Cover Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
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Don’t miss the 8th season of CCP’s The Met: Live in HD
The Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) special programme, The Met: Live in HD, is back for its eighth season with a fabulous lineup of iconic operas right in the convenience of Greenbelt cinemas. With three iconic works from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, and Engelbert Humperdinck, opera fans and initiates can expect an extravagant display of post-renaissance artistry.
From July to December, catch some of the best operas to have ever graced any stage.
In case you missed it: Inside Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel art exhibition: a journey of self-discovery through historical masterpieces
Die Zauberflöte
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Die Zauberflöte
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The season opens on July 11 with Die Zauberflöte, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s timeless classic on truth, love and enlightenment. English director Simon McBurney reimagines Mozart’s final opera for a more modern approach by incorporating projections, sound effects and acrobatics to match the tale’s flair and spectacle. The story follows the adventures of Prince Tamino and Papageno to rescue Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night, from her kidnapper, Sarastro. To help them on their journey, they are given musical instruments enchanted with magical powers.
The brilliant cast includes soprano Erin Morley as Pamina, tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Tamino, baritone Thomas Iloemans as Papageno, soprano Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, and bass Stephen Milling as Sarastro.
Maestro Nathalie Stutzmann conducts the Met Orchestra, with the put raised to make the musicians visible to the audience and allow interaction with the cast.
Don Giovanni
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Don Giovanni
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Continuing the season on August 1 is another of Mozart’s works, Don Giovanni. A retelling of Don Juan’s legend, this opera combines comedy and tragedy to paint a picture of Don Juan’s lustful lifestyle and how it led to his dramatic downfall. Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove gives us a new take on the tragicomedy, shining a light into the dark corners of the story and its characters while retaining the familiar theme of deceit and damnation.
Maestro Nathalie Stutzmann made her Met debut in this opera by staging and conducting a star-studded cast led by baritone Peter Mattei as Don Giovanni, bass-baritone Adam Plachetka as Leporello, sopranos Federica Lombardi, Ana María Martínez, and Ying Fang as Giovanni’s conquests, and tenor Ben Bliss as Don Ottavio.
Also see: The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates 50 years and beyond
Falstaff
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Falstaff
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Giuseppe Verdi’s Shakespearean comedy, Falstaff, will be screened on September 5. By Robert Carsen’s direction, audiences get to follow the absurd and thwarted efforts of the knight Sir John Falstaff to seduce married women to access their husbands’ wealth. Gracing the stage will be soprano Ailyn Pérez as Alice Ford, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano as Meg Page, and contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Mistress Quickly. Soprano Hera Hyesang Park and tenor Bogdan Volkov are the young couples Nannetta and Fenton, and Maestro Daniele Rustioni conducts.
Fedora
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Fedora
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Come October 3, opera fans can watch Umberto Giordano’s Fedora, an exhilarating drama packed with a memorable melody, show-stopping arias, and explosive confrontations brought to life by its stellar cast. Soprano Sonya Yoncheva leads the cast as Princess Fedora Romazov, who falls in love with Count Loris played by tenor Piotr Beczala. Completing the cast are Rosa Feola as Olga and Lucas Meachem as De Siriex. Director David McVicar transports the audience to three distinctive settings, a palace in St. Petersburg, a fashionable Parisian salon, and a picturesque villa in the Swiss Alps. Leading the orchestra is Met Maestra Marco Armiliato.
Hansel and Gretel
Above Alice Coote as Hansel, Philip Langridge as the Witch, and Christine Schafer as Gretel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel (Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)
Alice Coote as Hansel, Philip Langridge as the Witch, and Christine Schafer as Gretel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel (Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)
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On November 7, we get to see a childhood story that we’re all familiar with. A dark take on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Hansel and Gretel takes us into the shoes of two siblings, played by opera stars Alice Coote and Christine Schäfer, who got lost in the woods and captured by a cannibalistic witch, portrayed by tenor Philip Langridge. The orchestra is led by Vladimir Jurowski, who performs a folk-inspired score that was meant to captivate audiences of all ages.
More from Tatler: Duncan Macmillan’s ‘Lungs’ and ‘Every Brilliant Thing’: an intimate theatrical experience
Così fan tutte
Above Così fan tutte
Così fan tutte
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Ending the season is another Mozart masterpiece, Così fan tutte on December 5 as part of the Met’s popular English-language holiday series. Set in the carnival of Coney Island, sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, with their fiancés Ferrando and Guglielmo, are enjoying their vacation. However, the manipulative master of the fairground, Don Alfonso, wants to play a game with the lovers, leading to an emotional rollercoaster that pulls on their heartstrings.
Director Phelim McDermott and his designers transformed the stage into a boardwalk amusement park inspired by Coney Island in the 1950s while David Robertson conducts Mozart’s colourful score. The cast also features young artists, soprano Amanda Majeski, mezzo-soprano Serena Malfi, tenor Ben Bliss, bass-baritone Adam Plachetka and baritone Christopher Maltman.
All screenings are scheduled at 5:30 pm at Cinema 1 Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. Tickets are priced at PHP 450 while students and young professionals may enjoy them for PHP100. Tickets are available at Greenbelt ticket booths and the website, sureseats.com
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Photography: Metropolitan Opera
About
Gabriel found his passion for writing through poetry in high school. He sharpened his skills at Ateneo de Manila University and hopes to write a play worthy of Broadway one day. A self-proclaimed geek, he loves to spend his free time playing video games and board games. When he's not clicking heads on Valorant or roleplaying as a barbarian in Dungeons and Dragons, you can find him exploring art galleries or watching stage plays.
Work
A creative writer who writes about anything and everything, Gabriel loves to dive deep into the arts and culture scene—as well as going on long road trips for travel pieces.
You can reach him on Instagram at @gbohol for any leads, casual conversations or game invites.
