The Met...ever been there? (A few questions)- Page 2

[2seatsoffcenter]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 12:26am

The mics are there for the Saturday Broadcasts AND for the 4 weekly SIRIUS RADIO broadcasts.

If your Turandot cast lists CHARLES ANTHONY you will be witnessing MET Opera History everytime he performs....he has done over 2900 performaces at the Met since his debut in 1954! I think as of March 30th...it was his 2905 performance! WOW!

Plus, if you want to learn a little more about some of the operas, visit the MET gift shop. There is a bargain bin (75% off) in the back that has audio cassettes of different operas - it's called TALKING ABOUT OPERA and gives you a great in depth look at the story and music. Great way to learn about a particular opera before and after you see it.

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 12:53am

I am sorry about my ignorance about operas, but how long are they usually? Are there intermissions after each act?

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:23am

They range in length. Usually, they're around 3 hours. Some longer, some less.

[hannahshule]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 10:34am

With intermissions, usually around 3-3.5 hours. for Traviata, it started at 8 and we got out around eleven. Keep in mind though that the first intermission alone in half an hour.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 1:31pm

There will be one or two intermissions. Many operas have 4 "acts" and they would take forever to perform if there were an intermission between each.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/1/07 at 1:41pm

Yeah, the first intermission is usually the longest. The second (and, if there is one, third) are usually the standard 15 minutes.

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 10:44pm

Has anyone ever gone on a Tuesday night and noticed the first tier stage laeft boxes full of tuxedoed men? Is it an Opera Club? A law firm sponsor? I've always wondered what the deal was.

any answers?

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 11:50pm

Have some respect for yourself and the institution you are visiting and put on real clothes, not the slobbo, lazy choice of JEANS, for Sweet Gesu's sake.





Countess Olenska
Paris, France

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 11:24pm

I actually have a question now: I've never been to the Grand Tier restaurant, but I'm having a pre-show dinner before TURANDOT there in a few weeks. I was wondering if they have a strict dress code. I always dress nicely for the Met--usually slacks and a collared shirt with a blazer--but is a tie required? All of the male patrons I see there usually have a suit on.

[Clarinetbiter135]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 7:39pm

So I saw Turandot on Thursday. And let me tell you, if you ever see an opera, GO SEE THIS ONE. No one does it better than the Met. And its a beautiful opera. Even if you've seen it before, go to see Hei-Kyung Hong. She plays Liu and steals the show. The raw emotion she conveys will bring grown men to tears. She's just so dead on. Just so you know, the family circle seats ($15 ones) and standing room only are partial view. There are some things that happen fairly far and high upstage and they are missed. However, for the money, they are still great.

So yeah. Go see it. It will knock your socks off

[mint0621]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:19am

Clarinetbiter & all,

I just got back from Turandot at the Met tonight...fantabulous! The cast is performing again on Thursday, and after that...I think Hong is going to be replaced by someone else. She is definitely a must see.

I don't know what it is about Hong but whenever she sings, she makes me tear... and the production sets are, of course, the most elaborate I've seen on the Met stage.

The opera itself was ok...good...Nessun Dorma was not a showstopper as it should have been, and I actually prefer Traviata or Boheme for its story. (I saw Hong in both operas )

On a side note: One of the female ensemble members fainted on stage today; sorta exciting, it was during the 2nd act when tensions were high, Turandot was asking Caraf the three questions...the poor lady fell flat on her face with a huge bang. Hope she's ok. Some audience members thought the fainting was part of the act.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:23am

I saw Turandot tonight. Hei-Kyung Hong was brilliant as Liu. Gruber and Margison...not so much.

Mint, both Gruber and Hong sing their final commitment this Thursday.

ETA: I didn't notice the fainting. Wow!

Updated On: 4/17/07 at 12:23 AM

[Clarinetbiter135]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:27am

Yeah. I saw Hong in Boheme as well. But there was something about the way she was in Turandot that made my heart grow 10 times that night. Maybe I just prefer Turandot

[mint0621]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:30am

Cool AC! DId you do the $20 rush tickets like I did?

U didn't notice the fainting? It was the talk of our section in the orchestra. The ensemble member was near Liu & Caraf's father so I was afraid it was one of them...but thankfully it wasn't.

Did anyone else think of Drowsy while watching Turandot? I half expected them to start singing, "What is it about Asians...that fascinates Caucasians!"

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:33am

I didn't do rush tonight because I'm in class until 5:30 on Mondays. I bought Family Circle tickets two weeks ago. So, I probably didn't notice it because I was high up.

[mint0621]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:37am

aw, ac...i was there by myself so i coulda grabbed u an extra rush ticket :)

clarinetbiter, when did u see Hong in Boheme? That was my first Met opera so perhaps it holds a fond place in my heart :)

Hong as LIu is a very very sweet character...her first phrase when she speaks to Caraf...she stayed with his father because Caraf looked at her and smiled...I teared up. How does she do that?

so...anyone going to see trittico?
Updated On: 4/17/07 at 12:37 AM

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:45am

I'm seeing Trittico on May 1.

Vis-a-vis Hong: I believe she did some performances of Boheme this season. She had a busy season, with four operas in total. I've said for a while that she's the most reliable soprano on the Met's roster.

We'll have to rush an opera sometime, Mint!

[mint0621]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:50am

Have heard rumors this may be Hong's last season at the Met...one of brilliant Gelb's "let's get beautiful thin young opera singers and fire the older ones" tactics....which makes me very very very sad.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 12:55am

Well, she doesn't have any engagements at the Met next season, which isn't a good sign. It's a damn shame; over twenty years of reliably solid and exciting performances and then out the door. It's sad to see so many great artists (Hong, Swenson, Millo) not having their contracts renewed in favor of much hotter but less talented singers.

[mint0621]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 1:13am

Add Deborah Voigt to the cut list:


**edited: Ooops...the NY Times article is about Swenson....not Voigt
NY Times article about the drama Updated On: 4/17/07 at 01:13 AM

[kyle.]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 2:42am

I've been there thanks to PBS! Thank you Great Performances at the Met!

[Piercemn]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 1:57pm

I was listening to Turandot on Saturday afternoon, and the first interval was a half hour, because they actually have to assemble the Royal Palace at every performance and that takes time. Most sets are on wagons and can be moved easily, but this one is different. Zefferelli was very precise about it.

When I saw Barber of Seville in 1997, the section between acts three and four was exciting. There was no interval, and it rained onstage as the set turned one way.
Figaro and Almaviva went the other way with a ladder so the Count could climb into Rosina's window and elope with her. It was spectacular.

The Met always lists the running time on their website, so if an Opera should end at 11:35PM, except for the ovations, they usually do. This is so people can get home.
Also, there are bows in front of the curtain after each act, and the ensemble never gets to take a bow.

[Piercemn]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 2:01pm

I saw Hong as Violetta last year and she's the best I've ever heard, plus it was a Zefferelli production and it was so beautiful.

I saw Voight the year before in Un Ballo and she was fabulous. MN Opera is doing Un Ballo next season, but I doubt Voight will be in it. I'd love to hear Hong do Liu, but the night I see Turandot, 5/3, she's out.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 6:01pm

I believe Voigt has Tristan and Isolde next season, and select performances of Die Walkure.

[mint0621]

Posted: 4/17/07 at 6:21pm

GLad to see Gelb hasn't cut EVERYONE over the age of 30...