The Metropolitan Opera premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas, by composer Daniel Catán and librettist Marcela Fuentes-Berain, opened November 16 —and the reviews are in!
The opera, inspired by the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez, tells the story of a ship of passenger traveling through the Amazon to hear the famed opera singer Florencia Grimaldi perform at the reopening of the theater in Manaus. The passengers include a bickering couple, Paula and Alvaro, the captain's nephew Arcadio, and a journalist, Rosalba, who is intent on interviewing the legendary singer. Unbeknownst to the other passengers, Florencia herself is also on the boat, traveling incognito, lamenting her lost love Cristóbal, a butterfly hunter who previously disappeared into the jungle.
Soprano Ailyn Pérez stars as Florencia, alongside soprano Gabriella Reyes as Rosalba, tenor Mario Chang as Arcadio, mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera as Paula, baritone Michael Chioldi as Alvaro, baritone Mattia Olivieri as Riolobo, and bass-baritone Greer Grimsley as the Captain.
Read the reviews here.
BroadwayWorld (Richard Sasanow)
New York Classical Review (Rick Perdian)
The New York Times (Zachary Woolfe)*
Parterre (Sylvia Korman)
Vulture (Justin Davidson)
The Wall Street Journal (Heidi Waleson)*
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
Director Mary Zimmerman returns to the Met for her sixth production with the company, leading a team which includes set designer Riccardo Hernández, costume designer Ana Kuzmanić, lighting designer T.J. Gerckens, projection designer S. Katy Tucker, and choreographer Alex Sanchez. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Daniel Catán's lush, neo-romantic score.
Florencia en el Amazonas is the third of four contemporary operas receiving their Met premiere this season, following Ivo van Hove's season-opening production of Dead Man Walking, and Robert O'Hara's production of X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X, which continues through December 2. The Met's fall season will continue through December with revivals of Wagner's Tannhäuser and Verdi's Nabucco, as well as Julie Taymor's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute, presented abridged and in English for the holidays, and, to ring in the new year, a new production of Bizet's Carmen by director Carrie Cracknell.
Performances of Florencia en el Amazonas run through December 14. For more information, visit MetOpera.org.
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Gabriella Reyes and Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Gabriella Reyes in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Mattia Olivieri, Greer Grimsley, and Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
A scene from Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Griffin Massey and Mattia Olivieri in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Gabriella Reyes, Mario Chang, Ailyn Pérez, and Nancy Fabiola Herrera in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Mario Chang and Gabriella Reyes in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Gabriella Reyes and Mario Chang in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez, Mattia Olivieri, and Greer Grimsley in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Gabriella Reyes in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Ailyn Pérez in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
A scene from Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Gabriella Reyes, Mario Chang, Nancy Fabiola Herrera, and Michael Chioldi in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
A scene from Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Mattia Olivieri, and Michael Chioldi in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Griffin Massey in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
Dandara Veiga and Griffin Massey in Florencia en el Amazonas at the Metropolitan Opera
