The Metropolitan Opera's Summer HD Festival at Lincoln Center

The Metropolitan Opera's SUMMER HD FESTIVAL is on, and last night, I attended the screening of Giuseppe Verdi's MACBETH at the Lincoln Center Plaza. On August 29, the Met launched its first-ever Summer HD Festival, featuring 10 presentations shown on a big screen at the Lincoln Center Plaza in front of the Metropolitan Opera. The screenings are free with no tickets required.

Here is the full schedule (from metoperafamily.org)

La Fille du Régiment – Saturday, August 29 at 8 pm

Donizetti’s comic opera La Fille du Régiment stars Natalie Dessay as Marie, Juan Diego Flórez as Tonio, Felicity Palmer as the Marquise of Berkenfield, Alessandro Corbelli as Sulpice, Donald Maxwell as Hortensius, and Marian Seldes in the spoken role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Marco Armiliato conducts. Approximate running time: 140 minutes.

Roméo et Juliette – Sunday, August 30 at 7:30 pm

Plácido Domingo conducts Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, starring Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna as the star-crossed lovers, Isabel Leonard as Stéphano, Nathan Gunn as Mercutio, and Robert Lloyd as Frère Laurent. Approximate running time: 175 minutes.

Eugene Onegin – Monday, August 31 at 7:45 pm

Valery Gergiev conducts Tchaikovsky’s most beloved opera, Eugene Onegin, with Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role opposite Renée Fleming as the heartbroken Tatiana, with tenor Ramón Vargas as Lenski. Approximate running time: 160 minutes.

Macbeth – Tuesday, September 1 at 8 pm

Met Music Director James Levine conducts Verdi’s Macbeth, featuring Maria Guleghina as Lady Macbeth, Željko Lučić as Macbeth, Dimitri Pittas as Macduff, and John Relyea as Banquo. Approximate running time: 145 minutes.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia –Wednesday, September 2 at 7:45 pm

Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, in a production by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher, features Joyce DiDonato as Rosina, Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, Peter Mattei as Figaro, John Del Carlo as Dr. Bartolo, John Relyea as Don Basilio, and Claudia Waite as Berta. Maurizio Benini conducts. Approximate running time: 165 minutes.

Peter Grimes – Thursday, September 3 at 7:45 pm

Anthony Dean Griffey sings the title role of Britten’s Peter Grimes, with Patricia Racette as Ellen Orford and Anthony Michaels-Moore as Balstrode. Donald Runnicles conducts. Approximate running time: 150 minutes.

La Bohème – Friday, September 4 at 8 pm

Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème features Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì, Ramón Vargas as Rodolfo Ainhoa Arteta as Musetta, Ludovic Tézier as Marcello, Quinn Kelsey as Schaunard, Oren Gradus as Colline, and Paul Plishka in the dual roles of Benoit and Alcindoro. Nicola Luisotti conducts. Approximate running time: 130 minutes.

Orfeo ed Euridice – Saturday, September 5 at 8 pm

Mark Morris’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice stars Stephanie Blythe as Orfeo, with Danielle de Niese as Euridice. Heidi Grant Murphy is Amor. James Levine conducts. Approximate running time: 100 minutes.

Il Trittico – Sunday, September 6 at 7:30pm

James Levine conducts Tony Award-winning director Jack O’Brien’s production of Puccini’s Il Trittico, which consists of three one-act operas: Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi. In Il Tabarro, the three principal characters caught in a deadly love triangle are portrayed by Maria Guleghina, Salvatore Licitra and Juan Pons. Barbara Frittoli is the young nun Angelica, with Stephanie Blythe as the Princess in Suor Angelica, and the comedy Gianni Schicchi features Alessandro Corbelli in the title role. Approximate running time: 170 minutes.

Madama Butterfly – Monday, September 7 at 8:00 pm

Academy Award-winning film director Anthony Minghella’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly stars Patricia Racette as Cio-Cio-San, Marcello Giordani as Pinkerton, Dwayne Croft as Sharpless, and Maria Zifchak as Suzuki. Patrick Summers conducts. Approximate running time: 145 minutes

The Metropolitan Opera is the most widely heard and known opera company in the world. It is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, between West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.