Joining Voigt for the production is a spectacular Strauss soprano of a different sort: coloratura phenomenon Diana Damrau, who has thrilled audiences at the Met and elsewhere as Ariadne's foil, the comedienne Zerbinetta. In this work Damrau plays Aithra, an Egyptian sorceress. Tenor Torsten Kerl sings King Menelaus, Helen's husband (and the man she left for Paris). Baritone Wolfgang Brendel is Altair, the king of the mountains, with tenor Garrett Sorenson as his son Da-Ud; mezzo Jill Grove portrays the resident oracle, the Omniscient Mussel.
Fabio Luisi conducts seven performances of Die ‹gyptische Helena from tonight through April 7. The Monday evening performance on March 19 will be available in free streaming audio via the Met's website (www.metopera.org), and the Saturday matinee on March 31 will be broadcast internationally over the Toll Brothers/Metropolitan Opera Radio Network (check local listings).
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All photos by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera.