It has been announced that 10 works in total, including five notable productions from the 2024-2025 season recorded at the Metropolitan Opera (MET), one of the world's largest opera houses located in New York, along with related older works, will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW starting in May.
The opening act is Verdi's "Aida," the first new production at the MET in 36 years. Its dual structure, in which archaeologists in the early 20th century uncover the story of Aida while investigating an unexcavated tomb, has garnered much attention. With an unprecedented and shocking ending, gorgeous stage design, and a fusion of technology that didn't exist 36 years ago, this masterpiece, "the opera of operas," has been vividly revived for the modern era. The production is directed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer. In May, his production of "Rigoletto" will also be broadcast.
In June, the MET premiered "Grounded," a work by a Tony Award-winning composer and director, and was broadcast and streamed. This new opera, based on a one-woman show starring Anne Hathaway, garnered significant attention for its contemporary theme: the struggles of a female pilot who is reassigned to drone operation after becoming pregnant. With war still raging around the world, the tense drone operation scenes, which feel all too real, have an impact that transcends the boundaries of opera.
In July, in response to viewer requests, WOWOW will present "Madama Butterfly," a work from the 2023-24 season that has not yet been broadcast. Asmik Grigorian, the Queen of Salzburg, makes her MET debut in this visually stunning and delicately dramatic production that will leave a lasting impression. Along with "Tosca" and "Manon Lescaut," scheduled to be broadcast in August, three works that will allow viewers to experience the world of Puccini more deeply will be available for two consecutive months.
The centerpiece of this lineup is soprano Lise Davidsen, whose voice is described as "one in a million." Davidsen will play Tosca in "Tosca," which will be broadcast in August, and Leonore in Beethoven's only opera, "Fidelio," which will be broadcast in September, making her a symbolic presence in this lineup. In September, a new production of "La forza del destino," also featuring Davidsen, will be broadcast.
Then, in October, a new production of Richard Strauss's "Salome" will be broadcast. It's a striking work with its bold concept of setting the story in Victorian England and its approach that delves deeply into the protagonist's inner world.
The broadcast and streaming lineup is as follows (★ indicates a first broadcast).
<May> Metropolitan Opera Verdi's "Aida" (new production) (MET 2024-25) ★ <May> Metropolitan Opera Verdi's "Rigoletto" (MET 2012-13) <June> Metropolitan Opera Janine Tesori's "Grounded" (MET 2024-25) ★ <July> Metropolitan Opera Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" starring Asmik Grigorian (MET 2023-24) ★ <August> Metropolitan Opera Puccini's "Tosca" starring L. Davidsen (MET 2024-25) ★ <August> Metropolitan Opera Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" (new production) (MET 2015-16)
<September> Metropolitan Opera: Beethoven's "Fidelio" (MET 2024-25) ★ <September> Metropolitan Opera: Puccini's "Tosca" starring L. Davidsen (MET 2024-25) <September> Metropolitan Opera: Verdi's "La forza del destino" (new production) (MET 2023-24) <October> Metropolitan Opera: R. Strauss's "Salome" (new production) (MET 2024-25) ★ <October> Metropolitan Opera: Verdi's "Nabucco" (MET 2023-24) <October> Metropolitan Opera: Saint-Saëns' "Samson and Delilah" (MET 2018-19)
