The Metropolitan Opera’s new season announced: what’s on in 2024-25?
In 2024-25, contemporary works will be front and center in the repertoire of the Metropolitan Opera. The coming season will open with “Grounded” – the new opera by Jeanine Tesori based around the theme of 21st century warfare. The repertoire will also feature premieres of “Moby-Dick” by Jake Heggie, “Ainadamar” by Osvaldo Golijov and “Antony and Cleopatra” by John Adams.
There will also be new stagings of Verdi’s “Aida” (featuring Piotr Beczała as Radamès and Krzysztof Bączyk as Pharaoh) and Strauss’s “Salome” (with Piotr Buszewski as Narraboth).
Among the revivals lined up for the season are Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and “Il trovatore,” Puccini’s “Tosca” (with Aleksandra Kurzak in the title role) and “La bohème,” as well as Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville”. The Met will show “Woman Without a Shadow” by R. Strauss, “The Tales of Hoffmann” by Offenbach, “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky and “Fidelio” by Beethoven (with Tomasz Konieczny in the role of Don Pizarro). The repertoire also features “The Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute” by Mozart.
The Metropolitan Opera is still grappling with problems caused by the pandemic. By reducing the number of titles in the new season, withdrawing additional emergency funds from its endowment and focusing on new works, the opera tries to meet the financial challenges and attract a young audience.