New York and Centennial, Colo. – Sept. 14, 2009 – The Metropolitan Opera’s Emmy and Peabody award-winning The Met: Live in HD series returns to movie theaters for a fourth season this fall, featuring nine LIVE operas beginning with a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca starring soprano Karita Mattila on October 10th. The critically-acclaimed series will be transmitted live, in high definition, expanding by more than 50 new theaters to nearly 500 movie theaters and performing arts centers in the United States through a renewed agreement with National CineMedia (NCM), the operator of the largest digital in-theater network for cinema advertising and alternative entertainment and events in North America. Each live performance will take place on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern / Noon Central / 11:00 a.m. Mountain / 10:00 a.m. Pacific followed by an evening pre-recorded encore presentation the third Wednesday after the live performance.
Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations, please visit the web site (theaters and participants are subject to change). Ticket prices vary by location.
“We are pleased that the success of The Met: Live in HD series continues to grow and that more people than ever can now enjoy the transmissions,” said Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb.
The Metropolitan Opera and Fathom, NCM’s alternative entertainment and events division, present the 2009-10 season of The Met: Live in HD featuring live transmissions of four new productions, including the aforementioned Tosca, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Hamlet and the Met premiere of Armida, in addition to opera favorites Aida, Turandot, Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen and Simon Boccanegra.
The Met: Live in HD series participating theaters include select AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Georgia Theatre Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Malco Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as independent theaters including Arena Theatre, The Arlington Theatre, Carolina Theatre, El Raton Theatre, The Grand Theatre, Ocean Reef Cultural Center, Palace 9 Cinema, Penn Cinema, Rose Theatre, The Society of the Four Arts Theatre, Strand Theatre, State Theatre (State College, PA) and the State Theatre (Traverse City, MI).
The Met: Live in HD series was honored with a prestigious Peabody Award for its “vividly designed, smartly annotated productions of Hansel and Gretel, Doctor Atomic, Peter Grimes and other operas, “and the use of “state-of-the-art digital technology to reinvent the presentation of a classic art form.” In addition, the Met won a special Emmy Award in January 2009 for “advancing technology through ongoing, live, global transmission of high-definition programming to movie theaters.”
The Met: Live in HD is expanding the appeal and reach of opera around the world and has been met with both critical and popular acclaim. Using robotic cameras and state-of-the-art technology, The Met: Live in HD captures the onstage action from striking angles and heightens attention to the narrative elements of both performance and production. The series offers behind-the-scenes features, live interviews with cast and crew, insightful short documentaries, and bird’s-eye views of the productions, offering an unprecedented look at what goes into the staging of an opera. The Met: Live in HD is made possible by a generous grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation. Bloomberg L.P. is the global corporate sponsor of The Met: Live in HD.
“Fathom continues to transform movie theaters into community centers by offering various and diverse forms of entertainment – from the more informative, inspirational and cultural to comedic, light hearted and serious,” said Shelly Maxwell, senior vice president of NCM Fathom. “The Met: Live in HD series has proven to be a tremendous success and we are excited to continue our exclusive U.S. partnership with the Met, bringing an amazing fourth season to local movie theaters in hundreds of communities.”
The 2009-10 The Met: Live in HD series planned schedule* is as follows:
Saturday, October 10, 2009 TOSCA – A new production of Puccini’s Tosca by Luc Bondy in his house debut, starring Karita Mattila in her first performance of the title role outside her native Finland, and Marcelo lvarez as Cavaradossi. Juha Uusitalo sings the role of Scarpia. James Levine conducts. NEW PRODUCTION.
Wednesday, October 28 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of TOSCA
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, October 24, 2009 AIDA – Daniele Gatti returns for the first time in 14 years to conduct a cast of powerful voices in Verdi’s Aida. Violeta Urmana sings the title role, while Dolora Zajick returns in one of her most acclaimed portrayals as the Egyptian princess Amneris. Johan Botha is Radams and Carlo Guelfi sings Amonasro.
Wednesday, November 11 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of AIDA
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, November 7, 2009 TURANDOT – Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of Puccini’s Turandot features the Met role debuts of Maria Guleghina in the title role, Marcello Giordani as Calf, Samuel Ramey as Timur, and Marina Poplavskaya as Li. Conductor Andris Nelsons also makes his Met debut.
Wednesday, November 18 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of TURANDOT
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, December 19, 2009 LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN – Bartlett Sher returns to direct his second Met production: Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, conducted by James Levine, featuring Anna Netrebko as Antonia, Ekaterina Gubanova as Giulietta, Kate Lindsey as Nicklausse, Kathleen Kim as Olympia, and Alan Held as the four villains. Joseph Calleja stars in the title role of Hoffmann. NEW PRODUCTION.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of LES CONTES D’HOFFMAN
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, January 9, 2010 DER ROSENKAVALIER – James Levine conducts a stellar cast including Rene Fleming as the Marschallin and Susan Graham as Octavian. Eric Cutler as the Italian Singer, Kristinn Sigmundsson sings the role of Baron Ochs, and Christine Schfer is Sophie.
Wednesday, January 27 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of DER ROSENKAVALIER
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, January 16, 2010 CARMEN – The new Carmen, starring El?na Garan?a, who sang the title role of La Cenerentola at the Met last spring to great acclaim; will also feature the debuts of director Richard Eyre and conductor Yannick Nzet-Sguin. Roberto Alagna is the soldier Don Jos, Barbara Frittoli is Micala, and Mariusz Kwiecien is the bullfighter Escamillo. NEW PRODUCTION.
Wednesday, February 3 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of CARMEN
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, February 6, 2010 SIMON BOCCANEGRA – Four decades into a legendary Met career, Plcido Domingo makes history by singing the baritone title role of Simon Boccanegra, conducted by James Levine. Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, and James Morris co-star.
Wednesday, February 24 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of SIMON BOCCANEGRA
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, March 27, 2010 HAMLET – Last performed at the Met in 1897, Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet will be seen in a new production by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, conducted by Louis Langre and starring Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Natalie Dessay as Ophlie. With Jennifer Larmore as Gertrude, Toby Spence as Lartes and James Morris as Claudius. NEW PRODUCTION.
Wednesday, April 14 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of HAMLET
(Available in select theaters only.)
Saturday, May 1, 2010 ARMIDA – The season’s final new production features Rene Fleming in Rossini’s bel canto tour de force Armida, directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Also starring Lawrence Brownlee, Bruce Ford, Jos Manuel Zapata, Barry Banks, and Kobie van Rensburg. NEW PRODUCTION.
Wednesday, May 19 – 6:30 p.m. local time
Encore presentation of ARMIDA
(Available in select theaters only.)
*Programs and casting subject to change. For more details on the operas, please visit the Met’s web site at www.metopera.org/hd
About National CineMedia
NCM LLC operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America through long-term agreements with its founding members, AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest theatre operators in the U.S., and through multi-year agreements with several other theatre operators. NCM LLC produces and distributes its FirstLook pre feature program; cinema, lobby and online advertising products; comprehensive meeting and event services and other entertainment programming content. NCM LLC’s national network includes approximately 16,800 screens of which approximately 15,500 are part of the company’s Digital Content Network (DCN). NCM LLC’s network covers 171 Designated Market Areas (49 of the top 50). During 2008, approximately 660 million patrons attended movies shown in theatres currently included in the network (excluding Regal Consolidated Theatres). National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 41.5% interest in and is the managing member of NCM LLC. To learn more about National CineMedia Inc., please visit the company’s website at www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com.
About the Metropolitan Opera
Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s repertory.The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world.
The Met’s 2009-10 season features eight new productions, four of which are Met premieres. Opening night is a new production of Tosca starring Karita Mattila, conducted by Levine and directed by Luc Bondy. The four Met premieres are: Jan?ek’s From the House of the Dead, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and directed by Patrice Chreau, both in Met debuts; Verdi’s Attila starring Ildar Abdrazakov, conducted by Riccardo Muti and directed by Pierre Audi, with set and costume design by Miuccia Prada, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, all in their Met debuts; Shostakovich’s The Nose featuring Paulo Szot, conducted by Valery Gergiev and directed and designed by William Kentridge in his Met debut; and Rossini’s Armida with Rene Fleming, conducted by Riccardo Frizza and directed by Mary Zimmerman. Other new productions are Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann starring Joseph Calleja, Anna Netrebko, and Alan Held, conducted by Levine and directed by Bartlett Sher; Carmen with El?na Garan?a and Roberto Alagna, conducted by Yannick Nzet-Sguin and directed by Richard Eyre, both in Met debuts; and Thomas’s Hamlet with Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside, conducted by Louis Langre and directed by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser in their Met debuts.
Building on its 78-year radio broadcast history-currently heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network-the Met now uses advanced media distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world.
The Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Met: Live in HD series returns for its fourth season in 2009-10 with nine transmissions, beginning October 10 with the new production of Tosca and ending with the new production of Rossini’s Armida on May 1. The productions are seen in more than 900 theaters in 42 countries around the world and last season sold more than 1.8 million tickets. These performancesbegan airing on PBS in March 2008, and nine HD performances are now available on DVD. The Magic Flute was released by the Met and is available at the newly renovated Met Opera Shop. In addition, two classic Met performances from 1978 have recently been released by the Met: Otello, conducted by Levine with Jon Vickers and Renata Scotto; and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci conducted by Levine, with Tatiana Troyanos and Plcido Domingo in the first part of the double bill and Teresa Stratas, Plcido Domingo, and Sherrill Milnes in the latter. The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation. Bloomberg L.P. is the global corporate sponsor of The Met: Live in HD.
HD Live in Schools, the Met’s program offering free opera transmissions to New York City schools in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and the Metropolitan Opera Guild, continues for a third season. This season, for the second consecutive year the program will reach public school students and teachers in 18 cities and communities nationwide. HD Live in Schools is made possible by Bank of America.
Continuing its innovative use of electronic media to reach a global audience, the Metropolitan Opera last season introduced Met Player, a new subscription service that makes much of the company’s extensive video and audio catalog of full-length performances available to the public for the first time online in exceptional, state-of-the-art quality. The new service currently offers over 170 historic audio recordings, and almost 100 full-length opera videos are available, including 24 of the company’s acclaimed The Met: Live in HD transmissions, known for their extraordinary sound and picture quality. New content, including HD productions and archival broadcasts, are added monthly.
Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM Radio is a subscription-basedaudio entertainment service broadcasting an unprecedented number of live performances each week throughout the Met’s entire season, as well as rare historical performances, newly restored and remastered, spanning the Met’s 78-year broadcast history.
In addition to providing audio recordings through the Met on Rhapsody on-demand service, the Met also presents free liveaudio streaming of performances on its website once every week during the opera season with support from RealNetworks.
The company’s groundbreaking commissioning program in partnership with New York’s Lincoln Center Theater (LCT) provides renowned composers and playwrights with the resources to create and develop new works at the Met and at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. The Met’s partnership with LCT is part of the company’s larger initiative to commission new operas from contemporary composers, present modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, and provide a venue for artists to nurture their work. A new work by composer Nico Muhly and playwright Craig Lucas goes into workshop this fall.
The Met audience development initiatives include Open House Dress Rehearsals, which are free and open to the public; the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met, which exhibits contemporary visual art; the immensely successful Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket program; and an annual Holiday Presentation for families.This season’s special Holiday Presentation is Richard Jones’s English-language production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, which is given four matinee performances and four evening performance as a way for families to celebrate the holiday season.