We begin Week 5 of the Met’s Nightly Opera Stream with a water nymph’s tragic tale and end with a noble woman’s philosophical and self-sacrificing decision about love. In between, we get entangled by the political machinations around a Russian Tsar, fall in love on the French Riviera, laugh at the antics of a count disguised as a nun, cry for the teenage Japanese geisha whose American husband abandons her, and feel for a famous French theatre actress’ offstage drama. Each opera begins at 7:30 p.m. on the Met’s homepage and is available to stream for the following 20 hours.
Monday, April 13
Dvoak’s Rusalka – Starring Renée Fleming and Piotr Becza?a, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. From February 8, 2014 – Read synopsis
One of the best-known Czech operas. In Slavic folklore, Rusalka is a “water sprite.” Famous for the title character’s “Song to the Moon” – an aria that is often performed in concerts – the opera is based on Czech fairy tales with elements from Hans Christian Andersen’s story The Little Mermaid. This tale of the nymph who renounces her world and the ability to speak for the love of a human who betrays her has been called “a sad, modern fairy tale” and a “profoundly disturbing drama.”
Tuesday, April 14
Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov – Starring René Pape, conducted by Valery Gergiev. From October 23, 2010 – Read synopsis
Mussorgsky’s only completed opera and a masterpiece! It is based on a play by Alexander Pushkin (available in English translation on Project Gutenberg), and depicts key moments in the turbulent life of the Russian Tsar, Boris Godunov, who reigned from 1598 to 1605. Grandeur, guilt, political maneuverings, and a Coronation scene unequaled in all operatic repertoire. WAtch a Kirov opera production of the opera available on DVD from Amazon.
Wednesday, April 15
Puccini’s La rondine (The Swallow) – Starring Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna, conducted by Marco Armiliato. From January 10, 2009 – Read synposis
A less tragic Puccini—even though there is no happy end, at least neither of the protagonists dies. Set in Paris and on the French Riviera, this opera was commissioned as a Viennese-style operetta by the directors of Carltheater in Vienna. Unforgettable melodies paint the story of luxury-loving Magda and her ultimate choice: between true love and wealth.
Thursday, April 16
Rossini’s Le Comte Ory – Starring Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, and Juan Diego Flórez, conducted by Maurizio Benini. From April 9, 2011 – Read synopsis
A hilarious farce set in the 13th century during the time of the Crusades in the French province of Touraine. Count Ory will stop at nothing to capture his love interest, Countess Adèle, even disguising himself as a nun. Rossini’s playful, lively, theatrical, and lovely music delights us throughout this comedy of mistaken identities and gender bending.
Friday, April 17
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly – Starring Patricia Racette, Marcello Giordani, and Dwayne Croft, conducted by Patrick Summers. From March 7, 2009 – Read synopsis
Based on the short story Madame Butterfly by John Luther Long and on David Belasco’s play Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan, this opera tells the tale of a teenage geisha who marries an American Navy lieutenant with tragic consequences. There have been many cinematic adaptations of the story. The Metropolitan Opera production, directed by renowned filmmaker Anthony Minghella, is available on DVD from Amazon.
Saturday, April 18
Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur – Starring Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala, and Ambrogio Maestri, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. From January 12, 2019 – Read synopsis
Theatre, passion, rivalry, poison! An opera about a famous actress is as melodramatic as it gets. The plot is inspired by the French play Adrienne Lecouvreur by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé (read or download on Internet Archive) and loosely based on the life of the eighteenth-century French actress by the same name whose mysterious death sparked endless speculation—and creative invention.
Sunday, April 19
Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier – Starring Renée Fleming, El?na Garanca, Erin Morley, and Günther Groissböck, conducted by Sebastian Weigle. From May 13, 2017 – Read synopsis
A comedy about love, the passion of youth, and the wisdom of age. A brilliant showcase of the female voice as the three protagonists are all sung by women: the young Sophie is a lyric soprano, the older Marschallin a dramatic soprano, and the young Count Octavian, a “trouser role” (a mezzo-soprano embodying a male role). This opera is one of Strauss’ several collaborations with the Austrian genius librettist, novelist, poet, essayist, and dramatist Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is a gloriously elegant musical and poetic tribute to Vienna as well as a fascinating mélange of zany comedy and profound reflection on aging and the passing of time.
Top photo: Bigstock
