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The Met’s 2009-2010 Season

September 21 2009- May 13 2010: Tosca
September 22- December 12 2009: Le Nozze di Figaro
September 23 2009- April 15 2010: Die Zauberflöte
October 2 2009- April 3 2010: Aida
October 3 2009- March 4 2010: Il Barbiere di Siviglia
October 13 2009- January 15 2010: Der Rosenkavalier
October 21- November 17 2009: La Damnation de Faust
October 28 2009- January 28 2010: Turandot
November 12- December 5 2009: From the House of the Dead
November 20- December 12 2009: Il Trittico
December 3 2009- January 2 2010: Les Contes d'Hoffmann
December 10-29 2009: Elektra 
December 14 2009- January 2 2010: Hansel and Gretel
December 31 2009- May 1 2010: Carmen
January 11-30 2010: Stiffelio
January 18- February 6 2010: Simon Boccanegra
February 4-20 2010: Ariadne auf Naxos
February 6-22 2010: La Fille du Régiment
February 20- March 20 2010: La Bohème
February 23- March 27 2010: Attila
March 5-25 2010: The Nose
March 16- April 9 2010: Hamlet
March 29- April 24 2010: La Traviata
April 12- May 15 2010: Armida
April 23- May 14 2010: Die Fliegende Holländer
May 8-15 2010: Lulu

Karita Mattila opens the season as Tosca. Simon Keenlyside sings the title role of Hamlet. John Relyea sings Figaro opposite of Danielle de Niese in Le Nozze, with Bo Skovhus and Emma Bell as count and countess. René Pape sings the Four Villains of Les Contes d'Hoffman.

As in San Francisco, Patricia Racette is featured in all three operas of Il Trittico. Likewise, Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez star in La Fille.

Press Release  | Official Site

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9 responses to “The Met’s 2009-2010 Season”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    Karita Mattila as Tosca? Why that’s about as crazy as Karita Mattila as Manon Lescaut! Not a great season for the Met, but not a terrible one, either. I’m hoping to attend HOFFMANN, ELEKTRA, and ROSENKAVALIER for sure. Hopefully FILLE with Damrau and Flórez, too.

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  2. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I’m most interested in Attila, The Nose, and Hamlet. I would be interested in Armida, but I couldn’t stand Fleming in Rodelinda and will not go out of my way to hear her in Baroque opera again.

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  3. knights-tale Avatar
    knights-tale

    Like the other major American companies (SF, Chicago) the Met’s season is pretty tame and doesn’t seem to be taking any huge risks in the vocal department. No living composers and no American operas.
    I gotta say, I’m getting a little weary of Renee Fleming. After I saw her unremarkable “Thais” vanity project at the Met in December I sighed but thought: she’s good for opera, we need diva stars to go on talk shows, etc. And I think she’s a good PR ambassador. But now I’m inclined to think it’s all a bit silly. Will Karl Lagerfeld design her costumes for “Armida?” She does have a good voice (perfectly suited to Strauss, Rossini I’m not so sure) and has a compelling stage presence. I just don’t think she’s THAT wonderful.
    I’m also dubious about Karita Mattila as Tosca. I don’t know if her voice has the heft to pull it off (and I wasn’t bowled over by her turn as Manon Lescaut here in San Francisco). I’m not sure Puccini is the right composer for her voice.
    Nina Stemme is moving into heavier and heavier roles, gearing up for her SF Brunnhildes perhaps? And speaking of out-of-town tryouts, looks like Patricia Racette in SF’s “Il Trittico” will be a dry run for her Met assumption of all three roles.
    Glad to see some rare Verdi in “Attila” and a Janacek that isn’t “Jenufa.”
    I also noticed the Met is clearing out some of its Franco Zeffirelli stock, with new productions of “Tosca” and “Carmen.” I wonder when they’ll unload his critically reviled “La traviata.”
    Another sign of the economic times is that the Met is joining La Scala and Bavarian State Opera in co-producing a common warhorse like “Tosca,” much like SF/Chicago/Met co-producing “Trovatore.” Is the era of single-company new productions fading away?

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  4. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    While I appreciate that Fleming makes it so that we even have Baroque opera at the Met, I was not impressed by the out of tune performance of Rodelinda I attended.
    I am less scared of Mattila as Tosca than Racette.
    Co-productions seem to be more and more the rule, it is a trend that’s been going on for at least 5 years.

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  5. Robert Berger Avatar
    Robert Berger

    I wouldn’t make rash predictions about the quality of next season; we’ll have to wait and see. But the repertoire is varied and interesting. I can’t wait for The Nose and From the House of the Dead,and it’s nice that Armida and Hamlet are on tap.
    Enough Fleming bashing; she may not be perfect but she’s a terrific opera singer and not just an empty glamorous figure. I’ll have to wait and see about Mattila as Tosca; let’s not write her off prematurely.
    She’a a terrific artist too.

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  6. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    From the House of the Dead does sound interesting, but unfortunately it is during the SF season, so I know I won’t make it to NYC then.
    Very curious about Mattila as Tosca. I liked her in Manon Lescaut, personally.

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  7. Immanuel Gilen Avatar
    Immanuel Gilen

    I’ll go see House of the Dead/Turandot and Damnation or Trittico, depending on which week in November.
    Then March will bring Hamlet, The Nose & Attila…so overall, this season could be much worse than it is, I think.

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  8. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Ah, I did not see that the Armida is Rossini version, not the Gluck Armide. How silly of me.

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  9. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    You were completely correct about November at SF Opera, it is pretty much 6 performances of Otello. I may well go to hear From the House of the Dead.

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