The Metropolitan Opera Brings Two Special Operas For The Holidays "Eurydice" on December 4 • "Cinderella" on January 1
The Metropolitan Opera, The MET, returns to the screen at Arena Theater on Saturday, December 4 with its production of "Eurydice," and then on January 1 the MET will present Massenet's "Cinderella". Please note, for both operas: Doors open at 9:15am and the screening begins at 10:00am. Tickets may be purchased through the theater’s website (ArenaTheater.org):$24 for adults, $18 for students, and $22 for seniors. For season subscriptions please call the Arena Theater office at 707 882-3272.
The ancient Greek myth of Orpheus, who attempts to harness the power of music to rescue his beloved Eurydice from the underworld, has inspired composers since opera’s earliest days. Brilliant American composer Matthew Aucoin now carries that tradition into the 21st century with a captivating new take on the story—a product of the Met’s commissioning program. With a libretto by Sarah Ruhl, adapted from her acclaimed 2003 play, the opera reimagines the familiar tale from Eurydice’s point of view. Yannick Nézet-Séguin oversees the December 4 transmission, leading Aucoin’s evocative music and an immersive new staging by Mary Zimmerman. Soprano Erin Morley sings the title role, opposite baritone Joshua Hopkins as Orpheus and countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński as his otherworldly alter-ego.
Orpheus is almost the archetypical operatic tale, and composers throughout history have adapted it for the operatic stage. But in his evocative new (2020) opera, celebrated American composer Matthew Aucoin reimagines the story from Eurydice’s point of view and imbues these familiar characters with surprising new dimensions. "Eurydice" runs 165 minutes with one intermission.
On this New Year's Day's performance, Laurent Pelly’s storybook staging of Massenet’s "Cendrillon," a hit of the 2017–18 season, is presented with an all-new English translation in an abridged 90-minute adaptation, with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as its rags-to-riches princess. Maestro Emmanuel Villaume leads a delightful cast, which includes mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo as Cinderella’s Prince Charming, and soprano Jessica Pratt as her Fairy Godmother.
Charles Perrault’s 1698 fairy tale, the classic telling of the Cinderella story, is an excellent source for an opera—providing color, romance, and relatable themes for audiences of all ages. The work includes many moments in which Massenet is at his best and most widely accessible, from the pageantry and glowing musical nostalgia for the French baroque in the court scenes to the otherworldliness of the love music to the wit and humor that permeate the work.
Massenet’s score features a preponderance of the lower female voices—including a mezzo-soprano as the object of Cinderella’s affection—that were so favored by French composers in the 19th century. The result is an otherworldly yet sensual tonal palette that serves as a rich background for this familiar tale. Against all the fairy-tale wonder of the score, the title character and her prince are recognizably human. Their love duet is a masterful moment emblematic of Massenet’s elegant style: The prince is lyrically effusive, while all of Cinderella’s gushing emotion is expressed in refined yet poignant phrases.
For season subscriptions please call the Arena Theater office at 707 882-3272. Vaccine Requirement for Met Opera attendees at Arena Theater. All Met Opera audience members must be fully vaccinated. You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after you have received a second dose in a two-dose vaccine series or two weeks after you have received a single-dose vaccine. Arena Theater will need to see proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with a vaccine approved by the U.S. FDA or by the World Health Organization. Please provide proof of vaccination through an original physical vaccination card or photograph of it upon arrival at the box office.
The Arena Theater snack bar will be open.
