Opera Shows in New York

Donizetti’s heartwarming comedy stars some of today’s most celebrated bel canto singers as the spunky landowner and the hapless peasant in search of love. Radiant sopranos Golda Schultz and Aleksandra Kurzak alternate as Adina, trading barbs and embraces with tenors Javier Camarena and Xabier Anduaga, in his Met debut, as Nemorino. Italian maestro Michele Gamba also makes his company debut conducting Bartlett Sher’s madcap staging, which features baritones Davide Luciano and Joshua Hopkins as the swaggering Sgt. Belcore and baritone Ambrogio Maestri and bass-baritone Alex Esposito as the lovable huckster Dr. Dulcamara. World premiere: Teatro Cannobiana, Milan, 1832. L’Elisir d’Amore has been among the most consistently popular operatic comedies for almost two centuries. The story deftly combines comic archetypes with a degree of genuine character development rare in works of this type. Its ending is as much a foregone conclusion as it would be in a romantic comedy film today—the joy is in the journey, and Donizetti created one of his most instantly appealing scores for this ride.

Three sopranos share the leading role, known as one of opera's most famous divas, in The Metropolitan Opera production of Puccini's drama. See a thrilling, dark romantic drama at Tosca — get tickets now.

The mighty walls and towering monuments of ancient Egypt once again fill the Met stage, as Verdi's great spectacle returns. Soprano Latonia Moore—hailed for her performances in Porgy and Bess and Fire Shut Up in My Bones—stars as the Ethiopian princess torn between love and country, sharing the role with rising soprano Michelle Bradley. Mezzo-sopranos Anita Rachvelishvili and Olesya Petrova alternate as Aida's implacable Egyptian counterpart Amneris, with tenors Brian Jagde and Marcelo Álvarez as the warrior Radamès, the object of both of their affections. Baritones George Gagnidze, Quinn Kelsey, and Luca Salsi portray Aida's father, Amonasro, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is the iron-fisted priest Ramfis. Maestro Paolo Carignani conducts.World premiere: Opera House, Cairo, 1871. This grandest of grand operas features an epic backdrop for what is in essence an intimate love story. Set in ancient Egypt and packed with magnificent choruses, complex ensembles, and elaborate ballets, Aida never loses sight of its three protagonists. Few operas have matched Aida in its exploration of the conflict of private emotion and public duty, and perhaps no other has remained to the present day so unanimously appreciated by audiences and critics alike.

Let your heart wander to The Metropolitan Opera for La Bohème, Puccini's esteemed classic that has become one of the most commonly performed operas worldwide. This season, the Met will present the 40th anniversary run of Franco Zeffirelli's landmark staging of the opera. La Bohème tickets are available now. The La Bohème opera follows a group of Bohemian artists, writers, and handiworkers, living in 19th-century Paris. The central stories are of lovers: A fated romance blossoms between the writer Rodolfo and the seamstress Mimì, and the painter Marcello and singer Musetta enter into a tumultuous, on-again-off-again relationship. The characters confront class disparities, sickness, and rent troubles as they seek true happiness. La Bohème presents a timeless tale that is not without tragedy, but that proves the power of love. La Bohème premiered at Italy's Teatro Regio in 1896. Since its premiere, it has been performed in dozens of countries across Europe, South America, North America, and Australia. Its premiere with The Metropolitan Opera took place in December 1900, and it was the last opera performed at the company's original venue on 39th Street and Broadway before moving to the current Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center. La Bohème is also the basis for the 1996 hit rock musical Rent by Jonathan Larsson, which follows a group of Bohemian friends struggling through the AIDS crisis. Get tickets for La Bohème in New York now.