of the lake” of
the title, and Flórez is the king who relentlessly pursues her, their
vocal fireworks embellishing the romantic plot in this Met premiere
production conducted by Michele Mariotti.
Wednesday, March 18 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of LA DONNA DEL LAGO
(Available in
select cinemas only)
Saturday, April 25, 2015 – 12:30 p.m. ET/ 11:30
a.m. CT/ 10:30 a.m. MT/ 9:30 a.m. PT
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
/ PAGLIACCI (Mascagni / Leoncavallo)
Opera’s most
enduring tragic double bill returns in an evocative new production from Sir
David McVicar, who sets the action across two time periods but in
the same Sicilian village. Marcelo Álvarez rises to the challenge
of playing the dual tenor roles of Turiddu in Cavalleria
Rusticana and Canio in Pagliacci. Rae Smith
(War Horse) has designed the moodily atmospheric 1900 village
square setting of Cavalleria, which transforms to a 1948 truck
stop for the doomed vaudeville troupe of Pagliacci. Eva-Maria
Westbroek (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Patricia Racette (Pagliacci)
sing the unlucky heroines, and Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi
is on the podium.
Wednesday, April 29 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore
presentation of CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI
(Available
in select cinemas only)
**Programs and casting subject to change. For more details on the operas, please visit the Met’s website at www.metopera.org/hdlive.
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is owned by a newly formed entity called AC JV, LLC. Fathom is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment’s biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Additionally, Fathom events take audiences behind-the-scenes and offer unique extras – creating the ultimate entertainment experience for fans of all ages. Co-owned by the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom’s live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 750 locations in 171 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
About the Metropolitan Opera
Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world. For more information about the Metropolitan Opera, please visit www.metopera.org.
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