The Metropolitan Opera, a world-famous musical theater at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan in New York, opened in 1880. In connection with numerous organizational issues, the first performances were shown in 1883.
The name "Metropolitan Opera" is difficult to pronounce, and since it is used quite often, it is customary to say "Met" in simple circulation. The theater takes first place in the world ranking of opera scenes, along with Milan's La Scala, London's Covent Garden and the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. The concert hall of the Metropolitan Opera has 3800 seats. The foyer of the theater looks more like a hall of the Museum of Fine Arts thanks to the priceless frescoes of Marc Chagall.
Theater management
The theater is financed by the Metropolitan Opera House Company, which, in turn, receives subsidies from large companies, concerns, as well as private individuals. All affairs are led by CEO Peter Gelb. The artistic direction is entrusted to the chief conductor of the theater, James Levine, helping him lead ballet master Joseph Fritz and chief choirmaster Donald Polumbo.
Regulations
The theater season of the Metropolitan Opera lasts from September to April, seven days a week, with daily performances. May and June - visiting tours. All July is devoted to charity, the theater holds free performances in New York parks and squares, while collecting a huge number of people. August leaves for organizational events and preparations for the next season.
The Metropolitan Opera Symphony Orchestra is full-time, works on an ongoing basis, the theater choir is also a permanent part of concert programs. Conductors and soloists are invited by contract - either for the entire season, or for individual performances. In some cases, the contract is concluded for several seasons, as, for example, it was with the singer Anna Netrebko, who signed the contract for five years at once.
Opera arias at the Metropolitan Opera are performed only in the original language. The repertoire is composed of the masterpieces of world classics, including the works of Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov and many others.
How did the theater begin?
Initially, the Metropolitan Opera was located in one of the theaters on Broadway and was the most visited site of opera. However, in 1892, a fire broke out in the building, which interrupted the performances for a long time. Somehow, the hall and the stage were restored, and the team continued to work. The Metropolitan Opera, a Broadway theater , was becoming increasingly popular.
Relocation
In 1966, the Lincoln Performing Arts Center was opened in Manhattan, which gathered under its roof all the leading theaters in New York, including one such as the Metropolitan Opera. The New York auditorium was successful in terms of acoustics, and, importantly, quite roomy. In addition to the main scene, there are three more auxiliary.
Unique murals
The lobby of the Metropolitan Opera impresses with its decoration. Monumental frescoes by Marc Chagall are placed on the walls. The theater management pondered the project for a long time. Even for such a wealthy theater, such as the Metropolitan Opera, such works of art are unbearable in value. Therefore, the frescoes of the great artist were sold to a private person, but with the condition that they remain in place in the lobby of the theater.
Premieres and productions
If you go back to the beginning of the history of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the first premiere was Charles Gounod’s opera Faust, which took place on October 22, 1883. Then there was the premiere of "Girl from the West" by Giacomo Puccini in December 1910. In 1918, Puccini's triptych "Gianni Schicchi", "Cloak" and "Sister Angelica" was played. In October 1958, the Metropolitan Opera introduced Vanessa Barbara Samuel to the public, who received the Pulitzer Prize as an outstanding musical premiere.
By the middle of the twentieth century, the theater was already on a par with the world's leading opera stages - La Scala and the Vienna Opera. The talented conductors of the time, Arturo Toscanini, Felix Mottl, Mahler Gustav, contributed to the success. The artistic management of the theater invited the most famous world-famous singers to participate in their performances. In 1903, Enrico Caruso made his debut in the opera Rigoletto, playing the role of the Duke of Mantua. The great tenor worked at the Metropolitan Opera until 1920. Caruso opened several seasons.
In 1948, the greatest opera singer Maria Callas performed at the theater for the first time in Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida. In 1949, Brungilda’s aria from the Valkyrie by Richard Wagner followed. Then, already in 1956, Kallas sang in the opera Norma by Bellini. She refused the proposed aria to Madame Butterfly in Chio-Cio-San due to being overweight. However, the singer performed the aria of Elvira from "Puritan" Bellini.
The year 1967 was the beginning of cooperation with the most famous singers of the world opera scene - Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. Relations with Placido Domingo were the best, the singer opened the season 21 times at the Metropolitan Opera. The New York public has already begun to consider the famous tenor their own. And Luciano Pavarotti, speaking in Manhattan, became the record holder for the number of applause: once the curtain rose 165 times! This fact was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
Broadcasts
Since 1931, recordings from the performances of the Metropolitan Opera, broadcasts of entire stories, and individual fragments from the performances have become regular. The first to air was the opera Hansel and Gretel. And since 2006, the theater in Manhattan began to broadcast their performances live.
Hall
The unique curtain of the Metropolitan Opera weighs more than half a ton, heavy dense fabric embroidered with metal sequins. Special equipment for moving and lifting the curtain was made in the German Gerrits workshop in Umkirch.