This week's nightly streams presented by The Metropolitan Opera include Leontyne Prince in Verdi's Aida, Isabel Leonard in Nico Muhly's adaptation of Marnie , and a trio of royal operas by Donizetti set in 16th-century England.
Donizetti created Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, and Roberto Devereux in a span of seven years, bringing the story of the Tudors and the Stuarts' battle for the crown to stage in operatic fashion. The works are considered demanding enough that they are rarely performed by the same company in one season, but now viewers are afforded the chance to watch all three in one week.
Meanwhile, the thriller Marnie brings audiences a more contemporary storyline—and elaborate '60s costumes. The opera follows a woman who assumes multiple identities, building upon layers of deceit and stealth as she flees from a mysterious past trauma. The piece is adapted from Winston Graham's 1961 novel, which inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film of the same name.
Finally, Leontyne Price said goodbye to the Met stage in her famed performance as the title Ethiopian princess in Aida. The 1985 broadcast was specifically chosen by fans to watch this week.
Each nightly stream will be available for free from the company's homepage starting at 7:30 PM ET and will remain there for the following 23 hours. See below for the full lineup for the week of April 27.
April 27: Donizetti’s Anna Bolena
Conducted by Marco Armiliato, starring Anna Netrebko, Ekaterina Gubanova, Stephen Costello, and Ildar Abdrazakov. (Originally broadcast October 15, 2011.)
April 28: Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda
Conducted by Maurizio Benini, starring Elza van den Heever, Joyce DiDonato, and Matthew Polenzani. (Originally broadcast From January 19, 2013.)
April 29: Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux
Conducted by Maurizio Benini, starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Elīna Garanča, Matthew Polenzani, and Mariusz Kwiecien. (Originally broadcast April 16, 2016.)
April 30: Nico Muhly's Marnie
Conducted by Roberto Spano, starring Isabel Leonard, Iestyn Davies, and Christopher Maltman. (Originally broadcast November 10, 2018.)
May 1: People's Choice: Verdi’s Aida
Conducted by James Levine, starring Leontyne Price, Fiorenza Cossotto, James McCracken, and Simon Estes. (Originally broadcast January 3, 1985.)
May 2: Verdi's Luisa Miller
Conducted by Bertrand de Billy, and starring Sonya Yoncheva, Piotr Beczała, and Plácido Domingo. (Originally broadcast April 14, 2018.)
May 3: Borodin’s Prince Igor
Conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, starring Oksana Dyka, Anita Rachvelishvili, and Ildar Abdrazakov. (Originally broadcast March 1, 2014.)
