From Alexandria to Seville, the classic arts scene in New York is never quiet. Here is just a sampling of some of the classic arts events happening this week.
John Adams� Antony and Cleopatra has its Metropolitan Opera premiere May 12, in a production directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer and conducted by the composer. Following her Met debut last year in Adams� El Niño, soprano Julia Bullock stars as Cleopatra opposite baritone Gerald Finley as Antony. The cast also includes tenor Paul Appleby as Caesar, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Octavia, mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven as Charmian, tenor Brenton Ryan as Eros, baritone Jarrett Ott as Agrippa, and bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Enobarbus.
The Met also welcomes a new cast to Il Barbiere di Siviglia this week, as rising star mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina steps into the role of Rosina in Bartlett Sher’s production of Rossini’s classic opera buffa starting May 16. She is joined by tenor Jack Swanson making his Met debut as Count Almaviva, baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky as the titular barber Figaro, and bass-baritone Peter Kálmán making his Met debut as Doctor Bartolo. Bass Alexander Vinogradov continues in the role of Don Basilio.
Heartbeat Opera presents a new adaptation of Gounod’s Faust, adapted by Jacob Ashworth and Sara Holdren, and arranged for a seven-piece band by Francisco Ladrón de Guevara. The 100-minute adaptation, sung in French with English dialogue by Holdren, runs May 13 - 25 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, starring tenor Orson Van Gay II as Faust, soprano Rachel Kobernick as Marguerite, and bass-baritone John Taylor Ward as Mephistopheles.
City Lyric Opera presents a double bill of Black Water and Savior May 15-18 at the Sheen Center. The two contemporary explore female agency across time. Jeremy Beck’s Black Water, based on the novella of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates explores the mind of a woman trapped in a sinking car. Savior, by Amy Beth Kirsten, is a reimagining of the story of Joan of Arc, with the titular savior played by three singers.
Soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry join the New York Philharmonic May 16-18 for the New York premiere of Kevin Puts� The Brightness of Light. The work, created specifically for Fleming and Gilfry, is based on letters between painter Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz​�. The New York Philharmonic Chorus will then join for Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. Usually heard in suites of excerpts, the score of the symphonie chorégraphique will be performed in its entirety, conducted by Juanjo Mena.
The New York City Ballet opens an all-Ravel program starting May 14, showcasing five ballets set to the music of Maurice Ravel, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the company’s 1975 Ravel Festival. The program includes four works that had their world premieres at the 1975 festival: Jerome Robbins� In G Major, set to the Piano Concerto in that key; and three short works by Balanchine: Sonatine, Pavane, and Errante. The program will conclude with Balanchine’s La Valse, set to Valses Nobles et Sentimentales.
Another program, Eclectic NYCB, will open May 16, and feature Balanchine’s Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fée�, set to Stravinsky’s Tchaikovsky tribute of the same name; Kyle Abraham’s When We Fell; Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Chiaroscuro; and Alexei Ratmansky’s Odesa.
The New York City Ballet will also present a sensory-friendly performance May 18, featuring three works by Balanchine: Ballo dell Regina (the ballet scene from Verdi’s opera Don Carlos), Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and Mendelssohn’s Scotch Symphony. The sensory-friendly performance will include a relaxed entry/exit policy, adjustments to lighting and sound levels, designated break areas throughout the Theater, additional event staffing to assist with audience needs, and pre-visit resources, including a visual schedule.
Pianist Evgeny Kissin will give a recital at Carnegie Hall May 17, performing a program of works by Bach, Chopin, and Shostakovich. Carnegie Hall will also host performances this week from pianist August Boehm (May 12); The Knights (May 15); and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (May 17).
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