Also known as the Met, the Metropolitan Opera House first opened in the late 60's and has been captivating patrons consistently ever since. It is the home of the NYC's most high profile operatic performances, which has been offering entertainment since 1883. The opera house is located in the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, on Broadway between 63rd and 64th Streets.
Chagall Murals
The first of the Met's engaging features are the two murals created by French-Russian artist Marc Chagall that hang in the lobby of the Met.. The first mural is named "The Triumph of Music" and the other "The Sources of Music". They can be seen from the Plaza at the Lincoln Center.
Strong Pedigree
The Met was designed by Wallace Kirkman Harrison (1895-1981). The artist was a Massachusetts born architect who has had a hand in many public projects around NYC, including Rockafeller Center.
Extra Stages
The new Metropolitan Opera House replaced an older metropolitan opera house on Broadway and 39th. An interesting fact is that the dimensions of the main stage of the older house and the new house are about the same, but the new opera house has about six times the area, as the designers added new stages on the sides and in the rear of the opera house.
What an Opening Act
The very first opera performance at the new Met was a performance of Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. The opera premiered on the 16th of September in 1966. The opera starred Leontyne Price as Cleopatra and Justino Diaz as Mark Antony. Alas, the opera bombed, and the Met shortly dropped it from its line-up.
The Big Curtain
Trivial but intersting, the Met has the biggest front curtain on the planet. The front curtain is the drape that hangs behind the proscenium arch, and is made of golden damask.
Longest Performer
Charles Antony has logged the most performer hours at the Met. The tenor made his debut on March 6, 1954 at the old Met. Surprisingly, he's still performing at the new Met today, with over 2,000 performances to date.
Famous Debuts
Twenty nine operas have made their world premiere at the Met. The premieres include The Voyage, The Great Gatsby, The Ghosts of Versailles and others.
British Invasion
The Who was the inductory rock group to perform at the Met Around 1970. Who knew?
Strange but True True
Tenor Richard Versalle died during a performance at the Met. Versalle died on January 5, 1996 in a performance of "The Makropulos Case", after singing "You can only live so long". He was on a ladder, had a coronary, and plunged to the stage in a truly dramatic performance.
Chagall Murals
The first of the Met's engaging features are the two murals created by French-Russian artist Marc Chagall that hang in the lobby of the Met.. The first mural is named "The Triumph of Music" and the other "The Sources of Music". They can be seen from the Plaza at the Lincoln Center.
Strong Pedigree
The Met was designed by Wallace Kirkman Harrison (1895-1981). The artist was a Massachusetts born architect who has had a hand in many public projects around NYC, including Rockafeller Center.
Extra Stages
The new Metropolitan Opera House replaced an older metropolitan opera house on Broadway and 39th. An interesting fact is that the dimensions of the main stage of the older house and the new house are about the same, but the new opera house has about six times the area, as the designers added new stages on the sides and in the rear of the opera house.
What an Opening Act
The very first opera performance at the new Met was a performance of Barber's Antony and Cleopatra. The opera premiered on the 16th of September in 1966. The opera starred Leontyne Price as Cleopatra and Justino Diaz as Mark Antony. Alas, the opera bombed, and the Met shortly dropped it from its line-up.
The Big Curtain
Trivial but intersting, the Met has the biggest front curtain on the planet. The front curtain is the drape that hangs behind the proscenium arch, and is made of golden damask.
Longest Performer
Charles Antony has logged the most performer hours at the Met. The tenor made his debut on March 6, 1954 at the old Met. Surprisingly, he's still performing at the new Met today, with over 2,000 performances to date.
Famous Debuts
Twenty nine operas have made their world premiere at the Met. The premieres include The Voyage, The Great Gatsby, The Ghosts of Versailles and others.
British Invasion
The Who was the inductory rock group to perform at the Met Around 1970. Who knew?
Strange but True True
Tenor Richard Versalle died during a performance at the Met. Versalle died on January 5, 1996 in a performance of "The Makropulos Case", after singing "You can only live so long". He was on a ladder, had a coronary, and plunged to the stage in a truly dramatic performance.
About the Author:
Jeff Myers has been fascinated by all of the great events held at the Metropolitan Opera House for a number of years. He has written many articles about several topics, please look for his writing here.
No comments:
Post a Comment