Happy Birthday to the Met!

Posted by Sarah Canice Funke Mar 8, 2008

The New York Metropolitan Opera has seen quite a few shows since it first opened in 1883 on Broadway at 39th. Though it has changed venues since then, hosting over 200 performances annually at the Lincoln Center, the Met's reputation as a bastion of High Culture has never wavered.

To celebrate the 125th season of the Met, the opera house announced that it will feature six new performances and 22 revivals, including a performance using a projection of a set designed by artist Marc Chagall for a 1967 production of Mozart's Die Zauberfloete. New performances include a production of John Adam's Doctor Atomic.

To celebrate the 40 years that Placido Domingo has been with the Met, the opera house will host a gala in March. To honor the one-year anniversary of Pavarotti's death, conductor James Levine will give a free performance of Verdi's Requiem on Sept. 18.

So mark your calendars and be prepared for another good season of opera. If you can't make it to New York, don't worry. The Met has gone HD, offering full-screen versions of its performances at select movie theaters across the country.

For more information, please read the CBC article.