The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, seen from Lincoln Center Plaza

The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. The City of New York Grand Opera is a genre of 19th-century Opera generally in four or five acts characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras and (in their original productions lavish and The Metropolitan is America's largest classical music organization, and annually presents some 240 opera performances, either as new productions (sometimes productions borrowed from or shared with) other major opera houses in America and abroad. The home of the company, the Metropolitan Opera House is one of the premier opera stages in the world, considered by some as one of the best and is among the biggest in the world. The Met, as it is commonly called, is one of the twelve resident organizations at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

During each new season (starting in September and ending in May the next year) the Met hosts the best singers from around the world, many famous of them either started their career here or were engaged here sooner or later and the Met was essential a cornerstone of their world fame. Some of operas were commissioned by the Met to have their world premiere here, many of them in the presence of the composer.

The institution is world-wide famous from the greatly apprised and artistically standing on high grounds top performances.

Each season, starting since end of 1931, the Met gives regular live broadcast on radio of most of new and revived productions each season once per week during its Saturday matinee performances (some of them were even televised starting from 1977). Starting from 2006-2007 season those broadcasts are expanded to four per week and are available on Sirius Satellite Radio plus archival collections reaching vast accumulated library of many a previous historical broadcasts. And starting from December 2006, the Met presents some of performances in simulcast in High Definition to movie theatres in America and around the world. Simulcast is a Portmanteau of " simul taneous broad' cast' " and refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one

History of the Company

A full house at the old Metropolitan Opera House, seen from the rear of the stage, at the Metropolitan Opera House for a concert by pianist Józef Hofmann, November 28, 1937. Józef Kazimierz Hofmann (born January 20, 1876 in Krakau (Kraków Austria-Hungary; died February 16, 1957 in Los For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

The Metropolitan Opera Association was founded in 1880 to create an alternative to the Academy of Music. The Academy of Music was a Theater and Opera house located at East 14th Street and Irving Place in Manhattan, New York City The Academy represented the highest social circle in New York society, and the board of directors were loath to admit members of new wealthy families into their circle. The initial group of subscribers included the Morgan, Roosevelt, Astor and Vanderbilt families. Their creation, The Metropolitan Opera, long outlasted the Academy. Henry Abbey served as manager for the inaugural season 1883-84 which opened with presentation of Faust on October 22, 1883. Henry Eugene Abbey ( June 27, 1846 - October 17, 1896) was an American Theatre manager and producer Faust is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Events 202 BC - Hannibal Barca, leader of the Carthaginians, is defeated by the Roman legions under Scipio Africanus Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

Following Abbey's inaugural season, which had resulted in very large deficits, operas were given by a "pick-up" ensemble of relatively inexpensive German singers (which nevertheless included some of the most celebrated singers in Germany) who performed an international repertory, albeit in German.

This anomalous situation terminated at the time of the Great Fire, following which the Golden Age of Opera arrived at the Metropolitan under the celebrated management of Maurice Grau 1892-1903. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting The greatest (and most highly paid) operatic artists in the world then graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, notably the brothers Jean and Edouard de Reszke, Lilli Lehmann, Lillian Nordica, Nellie Melba, Milka Trnina, Emma Eames, Sofia Scalchi, Eugenia Mantelli, Jean Lassalle, Mario Ancona, Victor Maurel, Antonio Scotti and Pol Plançon. Jean de Reszke, born Jan Mieczyslaw, ( 14 January 1850 &ndash 3 April 1925) was a Polish Tenor. Edouard de Reszke, born as Edward, ( 22 December 1853 - 25 May 1917) was a Polish Operatic bass born in Lilli Lehmann ( November 24, 1848 Würzburg - May 17, 1929 Berlin) was a German Operatic Lillian Nordica ( December 12 1857 &thinsp–&thinsp May 10 1914) was a American Opera singer who had an important international WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 &ndash 23 February 1931 born Helen Porter Milka Ternina or Milka Trnina ( December 19, 1863 – May 18, 1941) was a Croatian dramatic Soprano with an outstanding Emma Eames ( August 13, 1865 - June 13, 1952) was an American Soprano. Sofia Scalchi ( November 29, 1850 - August 22, 1922) was an Italian Contralto. Jean Lassalle (born 3 May 1955 in Lourdios-Ichère, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France) is a French Occitan Mario Ancona (1860-1931 was an Italian Baritone, born in Livorno, Tuscany to a Jewish family Victor Maurel ( June 17, 1848 in Marseilles - October 22, 1923 in New York City) was a French Baritone. Antonio Scotti ( January 25, 1866 - February 26, 1936) was an Italian Baritone. Pol-Henri Plançon ( June 12, 1851 – August 11, 1914) was a French Operatic bass ( basse chantante

From 1898 to 1986, the Metropolitan Opera went on a six-week tour following its season in New York. These were cancelled because of financial losses.

Lionel Mapleson (1865–1937), a violinist and librarian of the Metropolitan, made the first recordings of live performances at the Metropolitan. From 1900 to 1904, Lionel Mapleson set up an Edison cylinder machine in the Metropolitan Opera House to record excerpts of performances. These cylinders preserve an early audio glimpse of the Met and are the only known extant recordings of some performers, including Jean de Reszke. Jean de Reszke, born Jan Mieczyslaw, ( 14 January 1850 &ndash 3 April 1925) was a Polish Tenor. The recordings were later issued on a series of LPs and, in 2002, were included in the National Recording Registry. ^[1] While many of the cylinders became greatly worn over the years, some still retain remarkable sound, particularly of choruses such as the waltz and "Soldier's Chorus" from Faust and the triumphal scene from Act 2 of Aida. Mapleson placed his machine in various locations, including the prompter's box, the side of the stage, and in the "flies," which enabled him to record the soloists, chorus, and orchestra, as well as the audience's applause. Many of the original cylinders are preserved in the Rodgers & Hammestein Archives of Recorded Sound at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. ^[2]

The administration of Heinrich Conried in 1903–1908, which saw the arrival of Enrico Caruso, unquestionably the most celebrated singer who ever appeared at the Old Metropolitan, was followed by the 25-year reign, 1908-1935 of the magisterial Giulio Gatti-Casazza, whose model planning, authoritative organizational skills and brilliant casts raised the level of Metropolitan Opera to a prolonged and unforgettable Silver Age. Heinrich Conried (1855-1909 was a theatrical manager born in Bielitz, Austrian Silesia. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Enrico Caruso (born Errico Caruso; February 25 1873 &ndash August 2 1921) was an Italian Opera singer Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Giulio Gatti-Casazza ( February 3 1869 &ndash September 2 1940) was the manager of La Scala and then the Metropolitan Opera A prominent lawyer Paul Cravath became Chairman of the Met. Paul Drennan Cravath ( July 14, 1861 – July 1, 1940) was a millionaire Lawyer of Manhattan and a partner of in 1931. ^[3]

Again, the greatest singers and conductors appeared at the Met. At one point, both Arturo Toscanini and Gustav Mahler were regular conductors at the Met. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Arturo Toscanini (ɑrˈturɔ ˌtɔskɑˈnini (March 25 1867 &ndash January

The noted Canadian operatic tenor, Edward Johnson, was general manager between 1935 and 1950, successfully guiding the company through the dark years of the Depression and World War II. Edward Patrick Johnson (1878 &ndash 1959 was a Canadian Opera singer and director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Zinka Milanov, Jussi Björling, Richard Tucker and Robert Merrill were first heard at the Met under his management. Zinka Milanov née Zinka Kunc ( May 17, 1906 in Zagreb, Croatia – May 30, WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Johan Jonatan (sometimes spelled as "Bjoerling" in English-language sources ( 5 Richard Tucker ( August 28, 1913 &ndash January 8, 1975) was an American operatic Tenor. Robert Merrill ( June 4, 1917 &ndash October 23, 2004) was an American Operatic Baritone. Sir Thomas Beecham, George Szell and Bruno Walter were among the great conductors of the Johnson era. Sir Thomas Beecham 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 1879 &ndash 8 March 1961 was a British conductor and Impresario. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> George Szell (ˈsɛl ( June 7, 1897 &ndash July WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Bruno Walter ( September 15, 1876 &ndash February

An aristocratic Austrian-turned-Englishman, Sir Rudolf Bing, was manager between 1950 and 1972 . Sir Rudolf Bing ( January 9, 1902 &ndash September 2, 1997) was an Austrian-born Opera Impresario. Bing modernized the administration of the Company, ended an archaic ticket sales system, and ended the Company's weekly one-night stands in Philadelphia. He presided over an era of great singing and glittering new productions, and guided the company's move to a new home in Lincoln Center. Among the many great artists Sir Rudolf introduced to New York audiences were Maria Callas, Birgit Nilsson, Renata Tebaldi, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Ángeles, Montserrat Caballé, Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Carlo Bergonzi, Nicolai Gedda, Jon Vickers, Giorgio Tozzi and Cesare Siepi. Birgit Nilsson ( May 17, 1918 &ndash December 25, 2005) was a Swedish Dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic WikipediaWikiProject_Opera#Infoboxes --> Renata Tebaldi ( Pesaro, Italy WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (born 7 November 1926 Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, DBE ( December 9, 1915 &ndash August 3, 2006) was a German -born Austrian British Victoria de los Ángeles (in Catalan Victòria dels Àngels ( November 1, 1923 &ndash January 15 Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepció Caballé i Folc, better known as Montserrat Caballé (born April 12 1933) is a Spanish Catalan Mario Del Monaco ( Florence July 27, 1915 - October 16, 1982 in Mestre) was an Italian Tenor and Franco Corelli (8 April 1921 – 29 October 2003 was an Italian Tenor active in Opera from 1951 to 1976 Carlo Bergonzi (born 13 July 1924) is an Italian operatic Tenor. The Swedish Tenor Nicolai Gedda (born July 11, 1925) is a famous Opera singer and recitalist See also John Vickers, a British economist Jon S Vickers CC, D Giorgio Tozzi (born January 8 1923, in Chicago Illinois) was for many years a leading bass with the Metropolitan Opera, and was seen Cesare Siepi (born Milan, February 10, 1923) is an Italian opera singer generally considered to be one of the finest basses Critics of Bing complained of a lack of great conducting during his regime, but he did offer such fine conductors as Fritz Stiedry, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Pierre Monteux, Erich Leinsdorf, Fritz Reiner, Karl Böhm and Herbert von Karajan. Fritz Stiedry (born October 11th 1883 in Vienna, died August 8 1968 in Zurich) was an Austrian conductor. Dimitris Mitropoulos (Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος ( &ndash November 2, 1960) known in the West as Dimitri Mitropoulos WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Pierre Monteux ( April 4, 1875 &ndash July WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Erich Leinsdorf ( Erich Landauer) ( February 4, WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner ( December 19, 1888 WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Karl August Leopold Böhm ( August 28, 1894 &ndash WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Herbert von Karajan ( April 5

Among the achievements of Bing's tenure was the integration of the Met's artistic roster. Marian Anderson's historic 1955 debut was followed by the introduction of a whole generation of fine African-American artists led by Leontyne Price (who inaugurated the new house in Lincoln Center), Grace Bumbry, George Shirley, and many others. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Marian Anderson (February 27 1897 – April 8 1993 was an American Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American Opera singer ( Soprano) Grace Bumbry (born 4 January 1937) an American Opera Singer, was considered one George Irving Shirley (born April 18 1934 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a renowned tenor opera singer

Following Bing's retirement in 1972, the Met's management was overseen by a succession of executives including Schuyler Chapin, Anthony Bliss, Bruce Crawford and Hugh Southern. Schuyler Garrison Chapin (born 13 February 1923) is a former Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for New York City during the administration of Mayor Anthony Bliss ( ? -1815 was a clergyman of the Church of England. All of these men led the Met in partnership with Music Director James Levine, the Met's guiding artistic force through the last third of the 20th century. James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist.

After a 16-year tenure, General Manager Joseph Volpe retired on 31 July 2006. Joseph Volpe (born July 2, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York) was general manager of the Metropolitan Opera from 1990–2006

The current General Manager is Peter Gelb. Peter Gelb (born 1953 is an American arts administrator He is currently General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Gelb began outlining his plans for the future in April 2006. These plans include more productions each year, ideas for shaving staging costs and attracting new audiences without deterring existing opera-lovers, whose average age, at the Met, is over 60. Gelb sees these issues as crucial for an organization which, to a far greater extent than any of the other great opera theatres of the world, is dependent on private financing.

Gelb is being watched to see if his enthusiasm at Sony Classical, where he previously worked, for "cross-over" productions (e. is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with g. Yo-Yo Ma playing country music) might spill over into the Met's schedules. This is an Anglicized version of the Chinese name "Ma Yo-yo" the family name is " Ma " He calls himself "an old-style producer," but saw little future for purely classical recording when working in the classical-record business, an attitude that caused some anger.

The Met on radio, TV and in movie theatres

Radio broadcasts

Outside of New York the Met has been known to audiences in large measure through its many years of live radio broadcasts. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. The Met's broadcast history goes back to January 1910 when radio pioneer Lee DeForest broadcast two live performances from the stage of the Met that were reportedly heard as far away as Newark, New Jersey. Today the annual Met broadcast season typically begins the first week of December and offers twenty live Saturday matinée performances through May.

The first network broadcast was heard on December 25, 1931, a performance of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Engelbert Humperdinck ( September 1, 1854 &ndash September 27, 1921) was a German Composer, best known for his Opera Hänsel und Gretel is an Opera by Engelbert Humperdinck (Humperdinck himself described it as a Fairy opera. The series came about as the Met, financially endangered in the early years of the Great Depression, sought to enlarge its audience and support through national exposure on network radio. Initially the broadcasts featured only partial performances. Broadcasts of complete operas began March 11, 1933, with the transmission of Tristan und Isolde with Frida Leider and Lauritz Melchoir. Tristan und Isolde ( Tristan and Isolde, or Tristan and Isolda) is an Opera, or Music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner

The live broadcasts were originally heard on NBC Radio's Blue Network and continued on the Blue Network's successor, ABC, into the 1960s. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's The Blue Network was the on-air name of an American radio production and distribution service from 1942 to 1945 which traced its formal origins back to 1927 The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. As network radio waned, the Met founded its own Metropolitan Opera Radio Network which is now heard on radio stations around the world. In Canada the live broadcasts have been heard since December 1933 first on the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission^[4] and, since 1934, on its successor, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation where they are currently heard on CBC Radio 2. The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC was Canada's first Public broadcaster and the immediate precursor to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. CBC Radio 2 is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Technical quality of the broadcasts steadily improved over the years. FM broadcasts were added in the 1950's, transmitted to stations via telephone lines. With the arrival of 1973/74 season, all broadcasts were offered in FM stereo. See also Frequency modulation, FM band FM broadcasting is a broadcast Technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical Satellite technology later allowed uniformly excellent broadcast sound to be sent live world-wide.

The first broadcasts were offered by NBC itself. Later, commercial sponsors included Colgate-Palmolive. Sponsorship of the Saturday afternoon broadcasts by the The Texas Company (Texaco) began on December 7, 1940 with Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron" Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans The Marriage of Figaro or the Day of Madness) K Texaco's support continued for 63 years, the longest continuous sponsorship in broadcast history and included the first PBS television broadcasts. After its merger with Chevron, however, the combined company ChevronTexaco ended its sponsorship of the Met's radio network in April 2004. Emergency grants allowed the broadcasts to continue through 2005 when the home building company Toll Brothers stepped in to become primary sponsor. Toll Brothers is a Horsham, Pennsylvania based luxury homes Builder.

In the seven decades of its Saturday broadcasts, the Met has been introduced by the voices of only three permanent announcers. The legendary Milton Cross served from the inaugural broadcast until his death in 1975. Milton John Cross ( April 16 1897 – January 2, 1975) was an American radio announcer famous for his work on the NBC and ABC radio networks He was succeeded by Peter Allen, who presided for 29 years through the 2003-2004 season. Peter Allen is an American broadcaster and radio announcer based in New York City The present host of the broadcasts, Margaret Juntwait, began her tenure the following season. Margaret Juntwait (born 1957 is an American Radio broadcaster who is the voice of the Metropolitan Opera 's Saturday afternoon broadcasts Since September 2006 she has also served as host for all of the live and recorded broadcasts on the Met's Sirius satellite radio channel. Other announcers have included Lloyd Moss who twice substituted for Cross and Deems Taylor who was heard briefly as co-host during the early years. Deems Taylor (born Joseph Taylor) ( 22 December 1885 - July 3, 1966) was a U In recent seasons William Berger and Ira Siff have been heard as co-hosts with Miss Juntwait.

Satellite radio

Metropolitan Opera Radio, a 24/7 opera channel carrying four evenings each week of live broadcasts from the current season plus archived broadcasts from past seasons during other hours, was created in September 2006 when the Met started a multi-year relationship with Sirius Satellite Radio. Metropolitan Opera Radio is an all- Opera Radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 78 and DISH Network channel 6085 ^[5] Margaret Juntwait was named the official announcer of Metropolitan Opera Radio. ^[6]

Television

The Met's experiments with television go back to 1948 when the opening night performance of "Der Rosenkavalier" was broadcast live on network TV. A short-lived experiment with closed circuit telecasts to movie theaters was also attempted, but with the exception of an occasional gala or special the Met did not become a presence on television until 1977. In that year the company began a series of live television broadcasts on public television with a wildly successful live telecast of La Bohème with Renata Scotto and Luciano Pavarotti. This new series of opera on PBS was called Live from the Met. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Live from the Met was an American television program that presented performances of complete operas from the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, on the It remained on the air until the early 2000's, although the live broadcasts gave way to taped performances in the 1980's and the series became The Metropolitan Opera Presents. Dozens of televised performances were broadcast including an historic complete telecast of Wagner's Ring Cycle in 1989. Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung) is a cycle of four epic Music dramas by the German composer

The Met returned to the air on PBS in 2007 in a new series called Great Performances @ The Met. In 2008 the Met and PBS offered an unprecedented fourteen opera telecasts, the most ever presented in one season. In addition to opera, television programs produced at the opera house have included the CBS network special "Sills and Burnett at the Met" in 1976, and the MTV Video Music Awards in 1999 and 2001. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The MTV Video Music Awards were established in the end of the summer of 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top Music videos of the year

Met broadcasts to movie theaters

Beginning on December 30, 2006, as part of the company's effort to build revenues and attract new audiences, the Met (along with NCM Fathom)^[7] broadcast a series of six performances live via satellite into movie theaters called "Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD". National CineMedia LLC (NCM ( operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America through long-term agreements with its founding members AMC Entertainment ^[8] The first broadcast was the Saturday matinee live performance of the 110-minute version of Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute. Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director of Broadway theatre and film The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K 620 is an Opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ^[9] The series was carried in over 100 movie theaters across North America, Japan, Britain and several other European countries. ^[10] During the 2006-07 season, the series included live HD transmissions of I Puritani, The First Emperor, Eugene Onegin, The Barber of Seville, and Il Trittico. I puritani ( The Puritans) is an Opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. The First Emperor is an Opera in two acts with a Libretto written in English by Tan Dun and Ha Jin, and music by Tan Dun Eugene Onegin ( Russian: Евгений Онегин BGN/PCGN: Yevgeniy Onegin) is a Novel in verse written by Aleksandr Pushkin The Barber of Seville or The Useless Precaution ( Il barbiere di Siviglia ossia L'inutile precauzione) is an Opera buffa in two acts by Il trittico ( The Triptych) is the title to a collection of three one-act operas Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, In addition, limited repeat showings of the operas were offered in most of the presenting cities. Digital sound for the performances was provided by Sirius Satellite Radio.

These movie transmissions have received wide and generally favorable press coverage. ^[11] The Met reports that 91% of available seats were sold for the HD performances. ^[12] According to General Manager Peter Gelb, there were 60,000 people in cinemas around the world watching the March 24 transmission of The Barber of Seville. ^[13] The New York Times reported that 324,000 tickets were sold worldwide for the 2006-07 season, while each simulcast cost $850,000 to $1 million to produce. ^[14]

For the 2007-08 season, eight of the Met's productions are being presented as Metropolitan Opera's "Live in HD" series beginning December 15, 2007 with Roméo et Juliette and ending with La fille du régiment on April 26, 2008. The Metropolitan Opera's "Live in HD" series is an initiative of New York 's Metropolitan Opera to broadcast live performances in High definition video Roméo et Juliette ( Romeo and Juliet) is an Opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules La fille du régiment ( The Daughter of the Regiment) is an Opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. ^[15]. The Met plans to broadcast to double the number of theaters in the US as the previous season, as well as to additional countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The number of participating venues in the US, which includes movie theatre chains as well as independent theatres and some college campus venues, is 343. ^[14][16] While "the scope of the series expands to include more than 700 locations across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. . . . The Met has said that it hopes to reach as many as one million audience members with this season's HD transmissions"^[17]

Opera Houses

The Metropolitan Opera in 1905, looking uptown

The "Old Met"

The first Metropolitan Opera House opened on October 22, 1883, with a performance of Faust. Events 202 BC - Hannibal Barca, leader of the Carthaginians, is defeated by the Roman legions under Scipio Africanus Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Faust is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play It was located on 1411 Broadway, occupying the whole block between West 39th Street and West 40th Street on the west side of the street ( 40°45′15″N, 73°59′15″W) in the Garment District of Midtown. Broadway, as the name implies is a wide avenue in New York City. The Garment District is a Neighborhood of the New York City Borough of Manhattan, located between Fifth and Ninth Avenues from See also Manhattan Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial Nicknamed "The Yellow Brick Brewery" for its industrial looking exterior, the original Metropolitan Opera House was designed by J. Cleaveland Cady. J(osiah Cleaveland Cady ( Providence Rhode Island, 1837 - April 17 1919 was a New York -based architect whose most familiar surviving building is the south range On August 27, 1892 the nine-year-old theater was gutted by fire. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The 1892-93 season was canceled while the opera house was rebuilt along its original lines.

In 1903 the interior of the opera house was extensively redesigned by the architects Carrère and Hastings. The familiar golden auditorium with its sunburst chandelier, and curved proscenium inscribed with the names of six composers (Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Gounod and Verdi), dates from this time. The first of the Met's signature gold damask stage curtains was installed in 1906, completing the look that the old Metropolitan Opera House maintained until its closing.

In 1940 ownership of the opera house shifted from the wealthy families who occupied the theatre's boxes to the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association. At this time the last major change to the auditorium's interior was completed. The second tier of privately held boxes (the "grand tier") was converted into standard row seating. This enlarged the seating capacity and left only the first tier of boxes from the "golden horseshoe" of the opera house's origins as a showplace for New York society.

While the theater was noted for its excellent acoustics and elegant interior, as early as the turn of the century the backstage facilities were deemed to be severely inadequate for a large opera company. The Met's scenery and sets were a regular sight leaning against the building outside on 39th Street where they had to be shifted between performances. Various plans were put forward over the years to build a new home for the company and designs for new opera houses were created by various architects including Joseph Urban. Joseph Urban ( May 26, 1872 &ndash July 10, 1933) Born in Vienna, Austria, died in New York City, trained as Proposed new locations included Columbus Circle and what is now Rockefeller Center, but none of these plans came to fruition. Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Only with the development of Lincoln Center on New York's Upper West Side did the Met finally have the opportunity to build a modern opera house. The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River

The old Met closed on April 16, 1966 with a sentimental gala farewell performance featuring nearly all of the company's current leading artists. Zinka Milanov made her last Met appearance that night, and among the many invited guests was soprano Anna Case who had made her debut at the house in 1906. Zinka Milanov née Zinka Kunc ( May 17, 1906 in Zagreb, Croatia – May 30, The original building, having failed to obtain landmark status, was razed in 1967. It was replaced by a modern office building intended to provide a steady income for the opera company.

The Met at Lincoln Center

The present Metropolitan Opera House, with approximately 3,800 seats, is located at Lincoln Center at Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side and was designed by architect Wallace K. Harrison. Lincoln Square is the Name of both a square and the surrounding Neighborhood within the Upper West Side of the New York City The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River Wallace Kirkman Harrison ( September 28 1895 - December 2[[ 981]] was an American twentieth-century Architect Although west-east roads do not run through Lincoln Center itself, the Metropolitan Opera House is parallel to the block from West 63rd Street to West 64th Street. The rear of the House meets Amsterdam Avenue and the entrance to the Opera House is at Lincoln Center Plaza which begins at Columbus Avenue. Tenth Avenue / Amsterdam Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Ninth Avenue / Columbus Avenue is a southbound thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The building is clad in white travertine and the east facade is graced with five similar arches. Travertine is a Sedimentary rock. It is a natural chemical precipitate of Carbonate minerals; typically Aragonite, but often recrystallized to On display in the lobby are two murals created for the space by Marc Chagall. Marc Chagall (מאַרק שאַגאַל&lrm Belarusian: Мойша Захаравіч Шагалаў Mojša Zaharavič Šagałaŭ; Russian: Марк The gold proscenium is 54' wide and 54' high. Proscenium theatre is a Theatre space whose primary feature is a large Archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage, through The main curtain is custom-woven gold damask and is the largest tab curtain in the world.

The new building opened on September 16, 1966, with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. Samuel Osborne Barber II ( March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American Composer of Orchestral, Opera, Antony and Cleopatra is an Opera in three acts by American composer Samuel Barber. The Metropolitan Opera performs grand opera in rotating repertory, each week presenting seven performances of 4 to 5 different productions. For other meanings of repertory please see Repertory (disambiguation. The highly mechanized stage and support space facilitates this presentation. There are 7 full stage elevators, (60' wide, with double decks) and three slipstages, the upstage one containing a 60' diameter revolve (turntable). There are 103 motorized battens (linesets) for overhead lifting and there are two 100' tall fully-enveloping cycloramas. A batten is a thin strip of solid material (usually Wood) Battens are used for various purposes in Building construction, as well as other various fields A cyclorama is a cylindrical panoramic painting designed to provide a viewer standing in the middle of the cylinder with a 360° view of the painting

Installed in 1995 at a cost of $2 million, an electronic libretto system , provides the audience with a translation of the opera’s text in English on individual screens mounted in front of each seat. The Electronic libretto system is used primarily in opera houses and is a device which presents translations of lyrics into an audience's language or transcribes lyrics that Known as "Met Titles", this system was the first in the world to be placed in an opera house with "each screen (having) a switch to turn it off, a filter to prevent the dim, yellow dot-matrix characters from disturbing nearby viewers and the option to display texts in multiple languages for newer productions (currently Spanish and German). Custom-designed, the system features rails of different heights for various sections of the house, individually designed displays for some box seats and commissioned translations costing up to $10,000 apiece. "^[18] Due to the height of and artwork on the proscenium, it was not feasible to have titles displayed above the stage, as is done in many opera houses. The idea of above-stage titles was also vehemently opposed by James Levine, the Met's music director.

While the Met Opera Company is on hiatus, the Metropolitan Opera House is home to the annual Spring season of American Ballet Theatre. See also American Ballet Theatre, based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century It is also regularly the location for touring opera and ballet companies including the Kirov, Bolshoi, and La Scala. In addition, the Met has presented recitals by Vladimir Horowitz, Kathleen Battle and others. Philip Glass's "Einstein on the Beach" was staged independently at the Met in 1976.

Principal Conductors

Although no conductor was officially titled "Music Director" until Rafael Kubelik, a number of conductors had ongoing influence on the quality and performance style of the orchestra throughout the Met's history. The Met has also had a great many celebrated guest conductors who are not listed here.

• James Levine (1973–present) (Principal Conductor; Music Director from 1975 on)
• Valery Gergiev (1997–present) (Principal Guest Conductor)
• Rafael Kubelík (1973–1974) (Music Director)
• Erich Leinsdorf (1957–1962)
• Dimitri Mitropoulos (1954–1960)
• Fritz Reiner (1949–1953)
• Fritz Busch (1945–1949)
• George Szell (1942–1946)
• Erich Leinsdorf (1938–1942) (principal conductor of German repertory)
• Tullio Serafin (1924–1934)
• Artur Bodanzky (1915–1939) (principal conductor of German repertory)
• Arturo Toscanini (1908–1915)
• Gustav Mahler (1908–1910)
• Alfred Hertz (1902–1915) (principal conductor of German repertory)
• Walter Damrosch (1884–1902)
• Anton Seidl (1885–1897)

Deaths at the Met

On March 4, 1960, Leonard Warren died of a stroke onstage after completing the aria "Urna fatale" in act two of Verdi's La Forza del Destino. James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Rafael Jeroným Kubelík ( June 29 1914 &ndash WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Erich Leinsdorf ( Erich Landauer) ( February 4, Dimitris Mitropoulos (Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος ( &ndash November 2, 1960) known in the West as Dimitri Mitropoulos WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner ( December 19, 1888 Fritz Busch ( 13 March 1890 - 14 September 1951) was a German conductor. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> George Szell (ˈsɛl ( June 7, 1897 &ndash July WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Erich Leinsdorf ( Erich Landauer) ( February 4, Tullio Serafin ( September 1, 1878 - February 2, 1968) was an Italian conductor of Opera. Artur Bodanzky (also written as Artur Bodzansky) ( December 16 1877 in Vienna – 23 November 1939 in New York WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Arturo Toscanini (ɑrˈturɔ ˌtɔskɑˈnini (March 25 1867 &ndash January WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Alfred Hertz ( July 15, 1872 &ndash April 17 Anton Seidl ( 7 May 1850 &ndash 28 March 1898) was a Hungarian conductor. The American Opera singer Leonard Warren ( April 21, 1911 - March 4, 1960) was a famous Baritone La forza del destino ( The Force of Destiny) is an Italian Opera by Giuseppe Verdi. ^[19]

On April 30, 1977, Betty Stone, a member of the Met chorus, was killed in an accident offstage during a tour performance of Il Trovatore in Cleveland. Il trovatore ( The Troubadour) is an Opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian Libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare ^[20]

On July 23, 1980, Helen Hagnes Mintiks, a Canadian-born violinist, was found dead at the bottom of an air shaft at the Met, murdered by a stagehand, Craig Crimmins, during a performance of the Berlin Ballet. ^[21][22]

On January 5, 1996, tenor Richard Versalle died while playing the role of Vitek in Leoš Janáček's The Makropulos Case. Leoš Janáček ( (July 3 1854 &ndash August 12 1928 was a Czech Composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher The Makropulos Affair (or The Makropulos Case, or The Makropulos Secret) ( Czech Věc Makropulos) is a three-act Opera Versalle was climbing a 20-foot ladder in the opening scene when he suffered a heart attack and fell to the stage. ^[23]

In addition, several audience members have died at the Met. The most well-known incident was the suicide of operagoer Bantcho Bantchevsky on January 23, 1988 during an intermission of Verdi's Macbeth. Bantcho Bantchevsky (also Bancho Banchevsky or Bancho Banchevski; Банчо Банчевски 1906 – January 23 1988) was a Bulgarian Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei ^{[24] [25]}

References

Bibliography

• Meyer, Martin The Met: One Hundred Years of Grand Opera, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983. ISBN 0-671-47087-6
• Robinson, Francis, Celebration: The Metropolitan Opera, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1979. ISBN 0-385-12975-0
• Wasserman, Adam, "Sirius Business", Opera News, December 2006

See also

• Metropolitan Opera Radio
• Metropolitan Opera Ballet

External links

• The Metropolitan Opera
• History of Metropolitan Opera
• Early Postcards of Metropolitan Opera
• Heather Mac Donald, "The Abduction of Opera", City Journal, Summer 2007
• Metropolitan Opera Broadcast Information
• Metropolitan Opera Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio
• Metropolitan Opera Broadcast via streaming audio
• MetOpera Database
• Full text of Chapters of Opera by Henry Edward Krehbiel from Project Gutenberg
• Guide to events at Metropolitan Opera House
• Met press release on the "Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD" broadcasts to cinemas
• New York Songlines entry for the old Metropolitan Opera House