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

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

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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.

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

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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

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

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!

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

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!"

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

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.

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

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.

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

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