A few nights ago, while in New York City, we went for the first time, to the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center. Known locally as "the Met" we were excited to see and hear this classic venue.
Timing wasn't great. One of my favorite operas is Tosca, playing the night before, but we had other plans that evening. And so, we went to see my least favorite Puccini work, Turandot, described here from the Met's
page.
Lise Lindstrom and Nina Stemme take turns in the title role of the proud princess of ancient China, whose riddles doom every suitor who seeks her hand. Tenors Marcelo Álvarez, Marco Berti, and Yusif Eyvazov are Calàf, the brave prince who sings “Nessun dorma” and wins her love. Franco Zeffirelli’s golden production is conducted by Paolo Carignani.
It was a good performance, but what blew me away was the production. Oh my gosh, the stage, the sets, the chorus and the orchestra were magnificent. I have never seen anything like it in my life. No, let me put that another way. I had never even imagined anything could be like that. Not even close. The stage is enormous, 90 feet deep and wide, it must tower 200 feet in the air. We did not skimp on the seats, either; row G orchestra, 7 rows from the orchestra pit. Here's a picture.
If you ever have a chance to visit this amazing venue, I could not recommend it more highly.
