My pick of the week from the current batch of Metropolitan Opera HD encores may seem like a slight one – especially in a week full of notable diversions – but I’m going with Jules Massenet’s “Cendrillon.”
This Cinderella springs from the page, with literal writing on the walls and a team-and-carriage rendered in typeset. Also, a playfully-imagined gallery of fairy tale grotesques in the supporting cast. There is a charm to Laurent Pelly’s staging that I find refreshing in an era when seemingly everything has to trend toward the dark. If you’re a fan of classic children’s book illustrations, don’t miss this one. With Joyce DiDonato in the lead – and Stephanie Blythe as the wicked stepmother – it’s difficult to resist.
Massenet is star of the week, apparently, since there also happens to be a “Manon” – admittedly side-by-side with John Adams’ “Doctor Atomic,” and Pavarotti and Kathleen Battle in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.”
The Met has pledged to stream free opera for the duration of the house’s shutdown. Each opera is accessible for approximately 23 hours, starting every day around 7 p.m. EDT. Philip Glass’ “Satyagraha” streams through 6 p.m. today, at metopera.org.
Here’s a complete schedule of this week’s offerings. You’ll find teasers and bonus materials when following the link:
https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/week-15/
Monday, June 22
Verdi’s La Traviata
Starring Sonya Yoncheva, Michael Fabiano, and Thomas Hampson, conducted by Nicola Luisotti. From March 11, 2017.
Tuesday, June 23
John Adams’s Doctor Atomic
Starring Sasha Cooke, Thomas Glenn, Gerald Finley, and Richard Paul Fink, conducted by Alan Gilbert. From November 8, 2008.
Wednesday, June 24
Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila
Starring Elīna Garanča, Roberto Alagna, Laurent Naouri, Elchin Azizov, and Dmitry Belosselskiy, conducted by Sir Mark Elder. From October 20, 2018.
Thursday, June 25
Massenet’s Manon
Starring Lisette Oropesa, Michael Fabiano, Carlo Bosi, Artur Ruciński, Brett Polegato, and Kwangchul Youn, conducted by Maurizio Benini. From October 26, 2019.
Friday, June 26
Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore
Starring Kathleen Battle, Luciano Pavarotti, Juan Pons, and Enzo Dara, conducted by James Levine. From November 16, 1991.
Saturday, June 27
Massenet’s Cendrillon
Starring Kathleen Kim, Joyce DiDonato, Alice Coote, Stephanie Blythe, and Laurent Naouri, conducted by Bertrand de Billy. From April 28, 2018.
Sunday, June 28
Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte
Starring Golda Schultz, Kathryn Lewek, Charles Castronovo, Markus Werba, Christian Van Horn, and René Pape, conducted by James Levine. From October 14, 2017.
