Natalie Dessay returns to the Met in one of her greatest roles,
the fragile heroine of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor
Joseph Calleja sings his first Met Edgardo in the revival of Mary Zimmerman’s
2007 production
Audiences around the world will experience the March 19 matinee through The
Met: Live in HD series
New York, NY (February 10, 2011) – Natalie Dessay will return to the
Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor for a run of
performances beginning February 24. Lucia is one of Dessay’s most acclaimed
portrayals, first seen at the Met in the 2007 premiere of Mary Zimmerman’s production.
Dessay is joined by three co-stars who are singing their roles for the first time at the Met:
Joseph Calleja as Edgardo, Ludovic Tézier as Enrico, and Kwangchul Youn as
Raimondo. Patrick Summers, the Music Director of Houston Grand Opera, conducts his
first Met performances of the opera since 2002. The March 19 matinee will be
transmitted live through The Met: Live in HD, allowing audiences in 46 countries to
experience Dessay’s demented brilliance in the role for the first time.
Dessay’s 2007 Met role debut as Lucia earned the soprano—a popular Met
Zerbinetta, Olympia, and Juliette—excellent reviews that praised her dramatic
commitment as well as her vocal performance in the demanding role. As Lucia’s lover
Edgardo, Joseph Calleja will add a sixth role to his growing Met repertory; his
performances in the house have included the title character in Bartlett Sher’s new
production premiere of Les Contes d’Hoffmann and the lead tenor roles in this season’s
revivals of Rigoletto and La Bohéme. French baritone Ludovic Tézier, last heard at the
Met as Count Almaviva in the 2009 revival of Le Nozze di Figaro, will sing his first Met
performances of Enrico, the villainous brother who forces Lucia into an arranged
marriage for his own financial gain. Bass Kwangchul Youn, whose past Met roles include
Landgraf Hermann in Tannhäuser, King Marke in Tristan und Isolde, and Ferrando in the
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PRESS DEPARTMENT
The Metropolitan Opera
Lincoln Center
New York, NY 10023
Press: 212.870.7457
General: 212.799.3100
Fax: 212.870.7606
press@mail.metopera.org
www.metopera.org
2009 new production premiere of Il Trovatore, will make his Met role debut as the
chaplain Raimondo. Conductor Summers, who also leads the revival of Gluck’s Iphigénie
en Tauride this month, has conducted a varied repertory at the Met that includes recent
revivals of Madama Butterfly, Salome, I Puritani, and Rodelinda.
Mary Zimmerman’s production features sets by Daniel Ostling, costumes by
Mara Blumenfeld, lighting by T.J. Gerckens, and choreography by Daniel Pelzig. On
March 12, Stephen Gaertner will sing Enrico; he sang Act III of the role at a 2007
performance, but this will be his first time singing the full role at the Met.
Live Broadcasts Around the World
Lucia di Lammermoor will be experienced by millions of people around the world
this season in movie theaters, on the radio and on the internet, through distribution
platforms the Met has established with various media partners.
The March 19 matinee will be transmitted to more than 1,500 movie theaters in
46 countries around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series.
The February 24 opening performance will be broadcast live on Metropolitan
Opera Radio on SIRIUS channel 78 and XM channel 79, as will the March 16 and 19
performances.
The February 24 and March 16 performances will also be available via internet
streaming at the Met’s web site www.metopera.org. The March 19 matinee will be
broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.
For More Information, See the Met’s Web Site
For more information about the Met season please see the Met’s Web site at
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/.
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Contact:
Lee Abrahamian / Peter Clark / Sam Neuman
Metropolitan Opera
(212) 870-7457
labrahamian@metopera.org / pclark@metopera.org / sneuman@metopera.org
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MET DEBUTS AND ROLE DEBUTS
Met Role Debuts
Joseph Calleja, Edgardo
Ludovic Tézier, Enrico
Stephen Gaertner, Enrico
Kwangchul Young, Raimondo
Theodora Hanslowe, Alisa
Matthew Plenk, Arturo
Philip Webb, Normanno
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Lucia di Lammermoor
Composer
Libretto
Gaetano Donizetti
Salvadore Cammarano
Performances
Thursday, Feb. 24 (8 p.m.)
Tuesday, Mar. 8 (8:30 p.m.)
Monday, Feb. 28 (8 p.m.)
Saturday, Mar. 12 (8:30 p.m.)
Friday, Mar. 4 (8 p.m.)
Wednesday, Mar. 16 (8 p.m.)
Saturday, Mar. 19 (1 p.m.)
Conductor
Production
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Choreographer
Lucia
Edgardo
Enrico
Raimondo
Alisa
Arturo
Normanno
Patrick Summers
Mary Zimmerman
Daniel Ostling
Mara Blumenfeld
T.J. Gerckens
Daniel Pelzig
Natalie Dessay
Joseph Calleja
Ludovic Tézier/Stephen Gaertner (Mar. 12)
Kwangchul Youn
Theodora Hanslowe
Matthew Plenk
Philip Webb
For prices and ticket information, please call (212) 362-6000 or visit www.metopera.org.
The March 19 matinee performance will be transmitted live as part of The Met: Live in HD and
broadcast on the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.
Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund
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