Saturday, January 10

Tag: J. Knighten Smit

Andréa Chenier – Metropolitan Opera
REVIEWS

Andréa Chenier – Metropolitan Opera

Nicolas Joël’s staging of Umberto Giordano’s epic verismo opera of revolution and forbidden love is brought back to life by Revival Director J. Knighten Smit with the orchestra under the baton of Daniele Rustioni in his first season as Principal Guest Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. At a glittering party in 18th-century Paris there are distinctly two tiers of society on display from the lowly footman Gérard (Igor Golovatenko) who follows in the footsteps of his father who has been in service for sixty years, to the sumptuous host, Contessa di Coigny (Nancy Fabiola Herrera), whose daughter Maddalena (Sonya Yoncheva) straddles both as she eschews the fancy dress and faux manners in favour of intellectual discussion, so when the poet Andréa Chenier (Piotr Beczała) delivers an impa...
Nabucco – Met Opera Live in HD
REVIEWS

Nabucco – Met Opera Live in HD

Verdi’s biblical story is brought to life in biblical proportions with this fifth revival from director J. Knighten Smit’s of the late Elijah Moshinsky’s original production complete with John Napier’s impressive set design taking full advantage of the stage’s turntable. In Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, the terrified Hebrews await the arrival of the conquering Babylonian king, Nabucco (George Gagnidze), who is renowned for his cruelty. The Hebrew high priest Zaccaria (Dmitry Belosselskiy) has kidnapped Nabucco’s daughter, Fenena (Maria Barakova) entrusting her safe keeping to Ismaele (SeokJong Baek), and their love for each other is soon revealed. Nabucco’s elder daughter, Abigaille (Liudmyla Monastyrska), is also in love with Ismaele and offers to save the Jewish people if he will giv...