Opera in New York

Program: Verdi , Macbeth Performers: Metropolitan Opera; Yannick Nézet-Séguin , Conductor; Louisa Proske , Director; Quinn Kelsey , Macbeth; Lise Davidsen , Lady Macbeth; Ryan Speedo Green , Banquo; Freddie De Tommaso , Macduff

New Production September 22–October 20 The season opens with hair-raising drama and spectacular singing as two of opera’s most extraordinary artists star in Macbeth, Verdi’s thrilling take on the immortal Shakespearean tale of the scheming couple determined to seize power at any cost. Following past triumphs in many of Verdi’s signature baritone roles, Quinn Kelsey is the Scottish king haunted by the ghosts of his murderous ascent to the throne, opposite Lise Davidsen—the world’s reigning dramatic soprano—as the power-mad Lady Macbeth, whose ruinous ambition damns them both. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for a penetrating production by Louise Proske, a brilliant young director making waves around the world. Rounding out the all-star cast are tenor Freddie De Tommaso as the heroic Macduff and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as Macbeth’s friend-turned-victim Banquo.

Music and Words David Rockefeller, Jr., narrator Kathryn Knight, mezzo-soprano Joel Sachs, piano Richard Strauss (1864-1969) Melodrama: Das Schloss am Meere (The Castle by the Sea) (1899) Text: After a poem by Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862); new English rendering by Joel Sachs Franz Liszt (1811-1886 ) Lenore (158, rev. 1860) Ballade (1733), by Gottfried August Bürger (1747-1794) with melodramatic accompaniment by Franz Liszt. Translator unknown. Charles Ives (1974-1952) Autumn (1908); Text: Harmony T. Ives The Housatonic at Stockbridge (Text: Robert Underwood Johnson), 1921, after the orchestra piece of the same name) The New River (1921, after an instrumental piece, 1912); Text by Ives Tom Sails Away (1917 ); Text by Ives Nov. 2, 1920 (1921): Text by Ives Charles Ives: Two movements from Piano sonata No. 2, “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860” Revised edition ca. 1940-47 Preceded by excerpts from Ives’s “Essays before a Sonata” read by David Rockefeller Jr. III The Alcotts (1915) IV Thoreau (1915) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Today’s program, highlighting the interaction between music and the written word, originated in the desire of David and me, college friends, to work together, and gradually expanded to include our English friend Kathryn. Having David read from Ives’s own brilliant essays about his sonata honoring the literary stars of Concord, Massachusetts, seemed like an improvement on the traditional program note, and having him read the texts of a group of Ives’s songs seemed appropriate to Ives’s careful fusions of words and music. It remains to say a word about the centuries-old tradition of “melodrama,” a genre fusing the spoken word with music. The most enduring example is Schoenberg’s masterpiece for actress and ensemble, Pierrot Lunaire, but the idea of fusing spoken poetry with musical accompaniment had originated in the 18 th- century German-speaking world and probably stemmed from operatic recitative. (Actually, reciting the Greek dramas with musical accompaniment goes back at least 3000 years.) The idea of melodrama is unfortunately obscured by the related adjective “melodramatic,” with connotations of cheesy sentimentality. Since Franz Liszt and Richard Strauss were among the finest composers of the late period of melodrama, we chose one by each. They were not peripheral compositions: Strauss built his early reputation on extensive touring that featured his first melodrama, “Enoch Arden,” a huge piece whose text

This concert is CANCELLED due to weather conditions. Music and Words David Rockefeller, Jr., narrator Kathryn Knight, mezzo-soprano Joel Sachs, piano Richard Strauss (1864-1969) Melodrama: Das Schloss am Meere (The Castle by the Sea) (1899) Text: After a poem by Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862); new English rendering by Joel Sachs Franz Liszt (1811-1886 ) Lenore (158, rev. 1860) Ballade (1733), by Gottfried August Bürger (1747-1794) with melodramatic accompaniment by Franz Liszt. Translator unknown. Charles Ives (1974-1952) Autumn (1908); Text: Harmony T. Ives The Housatonic at Stockbridge (Text: Robert Underwood Johnson), 1921, after the orchestra piece of the same name) The New River (1921, after an instrumental piece, 1912); Text by Ives Tom Sails Away (1917 ); Text by Ives Nov. 2, 1920 (1921): Text by Ives Charles Ives: Two movements from Piano sonata No. 2, “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860” Revised edition ca. 1940-47 Preceded by excerpts from Ives’s “Essays before a Sonata” read by David Rockefeller Jr. III The Alcotts (1915) IV Thoreau (1915) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Today’s program, highlighting the interaction between music and the written word, originated in the desire of David and me, college friends, to work together, and gradually expanded to include our English friend Kathryn. Having David read from Ives’s own brilliant essays about his sonata honoring the literary stars of Concord, Massachusetts, seemed like an improvement on the traditional program note, and having him read the texts of a group of Ives’s songs seemed appropriate to Ives’s careful fusions of words and music. It remains to say a word about the centuries-old tradition of “melodrama,” a genre fusing the spoken word with music. The most enduring example is Schoenberg’s masterpiece for actress and ensemble, Pierrot Lunaire, but the idea of fusing spoken poetry with musical accompaniment had originated in the 18 th- century German-speaking world and probably stemmed from operatic recitative. (Actually, reciting the Greek dramas with musical accompaniment goes back at least 3000 years.) The idea of melodrama is unfortunately obscured by the related adjective “melodramatic,” with connotations of cheesy sentimentality. Since Franz Liszt and Richard Strauss were among the finest composers of the late period of melodrama, we chose one by each. They were not peripheral compositions: Strauss built his early reputation on extensive touring that featured his fi

Tenet's first-ever opera production

Revival September 23–October 23 Overflowing with gorgeous melody and hilarious hijinks, Mozart’s satirical comedy of fickle young love is one of the composer’s most sublime creations. Phelim McDermott’s “colorful, inventive” (The New York Times) staging, inspired by Coney Island in the 1950s, sets the uproarious story at a boardwalk amusement park, where the two pairs of lovers at the heart of the tale find themselves on one emotional—and literal—thrill ride after another.

Program: Mozart , Così fan tutte Performers: Metropolitan Opera; Nimrod David Pfeffer , Conductor; Phelim McDermott , Director; Federica Lombardi , Fiordiligi; Samantha Hankey , Dorabella; Duke Kim , Ferrando; Andrey Zhilikhovsky , Guglielmo; Gerald Finley , Don Alfonso; Ana María Martínez , Despina

$10 student tickets are available. Call the box office at 212 501 3330. New York Piano Society, under the artistic direction of Natasha Paremski, proudly presents Dvořák's Piano Quartet, featuring Kaufman Special High School alumna violinist Ana Isabella España, renowned violist Aditi Prakash, and world-class cellist Gwen Krosnick. The afternoon will also feature performances by New York Piano Society members, including pianists making their Merkin Hall debut and those making return appearances. The program showcases masterworks from Bach to Rachmaninoff and everything in between. Come revel in an afternoon of beautiful music and unforgettable performances. Carl Di Casoli, piano Alex Shapiro, piano Alok Dutt, piano Nate Warden, piano Stan Sisskin, piano Arpan Doshi, piano Lauren Kim, piano Alexander Weymann, piano Henri Delbeau, piano Giancarlo Facchi, piano Len Horovitz, piano Yiran Wang, piano Ana Isabella España, violin Aditi Prakash, viola Gwen Krosnick, cello J.S. BACH – Goldberg Aria and Variations 1-14 BEETHOVEN – Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 “The Tempest” SIBELIUS – 13 Pieces for Piano, Etude, Op. 76 No. 2 MENDELSSOHN – Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14 DEBUSSY – Arabesque No. 1 RAVEL – Prelude and Menuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin CHOPIN – Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 1 in C Minor RACHMANINOV – Prelude Op. 32, No 12 in G-sharp Minor LISZT – Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth R. SCHUMANN – Fantasie in C Major, Op. 17 DVOŘÁK – Piano Quartet, Op 87