My 2023-24 Resolutions
The Metropolitan Opera (Adobe Stock)
*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR FLORENCIA EN EL AMAZONAS*
Last night, Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking had its long-awaited Met Opera premiere, opening the 2023-24 season. I didn’t attend, only listened (wow), but it’s clearly a deeply introspective and thought-provoking opera. More to come on DMW, but for now, one of the questions Opening Night provoked:
What do I want out of this season?
So I made a list of my 2023-24 season resolutions, my own operatic version of New Year’s. Plus my basic wish to have a good time at extraordinary operas, of course. Readers, what are your resolutions?
1. Take more people to their first operas
One of my favorite things to do is to share my passion for opera with others, especially those who have never seen one before. This season, I want to take more people to the opera and convert them. It’s such an transformative art, and everyone should at least get a chance to find out whether they like it.
2. See as many classics as possible
Susanna Phillips and Charles Castronovo in La Bohème (Ken Howard/Met Opera)
This season, the Met embarks on a grand five-year experiment: lots more modern works, with every season opening with a new production of a modern opera. “To find the right balance [of contemporary and classic works], we have to experiment,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager. As the number of operas per season decreases from last year to this one (23 to 18), the number of classical works will necessarily go down too. Yes, this snaps my heart in two. What if operas like La Bohème, La Traviata, and Tosca are presented only every now and then, and less-frequently performed operas like Tannhäuser, La Rondine, and La Forza del Destino become rarities like last season’s stupendous Fedora? Wotan forbid! That would be an actual artistic catastrophe, so I’ll zip to as many classics as I can while I still can.
3. But push myself out of my comfort zone, too
From left: Kelli O’Hara, Renée Fleming, and Joyce DiDonato in The Hours (Evan Zimmerman/Met Opera)
As regular readers of this blog will know, I am a hardcore purist and will take Fedora or Aida over modern opera anytime. However, The Hours last season taught me the value of an open mind. I went to see it because it was a world premiere with Joyce DiDonato, Kelli O’Hara, and Renée Fleming, but I also left loving the opera itself. I resolved to get out of my comfort zone more, on the chance that I may like other modern works.
This season, with six contemporary operas — the most in the Met’s history —, is a good one to test that resolution. I’m anxious to revisit The Hours and may go to X or El Niño. More than anything, though, I want to see Florencia en el Amazonas, mostly for the Spanish text and presence of Ailyn Pérez. Hearing her sing in Spanish will make me happy.
Which brings us to…
4. Find joy, even in the tragedies
There are no comedies at the Met this season, except for the usual holiday presentation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, which I always welcome, and Florencia is better classified as a drama. She doesn’t die, she just becomes a butterfly. Many operas with happy-ish endings, such as Orfeo ed Euridice, Nabucco, or Turandot, take us through quite a bit of suffering to get there. So I will work on finding joy where I can: the bohémiens’ horseplay in La Bohème, Oscar’s flittery songs in Un Ballo in Maschera, and the satisfaction of a fabulous performance, even if somebody’s about to drop dead.
5. Expand my horizons at different theaters
Emily D’Angelo (WNO)
The only opera house I ever go to is the Met, and while it is the best in the world, why not introduce a little variety? The Kennedy Center is home to the Washington National Opera, and I’m curious: How does the sound carry? What are their stagings like? How does the view from the back of Orchestra compare to the Met? What’s the experience?
This season, there are two works at the WNO I hope to see: the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded and Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Grounded will open the Met’s season in 2024 — the first time an opera composed by a woman opens the Met — and at the WNO, Emily D’Angelo sings the lead role. Frankly, Emily’s focused stage presence and red-velvet voice are the most exciting parts for me.
The Met also happens to be staging Roméo et Juliette, and one could argue that I don’t need to see two productions in one season. So? Change is always interesting, and I’m a big fan of both Juliettes: Nadine Sierra at the Met and Rosa Feola at the WNO. Why not go see both?
So begins the Met’s 2023-24 season; here’s to the longevity of extraordinary opera! I will say in June if my resolutions held water. Please tell me yours in the comments!
