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Already scheduled to sing the role this coming April and May, Gagnidze will also step in for performances on Sept. 24, 28 Oct. 3, 6, 10 and 14.
Gagnidze, who made his Met debut in the title role of Rigoletto last season, sang Scarpia with the New York Philharmonic in June 2008. The Georgian baritone made his opera debut in 1996 and has regularly performed dramatic roles such as Scarpia, Rigoletto, the Dutchman in Wagner's Der Fliegende Holl‹nder, and Renato in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera in the opera houses of Germany and Eastern Europe. He won first prize in the 2005 Concorso Voci Verdiane (Verdi Voice Competition) and sang the role of Giorgio Germont in La Traviata at La Scala in 2007.
Conducted by Met Music Director James Levine, Tosca also features Karita Mattila in the title role and Marcelo êlvarez as Cavaradossi. The new production is directed by Luc Bondy in his Met debut, with sets by Richard Peduzzi (also a Met debut), costumes by Milena Canonero, and lighting by Max Keller.
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