The Met: Live in HD 2023-24 season continues with live transmission of Daniel Catán's 1996 opera Florencia en el Amazonas, the first Spanish-language opera at the Met in nearly a century, on Saturday, December 9, presented by Fathom Events
Led by Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the majority Latinx cast stars soprano Ailyn Pérez as Florencia Grimaldi, alongside soprano Gabriella Reyes, mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera, tenor Mario Chang, baritones Mattia Olivieri and Michael Chioldi, and bass-baritone Greer Grimsley
The historic Live in HD transmission to be hosted by critically acclaimed Mexican tenor and theater director Rolando Villazón
DENVER, Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Metropolitan Opera's 2023–24 Live in HD season continues with the live transmission of Daniel Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas, the first Spanish-language opera to be performed at the Met in nearly a century, on Saturday, December 9, at 12:55PM ET. This is also the first opera by a Mexican composer to be presented by the company. With a majority Latinx cast led by celebrated Mexican-American soprano Ailyn Pérez, the premiere of Florencia marks an unprecedented Latin American cultural and artistic moment for the Met.
Fathom Events will also present two encores of Daniel Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas on Wednesday, December 13, at 1:00PM and 6:30PM local time.
Tickets for Florencia en el Amazonas are on sale through the Fathom Events website and participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations, visit FathomEvents.com (participating theaters are subject to change).
Inspired by the magical realism of novelist Gabriel García Márquez, with a libretto by Mexican writer Marcela Fuentes-Berain, Catán's 1996 opera follows Florencia Grimaldi, a South American opera diva who returns to her homeland to perform at the legendary opera house of Manaus and to search for her lost lover, who has vanished into the jungle. Led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Met's Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director, the cast stars Pérez in the title role and features a distinguished ensemble of singers portraying the diva's fellow travelers on the riverboat to Manaus—soprano Gabriella Reyes as the journalist Rosalba, bass-baritone Greer Grimsley as the ship's captain, baritone Mattia Olivieri as his enigmatic first mate, tenor Mario Chang as the captain's nephew Arcadio, and mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera and baritone Michael Chioldi as the feuding couple Paula and Alvaro.
The new production by award-winning director Mary Zimmerman brings the mysterious and magical realm of the Amazon to the Met stage. The creative team includes Havana-born, Buenos Aires–raised set designer Riccardo Hernández in his Met debut, with costume designer Ana Kuzmanić, lighting designer T.J. Gerckens, projection designer S. Katy Tucker, and choreographer Alex Sanchez.+
Gary Halvorson will direct the Live in HD presentation for cinemas, with critically acclaimed Mexican tenor, theater director, and artistic director Rolando Villazón serving as host. He will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access and conduct interviews with the cast and creative team during intermission.
The Stars of Florencia en el Amazonas
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Montreal, Canada
Ailyn Pérez, Florencia Grimaldi; Chicago, Illinois
Gabriella Reyes, Rosalba; Meriden, Connecticut
Nancy Fabiola Herrera, Paula; Canary Islands, Spain
Mario Chang, Arcadio; Guatemala City, Guatemala
Mattia Olivieri, Riolobo; Sassuolo, Italy
Michael Chioldi, Alvaro; Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Greer Grimsley, Captain; New Orleans, Louisiana
Press Quotes
"Worth a century's wait … Vivid romanticism … Lyrical, colorful, with great vitality … An excellent Ailyn Pérez … her sound lustrous, full and elegant … The orchestra sounds fantastic … An involving production with lots of pleasures. It flows like a river and adds to the sense of renewal through contemporary works at the Met this fall. ★ ★ ★ ★" —Financial Times
"Magic made real … Visually stunning and emotionally affecting … A perfect choice to bring Spanish-language opera into the mainstream … A riotous rainbow of color … Jaw-dropping costumes … a feast for the eyes." —Observer
"Played with smooth polish at the Met under Yannick Nézet-Séguin … Pérez is, appropriately, the uncontested star: wistful, tender and sincere … A tribute to opera." —The New York Times
"The Met's fine orchestra vibrates with intensity, and Pérez has no trouble in the role of a famous soprano whose singing just might turn back time." —New York Magazine
"A fine showcase for Pérez … Her ecstatic vocal expression was flawless … Lush orchestration, ear-pleasing vocal lines, a romantic story … All-out romantic exuberance" —The Wall Street Journal
"An audience favorite. High time the Metropolitan Opera came aboard—and it's doing so in grand style." —Air Mail
"An opera of surpassing loveliness" —The New Yorker
More Information
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For further details on Florencia en el Amazonas, please click here.
The 2023–24 Live in HD season continues with Nabucco (live on January 6, with encores on January 10), Carmen (live on January 27, with encores on January 31), La Forza del Destino (live on March 9, with encores on March 13), Roméo et Juliette (live on March 23, with encores on March 27), La Rondine (live on April 20, with encores on April 24), and Madama Butterfly (live on May 11, with encores on May 15). All performances will be Saturday matinees transmitted live from the Met stage.
About Fathom Events
Fathom is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L), Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit FathomEvents.com.
The Met: Live in HD series is made possible by a generous grant from its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support of The Met: Live in HD is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Met: Live in HD series is supported by Rolex.
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