Ms. Dessay Sings Works by Berg, Ravel, Glière, Rachmaninoff, Poulenc, and Massenet
On Sunday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m., Music Director James Levineconducts The MET Orchestra in their final concert of the 2010–2011 season atCarnegie Hall with special guest, soprano Natalie Dessay. Ms. Dessay, who nextseason appears as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata for the first time at theMetropolitan Opera, is featured here in a program of vocal works rarely heardin concert, including Berg’s Lulu Suite; Ravel’s Vocalise-étude en forme deHabanera; Reinhold Glière’s Andante from Concerto for Coloratura Soprano andOrchestra; and Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise. She will also sing arias from Poulenc’sLes Mamelles de Tirésias and Massenet’s Manon. The Orchestra will also performDebussy’s Images. Complete program information is listed below.
An admired interpreter of bel canto and lyric heroines,soprano Natalie Dessay was born in Lyon, France, and grew up in Bordeaux. Shestudied acting and singing at the Bordeaux Conservatoire and in 1989 enteredFrance’s first Concours des Voix Nouvelles where she won second prize, going onto study at Paris Opera. In 1992, she sang her first Olympia in Offenbach’s LesContes d’Hoffmann at the Opéra Bastille in a staging by Roman Polanski. In1993, she made her debut at the Vienna State Opera and in the same year sangOlympia in the opening production for the rebuilt Lyon Opera. By 2001, she hadperformed the role of Olympia in eight different productions, including her LaScala debut. Ms. Dessay made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1994 singing therole of Fiakermilli in Richard Strauss’s Arabella. Also at the Met, her roleshave included Amina in Bellini’s La Sonnambula, Marie in Donizetti’s La Filledu Régiment, Olympia, Zerbinetta in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, andJuliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. She has sung the title role inDonizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor in several stagings, including productions atthe Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra Bastille, San Francisco Opera, and in thepremiere of a new production for the opening of the Metropolitan Opera’s2007–2008 season. This season, Ms. Dessay returned to the Metropolitan Opera asLucia (a performance that was transmitted Live in HD to movie theatersworldwide), and additional season highlights included Cleopatra in Handel’sGiulio Cesare at the Paris Opera, Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisandewith the Orchestre de Paris, and Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata at theAix-en-Provence Festival.
Since his June 5, 1971 debut at The Metropolitan Opera withTosca, Music Director James Levine has developed a relationship with thecompany that is unparalleled in its history and unique in the musical worldtoday. He conducted the first-ever Met performances of Mozart's Idomeneo and LaClemenza di Tito; Gershwin's Porgy and Bess; Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex; Verdi'sI Vespri Siciliani; I Lombardi and Stiffelio; Weill's Rise and Fall of the Cityof Mahagonny; Schoenberg's Erwartung and Moses und Aron; Berg's Lulu; Rossini'sLa Cenerentola and Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini; as well as the world premieresof John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles and John Harbison's The GreatGatsby. All told, he has led nearly 2,500 performances of 85 different operasat the Met. Maestro Levine inaugurated the Metropolitan Opera Presentstelevision series for PBS in 1977, founded the Met’s Lindemann Young ArtistDevelopment Program in 1980, returned Wagner's complete Der Ring des Nibelungento the repertoire in 1989 (in the first integral cycles in over 35 yearsthere), and has reinstated recitals and concerts with Met artists at the operahouse. Expanding on that tradition, he and The MET Orchestra began touring inconcert in 1991, and since then have performed around the world as well as inits own subscription series at Carnegie Hall. Since 1998, Maestro Levine andThe MET Chamber Ensemble have also performed concerts annually at Weill RecitalHall and Zankel Hall. During his 40th anniversary season; Maestro Levine, whohas conducted more performances at the Met than any conductor in the company’s126-year history; led performances of Das Rheingold, Don Pasquale, SimonBoccanegra, Wozzeck, and Die Walküre.
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is today regarded as one ofthe world’s finest orchestras. From the time of the company’s inception in1883, the ensemble has worked with leading conductors in both opera and concertperformances and has developed into an orchestra of enormous technical polishand style. Seven new productions, including two company premieres and the firsttwo parts of a new Ring cycle, featuring many of the world’s greatest singersand conductors, are a highlight the Metropolitan Opera’s 2010–2011 season. Inthe spring of 1991, the orchestra under the leadership of James Levine beganconcert touring, taking them across the US and to Europe several times.
Program Information
Sunday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
THE MET ORCHESTRA
James Levine, Music Director and Conductor
Natalie Dessay, Soprano
ALBAN BERG Lulu Suite
MAURICE RAVEL Vocalise-étude en forme de Habanera
REINHOLD GLIÈRE Andante from Concerto for Coloratura Sopranoand Orchestra
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Images
FRANCIS POULENC "Non, Monsieur mon mari" from LesMamelles de Tirésias
JULES MASSENET "Je marche sur tous les chemins . . .Obéissons quand leur voix appelle" from Manon
Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of CarnegieHall.
Ticket Information
Tickets, priced at $52–$164, are available at the CarnegieHall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cardsby calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hallwebsite, carnegiehall.org.
For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place inStern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, willbe available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supplylasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These$10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-servedbasis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit percustomer.
In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in SternAuditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats withobstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50%of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticketprograms, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of Americacustomers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.
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