Met 2005-06
Between the lines
[Met press release here.]
1. Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy: ominous title.
2. Company premiere of Mazeppa: just keep him off the Verdi and the Wagner, thank you.
3. Natalie Dessay in a new production of Romeo et Juliette: who's covering.
4. Anna Netrebko in a new production of Don Pasquale & Rigoletto's Gilda: ka-ching.
5. Angela Gheorghiu in La Traviata: Zeffirelli wins this staring contest.
6. Opening night: Act II Tosca and Act I Figaro with Bryn Terfel: what're they opening, an Outback Steakhouse.
7. Season closes with gala performance honoring Joseph Volpe: in other news, Kathy Battle scheduled on the same night to sing Let the Bright Seraphim by the plaza fountain as patrons file out the post-Volpe opera house.
8. Olga Borodina in a revival of Samson et Dalila: after this season's Graves/Walewska, a revival indeed.
9. La Portaméenta, Marcelo Alvarez, Jesus Lopez-Cobos in Manon: as seen on DVD.
10. Countertenors Andreas Scholl and Christophe Dumaux debut in Rodelinda: how much are front row orchestra seats again.
11. Violeta Urmana as Ariadne: next up, on her path to high soprano heaven, Zerbinetta.
12. Deborah Voigt and Aprile Millo share 7 Toscas: guess how they're divvying up the 7.
13. Andrea Gruber, in the straight and narrow, moves into Aida: Angela Brown is pissed.
14. Missing-in-action, Maria Guleghina and Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson: equal-opportunity oversight.
Not a long list, but I'm excited about: Dessay/Vargas in Romeo et Juliette; Juan Diego Florez returning to New York in Don Pasquale; Borodina in La Cenerentola; Mattila in Fidelio and Lohengrin (repeats, but at least she's around); Diana Damrau debuting as Zerbinetta; Scholl/Dumaux debuts; Voigt Forza Leonora; Gheorghiu and Hei-Kyung Hong, two contrasting Violettas; Mazeppa company premiere; Rolando Villazon's Duke of Mantua ... Things I'm "curious" about: Anna Netrebko's Gilda; S&M; Alexandra Deshorties as Musetta; catblogging; Swenson's Adina (is there any left); Hillary Clinton vs. Condoleeza Rice.
But a much longer list of things I'm not excited about: now I'm depressed.
