From a rustic Swiss village to the bustle of 1940s New York, the classic arts scene in New York is never quiet. Here is just a sampling of some of the classic arts events happening this week.
Bellini's La Sonnambula opens at the Metropolitan Opera October 6, in a new production directed by Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón, making his house directorial debut after two decades of having performed upon its stage. Soprano Nadine Sierra stars as Amina, the titular somnambulist, whose nocturnal misadventures cause a misunderstanding which jeopardizes her impending marriage to Elvino, played by tenor Xabier Anduaga. The cast also features soprano Sydney Mancasola as Amina's rival Lisa, and bass Alexander Vinogradov as the mysterious Count Rodolfo. Riccardo Frizza conducts Bellini's sumptuous score, which is one of the best beloved in the genre of opera semiseria.
This week also marks the season's final performances of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. The opera by composer Mason Bates and librettist Gene Scheer opened the Met's season last month in a production directed by Bartlett Sher. The operatic adaptation of Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel follows Josef Kavalier and Samuel Klayman, two Jewish cousins who break into the burgeoning comic book industry of the 1930s with the creation of an anti-fascist superhero called The Escapist, inspired by Kavalier's escape from Nazi-occupied Prague. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay plays its final performances October 8 and 11.
Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the New York Philharmonic October 9-11 in performances of Boulez's Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna. The composition divides the orchestra into eight groups spread throughout the performance space, and the performance will feature L.A. Dance Project performing choreography by Benjamin Millepied. The concert will also include Igor Stravinsky's Octet, and Bela Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. The October 11 performance will be followed by a post-concert discussion about the legacy of Pierre Boulez, featuring Salonen, former Juilliard provost and dean Ara Guzelimian, flautist Emi Ferguson, and cellist Jay Campbell.
The New York City Ballet's annual Fall Fashion Gala will be held October 8 and feature a world premiere by Jamar Roberts, with music by Venezuelan musician and record producer Arca and costumes by Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen. The gala will also include performances of Gianna Reisen's Composer's Holiday and William Forsythe's Herman Schmerman pas de deux, featuring designs respectively by Virgil Abloh and Gianni Versace. This program, with Alexei Ratmansky's Voices added, will be given five more performances through the rest of the week.
The New School's Mannes Opera presents Kaija Saariaho's La Passion de Simone, October 10 and 11. The piece is an oratorio inspired by the life and work of Jewish-French philosopher and labor activist Simone Weil, who fought in the Spanish Civil War as an Anarchist. Mannes Opera previously presented La Passion de Simone in concert in 2018, during Saariaho's tenure as resident composer at the New School's College of Performing Arts. This new, fully staged production at the Baruch Performing Arts Center will be directed by Emma Griffin and conducted by Micah Gleason.
Paris Opera Ballet returns to New York City Center for the first time since 2012, presenting the New York premiere of Red Carpet by Tony-nominated choreographer Hofesh Shechter (Fiddler on the Roof). Red Carpet is Schechter's first work created for the Paris Opera Ballet, and features costumes created in partnership with Chanel.
Chamber orchestra Parlando performs The Broken Promise at the Kaufman Music Center October 7. The program is themed around German-Jewish life and identity, featuring performances of Felix Mendelssohn's Son and Stranger Overture, Franz Schreker's The Birthday of the Infanta Suite, and Richard Strauss' Metamorphosen.
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