Wagner and Verdi live from The Met in GCG Arklow
THE MET: Live in HD broadcasts continue in February with two impressive productions: Götterdämmerung, the gripping conclusion of a new Met Ring Cycle directed by Robert Lepage, goes live to the GCG cinema in Arklow on Saturday 11th February at 5pm; and Verdi's early masterpiece Ernani, directed by Pier-luigi Samaritani and staged by Peter Mcclintock, will be broadcast live on Saturday 25th February at 6pm. Tickets Now Available at www.gaietyarklow.ie.
Götterdämmerung is the climax of Richard Wagner's great 'Ring' Cycle of four operas, which ends with Brünnhilde's famous immolation and the burning of Valhalla, home of the gods. As the director explains, the opera "is about Brünnhilde in society, her journey as a character, and her role as the heroine who must restore balance to the world. The more the story progresses, the more it moves away from the realm of the gods to focus on the power and ambition of human beings."
The production stars American soprano Deborah Voigt as Brünnhilde, American tenor Jay Hunter Morris as Siegfried and American bass baritone Eric Owens as Alberich.
Two weeks later, Verdi's rarely heard gem Ernani will be broadcast live. Ernani is a core part of the Met's repertory, a gloriously dramatic and melodic opera but a piece which has been very rarely performed in Ireland. This is a great chance for Irish audiences to explore one of Verdi's great early achievements.
Set in 16th century Spain during the civil war, the work is as much about the pains of love as about war and rebellion, so establishing a robust model for Verdi's later great tragedies. The story centres on an outlawed nobleman- bandit (Ernani) who sets out to prevent the forced marriage of his true love to his elderly enemy – with unforeseen and dangerous consequences...
Surrounded by a stellar cast, American soprano Angela Meade takes centre stage as Elvira, opposite Italian tenor Marcello Giordani who sings the eponymous Ernani. The great Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky makes his role debut as Don Carlo, and the legendary Sicilian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto sings de Silva. Marco Armiliato returns to the podium to conduct.
Hosted by American sopranos Patricia Racette and Deborah Voigt respectively, the broadcasts continue The Met: Live in HD season, which now reaches more than 1,700 venues in 54 countries. In Ireland for its fourth full season , the network of venues has expanded to 13 with the addition of the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise.
The Met: Live in HD is presented in Ireland by Classical Arts Ireland, in association with RTÉ Lyric fm and the Sunday Times.
