The three-part evening featured Fleming singing the roles of Violetta in Act II of Verdi's Traviata, Manon in Act III of Massenet's Manon, and Madeleine in the final scene of Strauss's Capriccio.
The program opened with Traviata conducted by Met Music Director James Levine. Ram‹n Vargas sang the role of Alfredo Germont, and Thomas Hampson that of his father, Giorgio.
The Manon act costarred Ram‹n Vargas as Manon's lover, the Chevalier des Grieux, Dwayne Croft as her cousin, Lescaut, and Robert Lloyd as the Chevalier's father, the Comte des Grieux. Marco Armiliato conducted.
The musically transcendent finale of Capriccio, conducted by Patrick Summers, music director of the Houston Grand Opera, concluded the evening.
Adding a bit of extra glamor to the proceedings, the Met commissioned three renowned fashion designers to create Ms. Fleming's costumes: Christian Lacroix for Traviata, Karl Lagerfeld for Manon and John Galliano for Capriccio.
Click here for a full program listing.
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The Metropolitan Opera's 2008-09 season pays tribute to the company's extraordinary history on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, while also emphasizing the Met's renewed commitment to advancing the art form. The upcoming season features six new productions, 18 revivals, the final performances of Otto Schenk's production of Wagner's Ring cycle conducted by Levine, and two gala celebrations.
New productions include the company premiere of John Adams's Doctor Atomic as well as the Met's first staged production of Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, and Massenet's ThaÇs, Puccini's La Rondine, Verdi's Il Trovatore, and Bellini's La Sonnambula. Future seasons include new presentations of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles (2009-10) and Thomas Ads's The Tempest (2011-12).
For further information, visit www.metopera.org.
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Here is a look at the Opening Gala performers and designs. Photos taken at the September 19 dress rehearsal.
All photos by Ken Howard for the Metropolitan Opera.
La Traviata, Act II
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Ren_e Fleming as Violetta | Ram‹n Vargas as Alfredo |
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Ram‹n Vargas as Alfredo and Thomas Hampson as Germont |
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Thomas Hampson as Germont and Ren_e Fleming as Violetta |
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Ren_e Fleming as Violetta and Ram‹n Vargas as Alfredo |
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Met Opera Chorus members |
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Met Opera Chorus members |
Manon, Act III
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Ren_e Fleming as Manon |
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Ren_e Fleming and Ramon Vargas |
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Ramon Vargas as Chevalier des Grieux and Robert Lloyd as Count des Grieux |
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Ren_e Fleming |
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Dwayne Croft as Lescaut |
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Met Opera Chorus |
Capriccio, Final Scene
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Ren_e Fleming as Madeleine | Ren_e Fleming as Madeleine |
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Ren_e Fleming and Michael Devlin |
