At the Met, a visually stunning ‘Moby-Dick' surfaces but never goes deep
NEW YORK — On Monday, the Metropolitan Opera presented the company premiere of Jake Heggie's 'Moby-Dick' — the composer's 2010 operatic adaptation of Herman Melville's landmark 1851 novel.
And to get your first question out of the way: Alas and no, this whale watch has no whale. We see only Moby's massive eye. (And he appears to see us.)
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Associated Press
2 days ago
- Associated Press
Met singers' union gets 5% increase partly funded by $5M appropriation from New York state
NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera and the union for its soloists and chorus announced a one-year agreement Friday on a contract. The agreement calls for a 2.5% wage increase plus an additional temporary 2.5% hike that followed the labor group's assistance in securing a $5 million appropriation in New York state's budget. The deal between the Met and the American Guild of Musical Artists starts Aug. 1 and runs through July 31, 2026. It must be ratified by the union. AGMA also represents dancers, full-time actors, stage managers, stage directors and choreographers. The Met said AGMA helped lobby the state government for the appropriation, and the additional 2.5% rise will sunset when the deal expires. Two other major Met union deals expire July 31, with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, which represents the orchestra, and Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents stagehands.
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Watch Five Highlights From the Met Opera Season
There were some great shows at the Metropolitan Opera this season. I went three times to a vividly grim new production of Strauss's 'Salome' and to a revival of his sprawling 'Die Frau Ohne Schatten,' and I would have happily returned to either one. But overall the season, which ends on Saturday with a final performance of John Adams's 'Antony and Cleopatra,' had considerably more misses than hits. Lately, the company has given more resources to contemporary work. That's an admirable endeavor — and a risky one, both financially and creatively. This season the Met presented four recent operas, none of them box office home runs or truly satisfying artistically. 'Antony and Cleopatra' had passages of Adams's enigmatic melancholy, but the piece slogged under reams of dense Shakespearean verse. 'Grounded,' by Jeanine Tesori and George Brant, which opened the season in September, starred a potent Emily D'Angelo as a drone operator, but couldn't rise above a thin score. Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang's 'Ainadamar,' its music raucously eclectic, struggled to make its dreamlike account of Federico García Lorca's death into compelling drama. Best of the bunch was 'Moby-Dick,' by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer, a bit bland musically but at least clear and convincingly moody. The tenor Brandon Jovanovich's world-weary Ahab, stalking the stage with a belted-on peg leg, has stayed with me. So too has the pairing of a volatile Julia Bullock and Gerald Finley, the embodiment of weathered authority, as Adams's Cleopatra and Antony. Among other strong performances, Ben Bliss and Golda Schultz, the two leads in a revival of a scruffy staging of Mozart's 'Die Zauberflöte,' sang with melting poise. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
‘The Gilded Age' Season 3 Trailer: A New Generation Rises as Carrie Coon Tries to Secure Her Status in High Society
'The Gilded Age' is ushering in a new era. The third season of the beloved HBO series marks the start of Bertha's (Carrie Coon) reign. She already has secured her status as the patron saint of the Metropolitan Opera: Can she now have the approval of the old money elites? The Season 3 logline reads: 'Following the Opera War, the old guard is weakened and the Russells stand poised to take their place at the head of society. Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights while George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry — if it doesn't ruin him first. Across the street, the Brook household is thrown into chaos as Agnes refuses to accept Ada's new position as lady of the house. Peggy meets a handsome doctor from Newport whose family is less than enthusiastic about her career. As all of New York hastens toward the future, their ambition may come at the cost of what they truly hold dear.' More from IndieWire The Cast and Crew of 'St. Denis Medical' Found Joy and Warmth in the Show's Hospital Setting David Gauvey Herbert Reveals 'Ren Faire' Director Lance Oppenheim's Disarming Methods 'The Gilded Age' is an Emmy-nominated drama from 'Downton Abbey' creator Julian Fellowes. Along with Coon, the series stars Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, and Harry Richardson. The ensemble also includes Blake Ritson, Ben Ahlers, Ashlie Atkinson, Dylan Baker, Kate Baldwin, Victoria Clark, John Ellison Conlee, Michael Cumpsty, Kelley Curran, Jordan Donica, Jessica Frances Dukes, Claybourne Elder, Amy Forsyth, Jack Gilpin, LisaGay Hamilton, Ward Horton, Simon Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ben Lamb, Nathan Lane, Andrea Martin, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Debra Monk, Hattie Morahan, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Paul Alexander Nolan, Kelli O'Hara, Patrick Page, Rachel Pickup, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, Bobby Steggert, Erin Wilhelmi, John Douglas Thompson, Leslie Uggams, Merritt Wever, Bill Camp, and Phylicia Rashad. 'The Gilded Age' Season 3 will debut at Tribeca. Fellowes is the creator/writer/executive producer of the show. Gareth Neame, Bob Greenblatt, and David Crockett also executive produce, along with directors Michael Engler and Salli Richardson-Whitfield and writer Sonja Warfield. 'The Gilded Age' is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. 'The Gilded Age' Season 3 premieres June 22 on Max. Check out the trailer below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
