'Live in HD' opera returns to theater, radio

Mariusz Kwiecien stars in the title role in 'Don Giovanni,' Satuday at Rave Motion Pictures Fallen Timbers.

The Metropolitan Opera's new Live in HD series kicks off with powerhouse productions streamed live Saturday afternoons in local theaters. The season comprises both new productions and revivals of past successes.

Screenings mostly will begin at 12:55 p.m., with live introductions by celebrity hosts and intermission entertainment including star interviews, backstage exploration, and insider information. Encore screenings will be at 6:30 p.m. on select Wednesdays in the same theaters.

Rave Motion Pictures Fallen Timbers, 2300 Village Drive West, in Maumee, again will be the closest site for this area. Tickets for live showings are $16-$24 at the box office.

Here's the 2011-2012 broadcast schedule. The Met also is now listing its radio re-broadcasts, which are aired locally on WGTE-FM 91. Each listing will include live and encore movie dates and radio broadcasts.

This Saturday, Mozart's Don Giovanni, the stirring tale of one of the most notorious characters of all time, will come to life in a new Michael Grandage production. Conducted by Fabio Luisi, who has stepped in for the ailing James Levine, this show stars Mariusz Kwiecien in the title role, Stefan Kocan as the Commendatore, Mojca Erdmann as Zerlina, Barbara Frittoli as Donna Elvira, and Marina Rebeka as Donna Anna.

Encore: Nov. 16. Radio: noon March 10.

Donizetti's Anna Boleyna, with Anna Netrebko in the title role, Ekaterina Gubanova as Jane Seymour, and Ildar Abdrazakov as Henry VIII, conducted by Marco Armiliato, is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Rave Motion Pictures Fallen Timbers. Radio broadcast is noon, Feb. 4.

Siegfried, the third of Robert Le- Page's interpretations of Wagner's Ring Cycle, will be aired at noon Nov. 5. Gary Lehman sings the title role, with Deborah Voigt as Brunnhilde, Eric Owens as Alberich, and Bryn Terfel as the Wanderer. Luisi conducts this six-hour show. Encore date has not been announced. Radio broadcast is 11 a.m. April 21.

Satyagraha, Philip Glass's telling of Mohandas K. Gandhi's early life, with text adapted from the Hindu text, Bhagavad Gita, will be presented Nov. 19. Richard Croft, who originated the role of Gandhi, will return. Dante Anzolini conducts the four-hour opera, and the Skills Ensemble puppets enhance the reach of this reprised production. Encore date is Dec. 7; no radio broadcast is scheduled.

Handel's Rodelinda, with Renee Fleming in the title role and Stephanie Blythe, Joseph Kaiser, and Shenyang, is set for 12:30 p.m. Dec. 3, with simultaneous radio broadcast. Harry Bicket conducts this Stephen Wadsworth production. Encore is Jan. 4.

A new, updated production of Gounod's Faust, with Jonas Kaufmann in title role plus Rene Pape as the Devil, and Marina Poplavskaya as Marguerite, will be broadcast live in HD and on the radio Dec. 10. Encore showing will be Jan. 11.

Musical and dramatic innovation have created a new pastiche opera, The Enchanted Island, with music by Handel, Vivaldi, and Rameau, and a Jeremy Sams libretto based on Shakespeare's works. An all-star cast leads with David Daniels, Joyce DiDonato, and Placido Domingo, conducted by William Christie, on Jan. 21, with simultaneous radio broadcast. Encore is Feb. 8.

Gotterdammerung, the grand finale of Wagner's Ring Cycle and of LePage's over-the-top productions of the series, is set for Feb. 11. Showtime for this six-hour masterpiece in theaters and on the radio is at noon, with encore dates to be assigned. Deborah Voigt returns as Brunnhilde, with Gary Lehman as Siegfried. James Levine is scheduled to conduct.

Verdi's early drama, Ernani, with Marcello Giordano in the title role, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Ferruccio Furlanetto, and Angela Meade, will be conducted by Marco Armiliato on Feb. 25, with simultaneous radio broadcast. Encore is March 14.

Anna Netrebko returns for another title role in the new Met production of Massenet's Manon on April 7, with radio broadcast concurrent. Laurent Pelly shaped this version, which also features singers David Pittsinger, Piotr Beczala, and Paulo Szot, and will be conducted by Luisi. Encore is April 25.

French singer Natalie Dessay assumes the tragic mantle of Violetta for her Met debut in Verdi's La Traviata on April 14, with radio side-by-side. In this new Willy Decker production ending the Live in HD season, Luisi conducts a cast that also includes Hvorostovsky and Matthew Polenzani. Encore is May 2.

Contact Sally Vallongo at: svallongo@theblade.com.