Beginning Wednesday, June 19, the Metropolitan Opera and NCM Fathom Events will once again present Summer HD Encores, a series of encore performances from the groundbreaking Live in HD series, in nearly 400 select U.S. cinemas nationwide through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. This summer’s encore series offers four popular Live in HD events, including the most-attended event in the program’s history, Bizet’s “Carmen” (June 19), followed by Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” (June 26), Rossini’s “Armida” (July 10), and Verdi’s “La Traviata” (July 17).
Tickets for The Met: Live in HD Summer 2013 Encores, shown in cinemas Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in all time zones, are available at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices.
This will be the fifth series of Summer HD Encores, following a successful seventh season of The Met: Live in HD series which featured 12 live operas including five new productions.
“This summer’s Encore series features four passionate and romantic opera performances that are sure to heat up cinemas across the country,” said Shelly Maxwell, executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events. “The series kicks off with the sizzling fan favorite ‘Carmen’ which was last featured in the Met: Live in HD series in 2010. Definitely a must-see for anyone who experienced – or missed – any of these performances during their first run.”
The Met: Live in HD Summer 2013 Encores Schedule:
Carmen – Wednesday, June 19 (originally broadcast live on January 16, 2010)
Called “a gripping and brilliant production” by The New York Times, “Carmen” stars Elīna Garanča as the seductive gypsy, opposite Roberto Alagna as the obsessed soldier Don José. Acclaimed rising Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Met’s production by Olivier Award-winning British director Richard Eyre, which features Barbara Frittoli as Micaëla and Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the toreador Escamillo. Christopher Wheeldon, artistic director and founder of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, created the choreography for what remains the Met’s most popular HD presentation to date.
Il Trovatore – Wednesday, June 26 (originally broadcast live on April 30, 2011)
Starring four of the world’s most celebrated interpreters of the leading roles, David McVicar’s critically acclaimed production stars Marcelo Álvarez as the heroic troubadour of the title. In the role of Leonora, Sondra Radvanovsky is “remarkable…a spirited, feisty heroine” (Variety); Dolora Zajick is "a force of nature” (The New York Times) as Azucena, the gypsy with a dark secret; and Dmitri Hvorostovsky's "vivid presence and rich baritone emphasize Count di Luna's swings between hell-bent vengeance and romantic obsession" (Variety). Marco Armiliato conducts.
Armida – Wednesday, July 10 (originally broadcast live on May 1, 2010)
Directed by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman, “Armida” stars celebrated American soprano Renée Fleming as the mystical sorceress in one of the greatest virtuoso roles from the bel canto repertory. Fleming is joined by Lawrence Brownlee, who sings Armida’s chief love interest, Rinaldo, and four more tenors in the roles of the crusader knights. Barry Banks portrays Rinaldo’s rival Gernando. John Osborn sings Goffredo, and Banks, Kobie van Rensburg, and Yegishe Manucharyan are the knights Carlo, Ubaldo, and Eustazio, respectively. Riccardo Frizza conducts.
La Traviata – Wednesday, July 17 (originally broadcast live on April 14, 2012)
Natalie Dessay stars as the tragic courtesan Violetta Valéry in Willy Decker’s innovative modern-dress staging of “La Traviata,” which “delivers style, sparkle, and stirring drama” (Los Angeles Times). Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads the tragic love story, which also stars Matthew Polenzani as the lovesick Alfredo and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as his disapproving father, Giorgio Germont.
