Browse all episodes of Great Performances at the Met

Mozart's "The Magic Flute," with Matthew Polenzani (Tamino); Nathan Gunn (Papageno); Erika Miklósa (Queen of the Night); René Pape (Sarastro); Ying Huang (Pamina); Greg Fedderly (Monostatos); and Jennifer Aylmer (Papagena). James Levine conducts.

The Magic Flute

Anna Netrebko stars in Bellini's bel canto opera "I Puritani" as a bride-to-be whose wedding day is disrupted when her betrothed (Eric Cutler) helps the condemned Queen Enrichetta (Maria Zifchak) escape from the Roundheads (Oliver Cromwell supporters during the English Civil War of the 1640s). Sir Riccardo Forth: Franco Vassallo. Sir Giorgio Walton: John Relyea. Lord Walton: Valerian Ruminski. Sir Bruno Robertson: Eduardo Valdes.

I Puritani

Placido Domingo stars in “The First Emperor” as Chinese ruler Qin Shi Huang, who attempts to unify his kingdom with a national anthem penned by a childhood-friend-turned-composer (Paul Groves). Complications arise, however, when Qin's daughter Yueyang (Elizabeth Futral) seduces the songsmith. Composed by Tan Dun, who won an Oscar for his “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” score and cowrote the libretto with novelist Ha Jin. Shaman: Michelle DeYoung. Yueyang's Mother: Susanne Mentzer.

The First Emperor

Tchaikovsky's “Eugene Onegin,” starring Renée Fleming as Tatiana, a young Russian who's rebuffed by the object of her affection, Eugene Onegin (Dmitri Hvorostovsky). Years later, after she has married a prince (Sergei Aleksashkin), the two meet again and Onegin realizes his error. Olga: Elena Zaremba. Larina: Svetlana Volkova. Lenski: Ramón Vargas.

Eugene Onegin

Gioacchino Rossini's classic comic opera “The Barber of Seville” stars Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, whose pursuit of the lovely Rosina (Joyce DiDonato) is aided by the wily barber Figaro (Peter Mattei). Standing in his way is her guardian Dr. Bartolo (John Del Carlo), who plans to marry her himself. Don Basilio: John Relyea. Fiorello: Brian Davis. Ambrogio: Rob Besserer.

The Barber of Seville

“Il Trittico,” Puccini's collection of three one-act operas. “Il Tabarro” concerns doomed lovers (Maria Guleghina, Salvatore Licitra); “Suor Angelica,” is about the salvation of a nun (Barbara Frittoli); “Gianni Schicchi” is a charismatic scoundrel (Alessandro Corbelli) out to steal a fortune willed to the church.

Il trittico

The second-season opener features the Engelbert Humperdinck opera "Hansel and Gretel," about two children (Alice Coote, Christine Schäfer) who meet a witch (Philip Langridge) in the woods.

Hansel and Gretel

A production of "Roméo et Juliette," starring Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna as the star-crossed lovers. Placido Domingo conducts the orchestra and chorus for the opera. Tybalt: Marc Heller. Paris: Louis Otey. Capulet: Charles Taylor. Gertrude: Jane Bunnell. Grégorio: David Won. Benvolio: Tony Stevenson. Duke of Verona: Dean Peterson.

Roméo et Juliette

Adrian Noble's version of Verdi's "Macbeth" sets the opera in a decimated post-WWII landscape and stars baritone Željko Lucic as Lord Macbeth and soprano Maria Guleghina as Lady Macbeth. James Levine conducts. Macduff: Dimitri Pittas. Banquo: John Relyea.

Macbeth

Puccini's "Manon Lescaut," about a country girl (Karita Mattila) who's torn between an impoverished student (Marcello Giordani) who loves her and a rich man (Dale Travis) who wants her to be his mistress. Lescaut: Dwayne Croft.

Manon Lescaut

Anthony Dean Griffey stars in the title role of Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes," about an English fisherman blamed for the deaths of two assistants. Ellen Orford: Patricia Racette. Capt. Balstrode: Anthony Michaels-Moore. Mrs. Sedley: Felicity Palmer.

Peter Grimes

A production of Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," about the doomed love between a Celtic princess (Deborah Voigt) and a knight (Robert Dean Smith), who's the nephew of King Marke (Matti Salminen), to whom she's betrothed. Brangäne: Michelle DeYoung. Melot: Stephen Gaertner. Kurwenal: Eike Wilm Schulte.

Tristan und Isolde

A production of Puccini's "La Bohème," about a doomed love affair between poet Rodolfo (Ramón Vargas) and seamstress Mimi (Angela Gheorghiu) in 1830s Paris. Marcello: Ludovic Tézier. Musetta: Ainhoa Arteta. Schaunard: Quinn Kelsey.

La Bohème

Coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay stars as Marie, an orphan adopted by French troops in this production of Donizetti's comedic "Fille du Régiment," which updates the setting from the Napoleonic era to World War I. Tenor Juan Diego Flórez costars as Tonio, the soldier she's promised to wed. Marquise of Berkenfield: Felicity Palmer. Sgt. Sulpice: Alessandro Corbelli. Duchess of Krakenthorp: Marian Seldes.

La Fille du Régiment

The Season 3 premiere features a production of the John Adams opera "Doctor Atomic," about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Gerald Finley) and the testing of the first atomic bomb in 1945 New Mexico. Kitty Oppenheimer: Sasha Cooke. Edward Teller: Richard Paul Fink. Gen. Leslie Groves: Eric Owens.

Doctor Atomic

A production of the Richard Strauss opera "Salome," about a wild-child princess (Karita Mattila) who performs the Dance of the Seven Veils for King Herod (Kim Bagley) in return for anything she wants---which happens to be the head of a prophet (Juha Uusitalo). Herodias: Ildikó Komlósi.

Salome

John Adams' Doctor Atomic

The Met's 125th opening-night gala features soprano Renée Fleming in excerpts from three of her favorite operas, Verdi's "La Traviata," Massenet's "Manon" and Strauss' "Capriccio." Joining her are tenor Ramon Vargas, baritones Thomas Hampson and Dwayne Croft, and bass Robert Lloyd; and she wears costumes designed by John Galliano, Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld.

The Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala Starring Renée Fleming

Soprano Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Jules Massenet's "Thaïs," about an Egyptian courtesan who causes the fall from grace of a monk (Thomas Hampson). Nicias: Michael Schade. Palémon: Alain Vernhes. La Charmeuse: Leah Partridge.

Thaïs

A production of Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor," a tragic opera about a young woman (Anna Netrebko) whose brother (Mariusz Kwiecien) pressures her to marry a nobleman despite her love for another (Piotr Beczala).

Lucia di Lammermoor

Soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna star in a production of Puccini's "La Rodine," about a kept woman who faces a difficult decision when she falls for the son of a respectable family.

La Rondine

A production of Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Orfeo et Euridice," in which the grieving Orfeo (Stephanie Blythe) braves the underworld to retrieve his beloved wife (Danielle de Niese).

Orfeo et Euridice

Puccini's classic "Madama Butterfly," about a Japanese geisha (Patricia Racette) who marries an American naval officer (Marcello Giordani).

Madama Butterfly

A reimagining of the Bellini opera "La Sonnambula," about a young woman (Natalie Dessay) whose sleepwalking compromises her virtue and causes her beloved (Juan Diego Flórez) to cancel their wedding, adds a play-within-a-play format.

La Sonnambula

A production of "La Cenerentola," Rossini's adaptation of the "Cinderella" fable, starring mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca in the lead role and tenor Lawrence Brownlee as her Prince Charming. Don Magnifico: Alessandro Corbelli. Alidoro: John Relyea.

La Cenerentola

Season 4 opens with Luc Bondy's staging of Puccini's "Tosca," starring soprano Karita Mattila as the title character, whose lover (Marcelo Álvarez) is arrested by a police chief (George Gagnidze) and threatened with death unless she gives herself to him.

Tosca

A documentary about the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, in which contestants compete for cash prizes and the opportunity to launch a major operatic career. The competition is seen through the eyes of three hopefuls, including fiery 22-year-old Michael Fabiano; 25-year-old Alek Shrader, who tries to sing nine high Cs in a difficult aria; and 30-year-old Ryan Smith, who has little formal training.

The Audition

A production of Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida," about an enslaved Ethiopian princess (Violeta Urmana) in ancient Egypt who serves the pharaoh's daughter (Dolora Zajick) while competing with her mistress for the affections of a military commander (Johan Botha). Ramfis: Roberto Scandiuzzi. King: Stephan Kocan.

Aida

The Puccini opera "Turandot," about a ruthless Chinese princess (Maria Guleghina) who falls for an unknown prince (Marcello Giordani).

Turandot

A production of Jacques Offenbach's opera "Les Contes d'Hoffmann," about the life, loves and psychological manifestations of the German Romantic author E.T.A. Hoffmann (Joseph Calleja). Antonia/Stella: Anna Netrebko. Olympia: Kathleen Kim. Giulietta: Ekaterina Gubanova.

Les Contes d'Hoffmann

Renée Fleming and Susan Graham star in Richard Strauss' comic "Der Rosenkavalier" as the middle-aged Marschallin and her young lover, Octavian, who falls for a woman (Miah Persson) closer to his age, but who's engaged to Marschallin's cousin (Kristinn Sigmundsson).

Der Rosenkavalier

A production of Bizet's "Carmen," starring Elina Garanca in the title role, a Gypsy girl; and Roberto Alagna as the soldier who becomes obsessed with her. Host: Renee Fleming.

Carmen

A production of Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra," starring Placido Domingo as a pirate-turned-chief magistrate. Soprano Adrianne Pieczonka costars as Amelia Grimaldi, Boccanegra's long-lost daughter.

Simon Boccanegra

The Ambroise Thomas opera "Hamlet," based on the Shakespeare play, starring baritone Simon Keenlyside as the prince and soprano Marlis Petersen as Ophélie. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore is Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, and James Morris is Claudius, the king who murdered Hamlet's father in order to advance to the throne.

Hamlet

Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Rossini's "Armida" as the niece of the Damascus king during the Crusades, a sorceress who falls for a Christian soldier (Lawrence Brownlee).

Armida

The Season 5 premiere features Donizetti's comic "Don Pasquale," starring soprano Anna Netrebko as a penniless young woman who tricks the wealthy Don (John Del Carlo) into thinking he's married her, then acts like a shrew so that he will consent to her marrying his nephew Ernesto (Matthew Polenzani). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Don Pasquale

Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" stars bass René Pape as the 16th-century Russian tsar whose reign is challenged by a novice monk (Aleksandrs Antonenko) masquerading as the dead Tsarevich Dimitri, whose murder opened the door for Boris' ascension. The cast also includes mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk as Princess Marina, bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin as Rangoni and bass Mikhail Petrenko as Pimen. The title role is considered one of the greatest bass roles in opera. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Boris Godunov

Verdi's "Don Carlo," about a Spanish prince (Roberto Alagna) who falls for the French princess (Marina Poplavskaya) he's supposed to marry as part of a Spanish-French peace treaty, only to have his father (Ferruccio Furlanetto) decide to wed her himself. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Don Carlo

A production of Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West," about an Old West saloon owner (Deborah Voigt) in a California gold-rush town who'll stop at nothing to get the man (Marcello Giordani) she wants. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

La Fanciulla del West

A production of Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Iphigénie en Tauride," based on a Greek myth in which a high priestess (Susan Graham) is reunited with her brother (Placido Domingo) after a lengthy separation. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Iphigénie en Tauride

Composer John Adams conducts the Met premiere of his acclaimed opera "Nixon in China," about the 37th U.S. president's historic 1972 visit to communist China. Baritone James Maddalena, who created the role of Nixon in the original 1987 production, stars, with Janis Kelly as Pat Nixon; Richard Paul Fink as Henry Kissinger; Robert Brubaker as Mao Zedong; Kathleen Kim as Mao's wife Chiang Ch'ing; and Russell Braun as Chou En-lai. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Nixon in China

Natalie Dessay stars in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" as the fragile title character, whose brother (Ludovic Tézier) forces her into an arranged marriage due to his hatred for the family of the man (Joseph Calleja) she loves. Host: Renée Fleming. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Rossini's comic "Le Comte Ory" stars Juan Diego Flórez in the title role, a count who competes with his page (Joyce DiDonatofor, in a trouser role) for the hand of a lonely countess (Diana Damrau). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Le Comte Ory

Renée Fleming stars in Richard Strauss' "Capriccio," about a widowed countess who ponders whether the music or the written word is more important to musical drama while being wooed by a composer (Joseph Kaiser) and a poet (Russell Braun). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Capriccio

A production of Verdi's "Il Trovatore," in which brothers (Marcelo Álvarez, Dmitri Hvorostovsky) compete for the affections of the same woman (Sondra Radvanovsky). Dolora Zajick costars as Azucena, the gypsy with a dark secret. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Il Trovatore

Season 6 opens with Gaetano Donizetti's "Anna Bolena," based on the last days of Anne Boleyn (Anna Netrebko), the second wife of British monarch Henry VIII (Ildar Abdrazakov). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Anna Bolena

Baritone Mariusz Kwiecien stars as the serial seducer "Don Giovanni," who swaggers his way to eternal damnation in this production of Mozart's 1787 masterpiece, which costars soprano Barbara Frittoli as the fiery Donna Elvira and tenor Ramón Vargas as the nobleman Don Ottavio.  Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Don Giovanni

A performance of Philip Glass' "Satyagraha," about the early years of Mahatma Gandhi (Richard Croft). The production costars Rachelle Durkin, Alfred Walker and Kim Josephson; and features large-scale puppetry and sets made of corrugated metal and newspaper. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Satyagraha

Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Handel's "Rodelinda," a baroque opera about a queen and her assumed-dead husband (Andreas Scholl), and the usurper (Joseph Kaiser) who wants Rodelinda for his wife. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Rodelinda

A production of Gounod's "Faust" updates the story to the mid-20th century, with Faust (Jonas Kaufmann) now a nuclear scientist who strikes a deal with the devil (René Pape) in order to win the affections of a young woman (Marina Poplavskaya).  Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Faust

A production of Verdi's "Ernani," about a maiden (Angela Meade) who is romantically pursued by her uncle (Ferruccio Furlanetto), the Spanish king (Dmitri Hvorostovsky) and a bandit (Marcello Giordani). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Ernani

Soprano Anna Netrebko stars in Jules Massenet's "Manon," about a country girl who, while on her way to a convent, falls for a young man (Piotr Beczala) before succumbing to a promise of a luxurious life offered by a rich nobleman (Christophe Mortagne).  Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Manon

Soprano Natalie Dessay stars in Willy Decker's stylized production of Verdi's "La Traviata," about a frail courtesan who sacrifices her happiness in order to spare her beloved (Matthew Polenzani) and his family any strife her reputation could cause them. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

La Traviata

The first opera in Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle, about a power struggle between gods and mortals over a magic ring, begins with the evil dwarf Alberich (Eric Owens) forging a ring of unimaginable power from gold pilfered from the Rhine. When it's stolen by Wotan (Bryn Terfel), the king of the gods, Alberich curses it so that it brings misery to whoever wears it.

Wagner's Ring Cycle: Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)

The second opera in Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle finds a traveler seeking shelter at the home of a warrior and his wife. When Brünnhilde, the daughter of the god Wotan, intervenes in the earthly affairs that follow, Wotan has little choice but to punish his daughter for her transgression.

Wagner's Ring Cycle: Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)

The third opera in Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle finds the young Siegfried being raised by Alberich's conniving brother Mime, who hopes to use the lad to gain possession of the magical ring from the dragon Fafner.

Wagner's Ring Cycle: Siegfried

In the final installment in Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle, the love between Siegfried and Brünnhilde is torn asunder by a trio of scheming humans who want the magical ring for themselves.

Wagner's Ring Cycle: Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)

Season 7 opens with Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera "L'Elisir d'Amore," about a peasant (Matthew Polenzani) who wins the heart of a beautiful farm owner (Anna Netrebko) with the help of a love potion he purchased from a quack doctor (Ambrogio Maestri). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

L'Elisir d'Amore

Verdi's "Otello," about a Moorish general (Johan Botha) who comes to suspect his wife (Renée Fleming) of infidelity due to seeds of doubt sowed by a treacherous aide (Falk Struckmann). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Otello

Thomas Adès conducts his operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest." The production stars Simon Keenlyside as the exiled Prospero and Isabel Leonard as his daughter Miranda, who falls for the son (Alek Shrader) of her father's rival after a shipwreck brings him to their island. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

The Tempest

Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito" stars Elina Garanca in the trouser role of Sesto, who finds himself enmeshed in an assassination plot against Roman emperor Titus (Giuseppe Filianoti) through the manipulations of vengeful Vitellia (Barbara Frittoli), the daughter of a deposed emperor, after her hopes of becoming his consort are dashed. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

La Clemenza di Tito

Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera," about a Swedish king (Marcelo Álvarez) pursuing an affair with his best friend's wife (Sondra Radvanovsky). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Un Ballo in Maschera

Verdi's "Rigoletto" is updated to 1960s-era Las Vegas, where a womanizing lounge singer (Piotr Beczala) seduces the daughter (Diana Damrau) of his sidekick (Zeljko Lucic), causing his pal to seek revenge by hiring a hit man (Stefan Kocán) to off him. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Rigoletto

Liudmyla Monastyrska and Roberto Alagna star in Verdi's "Aida," about a military commander in ancient Egypt who risks his life for the love of an enslaved Ethiopian princess. Fabio Luisi conducts. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Berlioz's "Les Troyens," about a Trojan military commander (Bryan Hymel) who flees the fallen Troy and lands in the North African kingdom of Carthage, where he falls for the queen (Susan Graham). Deborah Voigt plays Cassandra, the Trojan prophetess whose warnings about an apparent gift from the Greeks are ignored. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Les Troyens

A performance of Gaetano Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda," about the rivalry between Mary, Queen of Scots (Joyce DiDonato) and Elizabeth I (Elza van den Heever). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Maria Stuarda

Richard Wagner's "Parsifal," about a fool (Jonas Kaufmann) who may be key to a wounded king's recovery. The cast also includes René Pape as knight Gurnemanz; Katarina Dalayman as siren Kundry; Peter Mattei as King Amfortas; and Evgeny Nikitin as Klingsor, the evil wizard. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Parsifal

A production of Riccardo Zandonai's "Francesca da Rimini," about a doomed romance between a warlord's wife (Eva-Maria Westbroek) and brother (Marcello Giordani). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Francesca da Rimini

David Daniels and Natalie Dessay star in David McVicar's imaginative take on "Giulio Cesare," Handel's opera about Caesar and Cleopatra. The cast also includes Alice Coote in the trouser role of Sesto, a Roman youth; Guido Loconsolo as Egyptian general Achilla; and John Moore as Roman general Curio. Host: Renée Fleming. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Giulio Cesare

Season 8 opens with Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," starring Anna Netrebko as Tatiana, a young Russian who's rebuffed by the object of her affection, Eugene Onegin (Mariusz Kwiecien). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

William Kentridge's production of Shostakovich's "The Nose," about a hapless bureaucrat (Paulo Szot) and his runaway nose (Alexander Lewis). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

The Nose

Puccini's "Tosca" stars soprano Patricia Racette as the title character, whose lover (Roberto Alagna) is arrested and threatened with death unless she gives herself to the police chief (George Gagnidze). Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

A production of Verdi's "Falstaff," updated to take place in 1950s-era London. The boorish Sir John Falstaff (Ambrogio Maestri) schemes to seduce the wives of two wealthy men in order to pay off his debts, but the women—after comparing the similar love letters he sent them—turn his plan upside down. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Falstaff

Renée Fleming stars in Dvorák's "Rusalka," about a water sprite who loves a human prince (Piotr Beczala). The cast also includes Dolora Zajickas as the witch Ježibaba; Emily Mageeas as Rusalka's rival; and John Relyea as Rusalka's father. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Rusalka

Alexander Borodin's "Prince Igor," about a 12th-century Russian ruler (Ildar Abdrazakov) who defends his country against invading forces. The opera, which was unfinished at the time of Borodin's 1887 death, includes orchestrated passages by composer-conductor Pavel Smelkov. Soprano Oksana Dykain appears as Igor's wife, Yaroslavna; mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili plays the Polovtsian princess Konchakovna; and tenor Sergey Semishkur plays Igor's son, Vladimir Igorevich. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Prince Igor

Puccini's "La Bohème," about a doomed love affair between poet Rodolfo (Vittorio Grigolo) and seamstress Mimi (Kristine Opolais) in 1830s Paris. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Richard Eyre, whose hit production of Bizet’s Carmen premiered at the Met in 2009, directs the new staging, which is conducted by Alain Altinoglu. French mezzo-soprano Sophie Koch, in her Met debut is Charlotte, the object of Werther’s unrequited love, in a cast that also includes Lisette Oropesa as Sophie, Serbian bass-baritone David Bižić in his Met debut as Albert, and Jonathan Summers as Le Bailli. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Werther

Lesley Koenig‘s sleek production features a cast filled with rising Met stars, including Susanna Phillips and Isabel Leonard as the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella; Matthew Polenzani and Rodion Pogossov as their fiancés, Ferrando and Guglielmo; and Danielle de Niese as their feisty maid Despina. Maurizio Muraro is the cynical Don Alfonso. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Così fan tutte

Joyce DiDonato sings the title role in Rossini’s Cinderella story, La Cenerentola, with bel canto master Juan Diego Flórez as her dashing prince. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads a cast that also includes Pietro Spagnoli in his Met debut as the servant Dandini, Alessandro Corbelli as Cenerentola’s stepfather Don Magnifico, and Luca Pisaroni as Don Ramiro’s tutor, Alidoro. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

The season nine premiere of Great Performances at the Met is Mozart’s elegant masterpiece of marital discord, Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Met Music Director James Levine and staged by Richard Eyre. Ildar Abdrazakov sings the title role, Marlis Petersen plays Figaro’s quick-witted bride-to-be, Susanna, and Peter Mattei is Count Almaviva.

Le Nozze di Figaro

The starry cast includes Serbian baritone Željko Lučić in the title role; Russian star soprano Anna Netrebko in her North American debut as the fatally ambitious Lady Macbeth; German bass René Pape as Banquo, one of the victims of Macbeth’s bloody rise to the throne; and Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja as Macbeth’s heroic rival Macduff. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Acclaimed director Richard Eyre’s production of Carmen stars Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili in the title role of the seductive gypsy, a part she has sung to acclaim at many of the world’s leading opera houses. Aleksandrs Antonenko sings the obsessed soldier Don José, soprano Anita Hartig is Micaëla, and Ildar Abdrazakov is the toreador Escamillo, led by Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

In an acclaimed staging by Bartlett Sher, Il Barbiere di Siviglia stars Lawrence Brownlee as the lovestruck Count Almaviva; Isabel Leonard as Rosina, the feisty ward who captures his heart; and Christopher Maltman in his first Met performances of Figaro, the title barber whose skills extend far beyond hair-cutting. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Met Music Director James Levine leads Wagner’s grand comedy Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master-Singer of Nuremberg).  German baritone Michael Volle stars as cobbler-poet Hans Sachs, with South African tenor Johan Botha as Walther, German soprano Annette Dasch as Eva, German baritone Johannes Martin Kränzle in his Met debut as Beckmesser, German bass Hans-Peter König as Pogner, American tenor Paul Appleby as David, and Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill as Magdalene. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo stars as the tortured poet unlucky in love in Broadway director Bartlett Sher's production of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Originally broadcast live in movie theaters as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Les Contes d’Hoffmann

Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman, whose many credits include the Tony Award-winning musicals Crazy for You, Contact, and The Producers, makes her Met debut with a lavish new staging of Lehár’s effervescent operetta The Merry Widow. Star soprano Renée Fleming adds a beguiling new character to her wide-ranging Met repertory as Hanna, the widowed Pontevedrian millionairess.

The Merry Widow

Valery Gergiev conducts the double bill, which is a co-production with Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera. Anna Netrebko stars as the title character in Iolanta, with Piotr Beczala and Aleksei Markov as Vaudémont and Robert, two rivals for her love. Nadja Michael sings the central role of Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle, with Mikhail Petrenko as her mysterious and menacing new husband.

Iolanta and Bluebeard’s Castle

Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez star in Rossini’s La Donna del Lago, the Met’s first production of the bel canto showcase.

La Donna del Lago

Sir David McVicar directs the first new Met production of the popular verismo double bill in 45 years, with Argentinean tenor Marcelo Álvarez making his company role debut in both leading tenor parts: the unrepentant seducer Turiddu and the clown Canio. Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek sings the role of Santuzza, the abandoned woman at the heart of Cavalleria Rusticana, and American soprano Patricia Racette stars as Canio’s ill-fated wife Nedda in Pagliacci. George Gagnidze also stars in both operas, singing the principal baritone roles of Alfio in Cavalleria and Tonio in Pagliacci. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads both operas.

Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci

Soprano Anna Netrebko appears in her Met role debut as Leonora, the tortured heroine who sacrifices her own life for the love of the Gypsy troubadour. Dmitri Hvorostovsky sings Count di Luna, Yonghoon Lee is Manrico in his Met role debut as the title character, Dolora Zajick sings her signature role of the gypsy Azucena, and Štefan Kocán is Ferrando. Marco Armiliato conducts Sir David McVicar’s Goya-inspired production.

For this production of Verdi's tragic opera, Aleksandrs Antonenko, one of the world’s leading interpreters of Otello, sings his first Met performances of the role, opposite Sonya Yoncheva as Desdemona and Željko Lučić as the villainous Iago.

Richard Wagner’s early masterpiece Tannhäuser comes to Great Performances at the Met for the first time. James Levine conducts Tannhäuser in Otto Schenk's classic production, with Johan Botha in his Met role debut in the titular role. Eva-Maria Westbroek, Michelle DeYoung, Peter Mattei, and Gunther Groissbock. It is the production’s first Met revival in more than a decade.

Tannhauser

Alban Berg’s tragedy of a sexually irresistible woman who destroys the lives of everyone around her. Marlis Petersen stars and visual artist William Kentridge directs.

Lulu

The Met’s acclaimed new production of Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers (Les Pêcheurs de Perles), a rarity by the composer of Carmen that has not been staged by the company in a century.

The Pearl Fishers (Pêcheurs de Perles)

Hear Swedish soprano Nina Stemme sing the demanding title role of Puccini’s Chinese ice princess, with Anita Hartig as the angelic slave girl Liù and Marco Berti as Calàf. Paolo Carignani conducts Franco Zeffirelli’s spectacular 1987 production.

Hear Kristine Opolais and Roberto Alagna as the ill-fated lovers in Puccini’s passionate adaptation of the classic novel about a free-spirited country girl. Sir Richard Eyre’s new production, conducted by Fabio Luisi, is set in the 1940s.

Kristine Opolais brings her heartbreaking interpretation of the title role to the series for the first time. Roberto Alagna sings Lieutenant Pinkerton, the callous officer who crushes Butterfly's dreams of love. Debuting conductor Karel Mark Chichon leads a cast that includes Maria Zifchak as Suzuki and Dwayne Croft as Sharpless.

The last opera in Donizetti’s Tudor trilogy, directed by Sir David McVicar, stars Sondra Radvanovsky as Elizabeth I and features Matthew Polenzani, Elina Garanca and Mariusz Kwiecien. Maurizio Benini conducts.

Roberto Devereux

Elektra, Richard Strauss’s blazing tragedy about an ancient Greek princess hell-bent on revenge, is the final opera production by the legendary director Patrice Chéreau who died in 2013. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts an extraordinary cast headed by Nina Stemme as the obsessed and bloodthirsty title character.

Elektra

Sir Simon Rattle Conducts Tristan und Isolde on the season premiere of Great Performances. Nina Stemme and Stuart Skelton Star in New Staging by Mariusz Treliński.

The Metropolitan Opera's series of live performance transmissions to movie theaters around the world.

All Episodes of Great Performances at the Met

All Episodes of Great Performances at the Met

Season 1

The Magic Flute

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/24/2007

I Puritani

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 2/17/2007

The First Emperor

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 3/24/2007

Eugene Onegin

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/21/2007

The Barber of Seville

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/26/2007

Il trittico

Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 6/16/2007