Metropolitan Opera New York 2023

What To See at the Metropolitan Opera New York

2023

On Saturday, after dinner at Quality Italian, we made our way to the Metropolitan Opera to see Luigi Cherubini’s 1979 Opera, MEDEA. This is a unique co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, Greek National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Lyric Opera of Chicago that kicked off the 2022-23 season in October. The Met has never presented Cherubini’s most celebrated work until this season, so we decided to go see it.

The performance of Medea is anchored by the soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, a role that Maria Callas championed on stage in the 1950s. If you are planning to visit New York City, you can get tickets to see this wonderful opera.

The Met Opera’s 2022-23 season is full of outstanding works, including two that I am looking forward to seeing: La Traviata and L’Elisir d’Amore.
See the full list at the bottom of this post!

METROPOLITAN OPERA HISTORY

The Metropolitan Opera was founded in 1883, with its first opera house built on Broadway and 39th Street. In the early years all performances were in Italian, then they were in German, until it was decided that most works would be performed in their original language.

Construction of the “new” Metropolitan Opera House began in 1959 and continued over the next ten years. It is now located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a 16-acre complex that is home to the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, the Chamber Music Society, the Film Society, the Juilliard School, the Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Library for the Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet.

Lincoln Center – Fun Facts

The board of architects was headed by Wallace K. Harrison who helped design the United Nations and Rockefeller Center.
Nearly 188 buildings were razed to make way for this grand cultural center.
The rectangular buildings of glass and Italian travertine marble can accommodate 13,666 spectators at a time.

Metropolitan Opera – Fun Facts

The Met Opera House contains seven rehearsal halls and storage space for six opera sets.
The large murals in the lobby of the opera house are by Marc Chagall.
The crystal chandeliers that accentuate the red-carpeted staircase were a gift from Austria.

Medea Opera Reviews — Medea at the Metropolitan Opera in New York

MEDEA OPERA SYPNOSYS & REVIEW

Glauce, princess of Corinth, is preparing for her wedding to the hero Giasone. For years, Giasone has been in a relationship with the sorceress Medea, the mother of his children. Glauce worries that Medea, who is still in love with Giasone, may do something to stop the wedding. Wedding festivities are interrupted when Medea appears and demands that Giasone return to her. Giasone rejects Medea’s pleas, but Medea, hurt and enraged, curses Giasone, calling on the gods of Olympus to help her take revenge. After Medea is requested to leave the city, Medea pleads to be allowed just one more day with her children.

To learn how the story ends, you need to watch this performance! This play can be summarized with this statement: Medea is the most notorious sorceress of all.

met Opera on demand — The Metropolitan Opera House in New York

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York

MET TITLES

If you decide to go to the Metropolitan Opera House, be sure to turn on the “Met Titles” as soon as you sit down. You will see that they appear on individual screens mounted on the back of each row of seats. Titles are provided for all Met performances in English, Spanish, and German. Titles are also provided in Italian for Italian-language operas. This is a unique system of real-time translation that I personally find magnificent – it helps you better understand the performances.

Overall, going to the opera is a marvelous experience that is a great excuse to dress up for!

Enjoy and make a great evening out of it!

WHAT IS A GOOD FIRST OPERA TO SEE?

For first-timers I suggest: La Traviata, La Bohème, Tosca and Don Giovanni! All of these are popular operas that will have you coming back for more.

MET OPERA RUSH TICKETS

Rush tickets go on sale for Monday through Friday evening performances at Noon, for matinees four hours before curtain, and for Saturday evenings at 2:00 pm. These tickets are only available online and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

MET OPERA TOURS

Tours of the Metropolitcan Opera are currently suspended until further notice.

MET OPERA ON DEMAND

If you prefer to watch The Metropolitan Opera’s performances from the comfort of your home, you can do so with their online streaming service.

The Met Opera has an unlimited subscription plan for $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year, and there are more than 800 full-length performances that you will be able to choose from. Learn more about this streaming service here.

There are free apps available for Amazon Fire TV and Tablet, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Android, Roku, and Samsung Smart TV.

METROPOLITAN OPERA HD

Another option is to visit your local theatre and watch the Met’s performances there! The Met’s 2022–23 season of live movie theater transmissions features ten productions that can be seen in cinemas worldwide. Search for cinemas by city in this link here.

WHAT TO SEE AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA 2023

Here are my suggestions on what to see at the Met Opera during 2023!

Don Giovanni (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Idomeneo (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Dmitri Shostakovich)
Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi)
Tosca (Giacomo Puccini)
La Traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)
La Bohème (Giacomo Puccini)
The Magic Flute – Holiday Presentation (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Peter Grimes (Benjamin Britten)
Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss)
Aida (Giuseppe Verdi)
Fedora (Umberto Giordano)
L’Elisir d’Amore (Gaetano Donizetti)

A final note!
I went to see Medea with my husband, and on a different night I invited my parents to see La Traviata. Although I personally prefer La Traviata, both were outstanding.

WHAT TO WEAR TO THE OPERA