February 2024 — The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts, is into its 17th season exclusively at select Ster-Kinekor and Cinema Nouveau cinemas. Still to come in the 2023–24 Live in HD season are new productions of Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s La Forza del Destino; and revivals of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Puccini’s La Rondine, and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
“With The Met: Live in HD productions screening in our cinemas, local audiences get to experience some of the world’s best-loved opera productions in a near-live situation, from The Met’s opulent stage to our big screens. The theatre-like setting enables cinemagoers to become an extension of the live production’s audience, making these world-class productions from the Met in New York accessible to anyone who enjoys and appreciates great opera,” says Lynne Wylie, chief marketing officer at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.
Live in HD audiences will have the opportunity to watch the major Met-debut performance of Jonathan Tetelman as Ruggero in La Rondine, as well as performances by two returning Met stars: soprano Lise Davidsen as Leonora in a new production of La Forza del Destino; soprano Angel Blue as Magda in La Rondine and Micaëla in Carmen, alongside mezzo soprano Aigul Akhmetshina in the title role and tenor Piotr Beczała as Don José. Soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Benjamin Bernheim perform as the star-crossed lovers of Roméo et Juliette, in which Bernheim will also be making his first Live in HD appearance.
“What began as an experiment 17 years ago has become a staple experience for opera lovers all over the world,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s Maria Manetti Shrem General Manager.
“Our 2023–24 season in cinemas reflects how opera is changing at the Met, where we’re balancing timeless classics with accessible new work that is advancing the art form and attracting younger and more diverse audiences.”
Don’t miss these world-class opera productions filmed live and transmitted from the Met stage to the big screen at Cinema Nouveau and select Ster-Kinekor cinemas. Bookings are now open, with each production limited to four shows only.
Book your tickets now at www.sterkinekor.com or download the SK App on your smartphone. For news and updates, go to Facebook: Ster-Kinekor Theatres | follow Ster-Kinekor on Twitter: @Ster-Kinekor. For all queries, call Ticketline on 0861-Movies (668 437).
2023-24 Live in HD season at a glance:
The new Live in HD season continues Carmen (01 March), La Forza del Destino (05 April), Roméo et Juliette (17 May), La Rondine (07 June), and Madama Butterfly (05 July).
Bizet
Carmen
Screening dates: 01, 02, 03, 05 March 2024 (225 minutes)
Acclaimed English director Carrie Cracknell brings a vital new production of one of opera’s most enduringly powerful works, reinvigorating the classic story with a staging that moves the action to the modern day and finds at the heart of the drama issues that could not be more relevant today: gender violence, abusive labour structures, and the desire to break through societal boundaries. Dazzling young mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina leads a powerhouse quartet of stars in the complex and volatile title role, alongside tenor Piotr Beczała as Carmen’s troubled lover Don José, soprano Angel Blue as the loyal Micaëla, and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as the swaggering Escamillo. Daniele Rustioni conducts Bizet’s heart-pounding score.
Verdi
La Forza del Destino
Screening dates: 05, 06, 07, 09 April 2024 (265 minutes)
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Verdi’s grand tale of ill-fated love, deadly vendettas, and family strife, with stellar soprano Lise Davidsen as the noble Leonora, one of the repertory’s most tormented – and thrilling – heroines. Director Mariusz Treliński delivers the company’s first new Forza in nearly 30 years, setting the scene in a contemporary world and making extensive use of the Met’s turntable to represent the unstoppable advance of destiny that drives the opera’s chain of calamitous events. The distinguished cast also features tenor Brian Jagde as Leonora’s forbidden beloved, Don Alvaro; baritone Igor Golovatenko as her vengeful brother, Don Carlo; bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi as Fra Melitone; and bass Soloman Howard as both Leonora’s father and Padre Guardiano.
Gounod
Roméo et Juliette
Screening dates: 17, 18, 19, 21 May 2024 (215 minutes)
Two singers at the height of their powers – radiant soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor sensation Benjamin Bernheim – come together as the star-crossed lovers in Gounod’s sumptuous Shakespeare adaptation, with Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium to conduct one of the repertoire’s most romantic scores. Bartlett Sher’s elegant staging also features baritone Will Liverman and tenor Frederick Ballentine as the arch-rivals Mercutio and Tybalt, mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey as the mischievous pageboy Stéphano, and bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Frère Laurent.
Puccini
La Rondine
Screening dates: 07, 08, 09, 11 June 2024 (170 minutes)
Puccini’s bittersweet love story returns to cinemas, with soprano Angel Blue starring as the French courtesan Magda, opposite tenor Jonathan Tetelman as Ruggero, an idealistic young man who offers her an alternative to her life of excess. Maestro Speranza Scappucci conducts Nicolas Joël’s Art Deco–inspired staging, which transports audiences from the heart of Parisian nightlife to a dreamy vision of the French Riviera. Soprano Emily Pogorelc and tenor Bekhzod Davronov complete the sterling cast as Lisette and Prunier.
Puccini
Madama Butterfly
Screening dates: 05, 06, 07, 09 July 2024 (195 minutes)
Extraordinary soprano Asmik Grigorian tackles the demanding role of Cio-Cio-San, the loyal geisha at the heart of Puccini’s devastating tragedy. Tenor Jonathan Tetelman stars as the callous American naval officer Pinkerton, whose betrayal destroys her. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong reprises the role of the steadfast maid Suzuki, and baritone Lucas Meachem is the American consul Sharpless. Acclaimed maestro Xian Zhang takes the podium to conduct Anthony Minghella’s vivid production.
