The 125th Anniversary Gala

125th ANNIVERSARY GALA
CELEBRATION of PLÁCIDO DOMINGO'S
40 YEARS AT THE MET


Gounod: FAUST
Faust opened the Metropolitan Opera's first season on 10/22/83.
The costumes in this performance are based on those from the original production

Vin ou bière
Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Le veau d'or
Méphistophélès..........John Relyea

Jewel Song
Marguerite..............Angela Gheorghiu

Final Trio
Méphistophélès..........John Relyea
Marguerite..............Sondra Radvanovsky
Faust...................Roberto Alagna

Puccini: LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST
This opera had its world premiere at the Met on 12/10/1910. The sets and costumes for this performance are based on the first production by David Belasco

Ch'ella mi creda
Dick Johnson............Plácido Domingo

Verdi: AIDA
The artists' costumes are inspired by those worn in the 08-09 season by Emma Eames and Louise Homer

Silenzio! Aida verso noi s'avanza!... Fu la sorte
Amneris.................Stephanie Blythe
Aida....................Maria Guleghina
Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Mussorgsky: BORIS GODUNOV
Boris Godunov received its U.S. premiere at the Met on 3/19/1913, in a production by Ivan Bilibine whose costumes have been reimagined for the Gala

Death of Boris
Boris...................John Tomlinson
Feodor..................Jesse Burnside Murray
Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Verdi: NABUCCO
The chorus' costumes are from the 2001 production designed by Andreane Neofitou
Va, pensiero
Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Bizet: CARMEN
This performance features a set drawing by Rolf Gérard from the 1952 production by Tyrone Guthrie. Waltraud Meier's costume is inspired by Valentina's for Rosa Ponselle in 1935

Carmen, un bon conseil... C'est toi? C'est moi
Frasquita...............Erin Morley
Carmen..................Waltraud Meier
Mercédès................Kate Lindsey
Don José................Roberto Alagna

Verdi: RIGOLETTO
This performance recreates Eugene Berman's set for Herbert Graf's 1951 production. The costume is based on Enrico Caruso's from 1903

La donna è mobile
The Duke of Mantua......Juan Diego Flórez

Verdi: DON CARLO
James Morris' costume is based on Cesare Siepi's from Margaret Webster's 1950 production. The set is based on Rolf Gerard's design for that production

Ella giammai m'amo
King Philip.............James Morris

R. Strauss: DER ROSENKAVALIER
The U.S. premiere of Der Rosenkavalier was at the Met on 12/9/1913. The sets and costumes are inspired by the designs of Hans Kautsky and Alfred Roller for the premiere

Hab' mir's gelobt
Octavian................Susanne Mentzer
Princess von Werdenberg.Deborah Voigt
Sophie..................Lisette Oropesa

Mozart: DON GIOVANNI
Mariusz Kwiecien's costume was inspired by one originally worn by Ezio Pinza

Fin ch'han dal vino
Don Giovanni............Mariusz Kwiecien

Wagner: PARSIFAL
The Met presented the first staged performance of Parsifal outside the Bayreuth Festival on 12/24/1903. The sets and costumes for this performance are based on that production

Ja, Wehe!... Nur eine Waffe taugt
Amfortas................Thomas Hampson
Parsifal................Plácido Domingo
Metropolitan Opera Chorus


Mozart: DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
The animation is based on Marc Chagall's painting The Triumph of Music

Overture

Puccini: GIANNI SCHICCHI
Gianni Schicchi received its world premiere at the Met on 12/14/1918 as part of Il Trittico

O mio babbino caro
Lauretta................Maija Kovalevska

Tchaikovsky: THE QUEEN OF SPADES
Dmitri Hvorostovsky's costume is based on E.S. Freisinger's design for the 3/5/1910 U. S. premiere at the Met

Ya vas lyublyu
Yeletsky................Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Verdi: SIMON BOCCANEGRA
The U.S. premiere was given at the Met on 1/28/1932. The set designed by Camillo Parravicini and costumes are based on that production

Dinne, perché in quest'eremo... Figlia, a tal nome io palpito
Amelia Grimaldi.........Angela Gheorghiu
Simon Boccanegra........Plácido Domingo

Wagner: SIEGFRIED
The Met performed the first Ring cycle in America in March 1889.
Deborah Voigt's costume is based on one designed for Lilli Lehmann for the 1889 production

Ewig war ich
Brünnhilde..............Deborah Voigt
Siegfried...............Ben Heppner [Last performance]

The following sequence is based on Franco Zeffirelli's set drawings, costumes, and productions

Puccini: LA BOHÈME
Che gelida manina
Rodolfo.................Joseph Calleja

Puccini: TOSCA
E lucevan le stelle
Cavaradossi.............Aleksandrs Antonenko

Puccini: TURANDOT
Nessun dorma
Calàf...................Marcello Giordani

Verdi: LA TRAVIATA
Natalie Dessay's costume is based on one designed by Jonel Jorgulesco for a 1935 production and worn by Bidú Sayão in 1937

È Strano!... Ah, fors'è lui; Sempre libera
Violetta................Natalie Dessay
Alfredo.................Joseph Calleja

Verdi: OTELLO
This performance is inspired by the Met's 1909 production which had sets by
Vittorio Rota, Mario Sala, and Angelo Parravicini and costumes by Caramba

Niun mi tema
Otello..................Plácido Domingo

Korngold: DIE TOTE STADT
Renée Fleming's costume is based on one created for Maria Jeritza for the
11/19/1921, U.S. premiere at the Met

Glück, das mir verblieb
Marietta................Renée Fleming

Wagner: DAS RHEINGOLD
Costumes based on those designed for the 1889 production

Zur Burg Führt die Brücke... Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge
Froh....................Garrett Sorenson
Wotan...................James Morris
Fricka..................Yvonne Naef
Loge....................Kim Begley
Rhinemaidens: Kate Lindsey, Tamara Mumford, Lisette Oropesa


Conductor...............James Levine


Director................Phelim McDermott
Associate Director and
Set Designer............Julian Crouch
Costume Designer........Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer.......Peter Mumford
Video Design............Leo Warner & Mark Grimmer for 59 Productions, Ltd.
Sound Designer..........Scott Lehrer
Chorus Master...........Donald Palumbo

Broadcast live on Sirius Metropolitan Opera Radio
Streamed at metopera.org