Dmitri Hvorostovsky Shown Love From Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

"Three months after announcing he had a brain tumor, and still in the midst of treatment, the cherished Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky returned to the Metropolitan Opera on Friday evening as the Count di Luna in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. An ovation greeted his first entrance, loud and long enough that he broke character to smile and pat his heart in appreciation. Three hours later, the curtain calls ended with the orchestra pelting Mr. Hvorostovsky with white roses, as his co-star, the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, appeared visibly moved." [Source] Watch a video of the curtain call, after the jump.

Stars Arrive For Metropolitan Opera Season Opening Night

See more photos of celebrities arriving at last night's opening of The Metropolitan Opera season, after the jump.

Vogue Covers Opera Fashions On MET's Opening Night "Figaro"

Pre-Nozze: Anna Netrebko and soon-to-be-husband Yusif Eyvazov at opening night festivities.

Vogue photographer Hannah Thomson was at the Metropolitan Opera's Opening Night Gala. The evening featured a performance of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Evening attendants included Maggie Grace, Zac Posen, Vera Wang, Grace Coddington, Josh Lucas, Christine Baranski, and more. See the full gallery of the glamorous night by clicking here. 

Fall Fashions: Mercedes Bass and soprano Renée Fleming

San Francisco Gala Beauty Captured By Photographer Jason Henry

With couture by Lela Rose, Tom Ford, Pierre Cardin, Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, Badgley Mischka, Marchesa, Herve Leger, and Oscar de la Renta, dominating the scene at the 2014 San Francisco Opera Gala, it's likely the real star was photographer Jason Henry who captured much of the festivities for the Chronicle. The San Francisco Opera opened its 92nd season with a cocktail reception, dinner, a performance of Bellini's Norma and an after party. An important element to major events is to document the evening with images that show who attended and which designer they chose to wear for the occasion. However, it takes true talent to give the viewer a real sense of being taken on a journey and truly feel the atmosphere of a room through a camera lens. Jason Henry does exactly this through his impeccable photos that feel whimsical, artistic, and focused, all at the same time. Below is a sampling from the evening [click images to enlarge]. Unfortunately the gallery lacks photos of the singers Jamie Barton (Adalgisa), Marco Berti (Pollione), and Sondra Radvanovsky (Norma) who performed in the opera and surely attended the post-performance festivities in their own regal garments. Go here to see the full gallery of 115 photos of attendees. More about photographer Jason Henry after the jump.

First Glimpse of Anna Netrebko at MET "Manon" After-Party

More gorgeous photos of Ms. Netrebko by photographer Julie Skarratt can be found here. See more pictures of guests (including Paulo Szot, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Barbara Walters and Peter Gelb) click here.

Young Hollywood Starlets attend Netrebko's MET "Manon"

"Emma Roberts, niece of Julia Roberts, dined with Chloë Moretz and Sky Ferreira. The sauteed sole was accompanied by asparagus and a puree of cauliflower and Yukon potatoes." (Photo: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg News)

YSL Gets Patricia Clarkson In the Mood at the "Manon" Premiere

"Patricia Clarkson, wearing a strapless velvet gown, declared herself 'pumped' to see Anna Netrebko singing the title role. "I saw her in Anna Bolena and she was astonishing," the actress recalled. 'I know it's this gala and I love the Met, and I love my YSL clothes—come on, I mean, gorgeous—I'm going to sleep in them, have sex in them. But I am truly beside myself about seeing her tonight.'" [Source] For a big photo gallery of stars and opera patrons (including Mercedes Bass, January Jones, Barbara Walters, Chuck Close, Michael Stipe, and Patti Smith) wearing Yves Saint Laurent, click here!

Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala Dinner Photos

Henry Kissinger, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb, bass-baritone Erwin Schrott, soprano Anna Netrebko, Sid Bass, Mercedes Bass and Oscar de la Renta.
(Photo: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg)

“'Let’s just say, I think this is my time,' Anna Netrebko suggested after her performance in Anna Bolena at the Metropolitan Opera’s opening gala last night. 'Tomorrow it’s going to be someone else’s.' Netrebko sang in a new staging of Donizetti’s opera about Anne Boleyn, whose beheading started a trend at the court of Henry VIII. Netrebko had taken her seat at the post-performance supper. The meal was spiced lamb and pearl couscous. The decor included giant banners of Holbein paintings, candlelight and bowls filled with flowers, grapes and pears. It was a sumptuous conclusion to Anna’s final mad moments when she swept her long hair away from her neck and ran off to her beheading. Netrebko, seated next to her director, David McVicar, recalled staging the moment. 'We worked together, and we came up with the simplest solution,' McVicar said. 'He is the one who decides,' Netrebko said. 'What I work on, is if I have enough rings on my fingers to really sparkle.' 'She is the true queen of the opera,' Mercedes Bass, chairman of the gala and wife of oil billionaire Sid Bass said, as waiters passed around sherry trifle. 'She controls the stage.' The Basses funded the production, the Met’s first of the opera. The Met plans to produce Donizetti’s two other Tudor operas, even though Netrebko has declined to sing in them." Click here to see more photos of the event. [Source]

Fashion at the Opening Night of the Metropolitan Opera

Photographer Patrick Michael Hughes focuses on the glamour of an opening night crowd attending the performance of Anna Bolena last night at the Metropolitan Opera. "The people of Manhattan are always fashion-forward. DNAinfo.com captures the latest style and accessory trends, from sunglasses to shoes and handbags to hairdos, as they're worn out on the streets." Click here to access the photo gallery of images. One more image after the jump.

Opera star Bryn Terfel arrives with Susana Llanio who is wearing an Escada gown.

Accolades Start Pouring In For Anna Netrebko's Performance

Anna²: Netrebko meets Bolena
(Photo: Kathy Willens/AP)

The first reviews are starting to appear online for Anna Netrebko's opening night debuting Donizetti's Anna Bolena for the first time ever in the Metropolitan Opera's history. First off will be the glowing review from Mike Silverman for the Associated Press: "Netrebko, always a naturally charismatic presence on stage, has now at age 40 grown into the vocal demands of the role. Her dark, syrupy, slightly melancholy tone has deepened and taken on more power, without any noticeable loss of lyric freedom at the top of her range. In fact, she has worked hard to cultivate a respectable trill — something she was criticized for lacking in earlier forays into the bel canto repertory. So she can melt our hearts one moment with a soft high C of great delicacy, then pin us to backs of our seats the next with a ferocious outburst of notes cascading over more than an octave. That mournful song about her past, 'Al dolce guidami castel nation' ('Lead me to the dear castle where I was born'), accompanied by English horn, is part of the opera's concluding scene in which Anna's mind wanders as she prepares to meet the executioner's ax. But hearing offstage revelry as Henry weds her successor, Jane Seymour (Giovanna in the opera), restores her wits, and she denounces them in a fiery finale, 'Coppia iniquia' ('Wicked couple'), which Netrebko delivers with dazzling virtuosity. Although she sang the role for the first time just last spring in

Vienna, Netrebko has already put her stamp on it. One particularly telling moment comes at the end of Act 1, when Henry has ordered Anna and several other characters thrown into prison. He tells her that a panel of judges will weigh the evidence against her — and the realization that her fate is sealed begins to sink in. 'Giudici! ... ad Anna!' ('Judges! For Anna!') she cries. Then she repeats the same lines — spoken more than sung — and finally turns the words around, 'Ad Anna! Giudici!' Many sopranos spit out the words in defiance, but Netrebko makes us feel her terror at what they imply." [Source]

Ildar Abdrazakov as King Henry VIII and Netrebko as his young bride. (Photo: Ken Howard/MET)

"Never mind Anna Bolena. One might as well name the show Anna Netrebko....Netrebko sang the reflective passages sweetly, with shimmering pianissimo tone and a lovely legato. She earned admiration for holding nothing back in forte outbursts. She comported herself with queenly dignity as needed, and with unaccustomed restraint." [Source]

Just a girl who wants to go back to the castle where she was born. (Photo: Sara Krulwich/NY Times)

"Ms. Netrebko sang an elegantly sad aria with lustrous warmth, aching vulnerability and floating high notes. When the audience broke into prolonged applause and bravos, Ms. Netrebko seemed to break character and smiled a couple of times, though her look could have been taken as appropriate to the dramatic moment, since the delusional Anna is lost in reverie about happy days with her former lover. Then at the end of this 'Mad Scene,' when Anna, restored to horrific reality, curses the king and his new queen, Giovanna (Jane Seymour), and stalks off to her execution, Ms. Netrebko dispatched Donizetti’s cabaletta, all brilliant coloratura runs and vehement phrases, with a defiance that brought down the house." [Source]

The royal couple off to a rocky start and a bloody finish. (Photo: Kathy Willens/AP)

"The new monarch — ruling not over England but the Met — is Anna Netrebko, whose radiant performance at the company’s opening night Monday catapulted her to 'prima donna assoluta': undisputed superstar. Already celebrated for her glamorous face and voice, the fiery Russian-born diva has developed into a great tragic performer. Her climactic, 30-minute mad scene set in the Tower of London ranged from despair to rage. It’s music that demands everything in a diva’s arsenal, and Netrebko delivered, her ravishing soft high C’s and delicate trills contrasting with slashing coloratura plummeting through the full soprano register. In the last moments, her voice easily soared over the full chorus and orchestra as Anna marched off to her execution." [Source]

As more articles are written, they will be linked to this posting.

Stars Come Out For Metropolitan Opera's Season Opening Night

NY1 reports from the red carpet on some of the stars attending the Metropolitan Opera's opening night of the 2011-12 season with Anna Bolena. Check out the video interviews with Maxwell, Leelee Sobieski and Tyra Banks, by clicking here. Also in attendance were (from left to right) Archie Panjabi, Katie Couric, Martha Stewart, Crystal Renn and Tyra Banks. Check out some large images of the stars here.
And in case you missed the Metropolitan Opera posting of the in-depth conversation with Anna Netrebko and David McVicar about the production, check it out below:

Deborah Voigt Sings Opening Night of New York Philharmonic

PBS aired the 170th opening night concert of the New York Philharmonic with Music Director Alan Gilbert and guest soloist Deborah Voigt. Throughout the broadcast it was announced that the concert would be available online to view in its entirety for one week after last evening's performance. The link for the concert is here, but it seems there is no content. You might also check on the NY Phil's website periodically here to see if the video becomes available. The guest artist may have had final approval rights on whether to replay the concert based on her performance. More photos after the jump.

Live From Lincoln Center
September 21, 2011

New York Philharmonic Opening Night
Alec Baldwin, Host
Alan Gilbert, Conductor
Deborah Voigt, Soprano

Trad. Star Spangled Banner; Barber, The School for Scandal Overture; Wagner, “Dich, teure Halle” from Tannhäuser; Barber, Andromache’s Farewell; Wagner, Overture to Tannhäuser; INTERMISSION; R. Strauss, Intermezzo, Dance and Final Scene from Salome.

Live Intermission features: (1) Alec Baldwin backstage with Maestro Gilbert talks about conducting and composing. (2) Alec Baldwin chats backstage with Deborah Voigt.

Program Length: 1:56:46

Lucia Aliberti to Open Manoel Theatre Season in Concert of Arias

"The famous Soprano Lucia Aliberti is to perform at the Concerto per l’Unità d’Italia to be held at the Manoel Theatre on Friday 30 September at 8pm. Here she talks to Erika Brincat about her career and her love for the world of opera. The 2011 - 2012 season at the Manoel Theatre opens with Concerto per l’Unità d’Italia’- a concert of operatic music by Italian composers Bellini, Donizetti, Puccini, Catalani and Verdi. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and well-known soprano Lucia Aliberti will perform under the baton of the theatre’s music director Brian Schembri. The concert is being held in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy and the Istituto Culturale Italiano." [Source] Read the full interview to find out how her career started, the composers that rank among her favorites, what ice cream has to do with returning home, some of the most prestigious events the soprano has taken part in during her career, why there is a restaurant in Tokyo named after her, which is her favorite gown to wear in concert and how she finds balance in her busy life.

"Son vergin vezzosa" I Puritani (Bellini)

San Francisco Opera Gala Opening Night Event One Week Away

Iréne Theorin will portray
Puccini's icy princess.

"It’s not too late to part-take in of the most prominent events in the San Francisco musical and social scene. On September 9th, join Encore!, the San Francisco Opera’s club for opera aficionados, as they host the opening night gala at City Hall. As the second largest opera company in North America, the San Francisco Opera has been host to opera’s jewels like conductor Sir Georg Solti, director Francis Ford Coppola and lirico-spinto soprano Renata Tebali. The 2011/12 season will feature John Adams’ Nixon in China, a long sought after program. This magical evening will begin with cocktails at 5PM, followed by an elegant seated dinner at 6PM in City Hall and then attendees will head to the War Memorial Opera house and enjoy a performance of Puccini’s Turandot. The festivities continue back at City Hall at around 11PM after the performance with dessert and dancing into the wee hours of the night. One must first join Encore! and then purchase tickets for the gala which at this point start at $425 for Dress Circle Rear placement. A table for 10 Patron tickets is $6,000 (call (415) 621-4403 for orders and use this form) and if you can only make the performance, tickets are still available starting at $129." [Source]

Check out an image from the Hockney production and watch a clip of Iréne Theorin singing the "Riddle Scene" from Turandot at Covent Garden after the jump.

Sexy Hollywood Stars Celebrate "Le Comte Ory"

Le Comte Ory opened last night at the Metropolitan Opera and the parade of stars included Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Claire Danes, Julianna Margulies, Olivia Munn, Emmy Rossum, Claudia Schiffer and Rebecca Hall (daughter of opera singer Maria Ewing and British director Peter Hall). Check out more photos of the event here.

Anna Netrebko Supports Erwin Schrott At "Figaro" Premiere

Anna Netrebko flew to Vienna to support Erwin Schrott for the premiere of Le Nozze di Figaro on February 16. Check out photos from the production here. Click on the image to see the backstage interview. More screen caps after the jump. [Source]