It has been presenting nearly 27 different operas every year. The performing company of the Met also employs several freelance musicians, dancers, actors and other performers. Throughout its history, the Metropolitan Opera has witnessed events that were of great significance. Here, we’ve listed some of them:

1. The opening of Metropolitan Opera House

The Academy of Music was an established opera house in New York during the 19th century. However, the space was too limited in private boxes for seating the new millionaires of the city. This changed with the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House in the late 19th century.

It had three tiers of private boxes for the city’s wealthy individuals. This gave powerful industrialists like William H. Vanderbilt the chance to show off their affluence.

2. Golden Age of the Met

Singer Enrico Caruso sang for 17 years at the Metropolitan Opera House. This is considered the Golden Age of the Met. He was born in the Italian city of Naples and started performing at the opera house in 1903. When the soprano Geraldine Farrar stood on stage with him for the first time, she forgot her cue. Upon hearing his wonderful way of singing, she reportedly broke into tears.

3. Gustav Mahler at the Met

In the year 1908, Gustav Mahler began his service at the Metropolitan Opera. This Austrian composer and conductor held the baton under the direction of La Scala’s former head, Giulio Gatti-Casazza. When the latter brought in the Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, there was some competition. Mahler eventually left the baton to Toscanini in 1910 after several quarrels.

4. Toscanini’s temper

Arturo Toscanini often yelled at his orchestra and trampled the batons. Geraldine Farrar, the soprano star in those days, clashed with the conductor while they were working on Madame Butterfly. During the argument, Geraldine told him that she was the production’s actual star. In response, Toscanini said that stars existed only in heaven! Despite this heated exchange, the two became lovers later on.

5. The first Black opera singer

Rudolf Bing became the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in 1950. He created history when he became the first to bring in an African-American performer, Marian Anderson. Earlier, a white performer had to blacken his face to play leading opera role for a Black protagonist. This changed forever in 1955 when Marian Anderson became the first Black singer in a leading role.

6. The famed scandal

In the mid-20th century, the Metropolitan Opera presented its most expensive production, Macbeth. Maria Callas was offered the title role in this production by Rudolf Bing. Besides this, he also wanted Callas to intersperse her performance with other roles.

Despite their contractual agreement, Callas refused to oblige. As a result, Bing fired her. This scandal caught the attention of media across the world and it made headlines.

7. Relocation of the Metropolitan Opera

In 1966, the Metropolitan Opera moved to the Lincoln Center. The new hall was truly magnificent with a seating capacity of 3,900. The curtains had cords made of pure silk and weighed several hundred kilos. A couple of years later, the house had new stars entertaining the audience.

Among them were Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. They went on to achieve worldwide fame after the took to the stage in 1968.

The post 7 Historic Events of The Metropolitan Opera appeared first on lastnightatthemet.com.

The greatest bonus is that you get the opportunity to witness the most incredible performances. Even the music is absolutely splendid. Still wondering whether to buy the tickets to the Metropolitan Opera or not? Well, let’s make it easier for you to decide. Here are some of the best reasons for buying the tickets to this opera:

1. It can be made affordable

Surprised? Well, you must’ve thought that the tickets to the Metropolitan Opera would surely empty your wallet. It can, in a way, but not if you book ahead of time. Seats in the upper balcony can be cost-effective. If you want to reduce the cost of tickets even further, opt for the standing room. Just make sure that you book your tickets well in advance before the rates go up.

2. You’ll have something to brag about

Some of your friends might be real art and culture freaks. Just ask them whether they’ve been to an opera. If they haven’t, then you can impress them by going to the opera and bragging about it. Opera is not something that most of the millennials would be excited about. Now, if you’re a millennial and you went to an opera, you can be an inspiration for them. It’s possible that you’ll have some company next time.

3. There’s something for everyone at the Met

If you’re into some epic dramas such as Casablanca and Fatal Attraction, you must see Carmen. For those who are hopeless romantics, Romeo et Juliette would be a delight to watch. Il Barbiere Di Siviglia is a comedic opera for someone who’s craving for a lighter treat. The best part of Il Barbiere Di Siviglia is that it has a happy ending.

Each season, there are 26 operas that the Met puts on. They range from comedy to tragic love stories. Every season includes over 200 performances. This gives you many options to take some time out from your busy schedules.

4. Don’t know Spanish, French, or Italian? No problem!

Just listen to the music. You don’t need to master these languages to enjoy the performance. If you still want to know what’s going on, the Met has a brilliant solution. Every seat has a small screen on it with live translation of the performance. This will allow you to understand what the performers are saying.

5. Not all operas have a longer duration

If you’re thinking that you’ll be stuck in the theater for long, choose a shorter opera. Well, there’s no denying that some operas have a longer duration than musicals and plays. What you must know is that they also typically have an intermission. Some might even have two intermissions.

There are operas that are much shorter than the Lord of the Rings movies with regards to duration. For example, Der Fliegende Hollander has a duration of a little more than 2 hours.

The post 5 Reasons for Buying Tickets to the Metropolitan Opera appeared first on lastnightatthemet.com.

1. There exists an armory in the Metropolitan Opera House

Just like the front spaces of the Metropolitan Opera House, the spaces supporting the productions are impressive as well. However, they’re located far beyond the side-stage and backstage areas. The back of the Metropolitan Opera House covers three levels below the stage. This includes the 16,400-square-foot storage and rehearsal rooms of the C level.

If you’ve ever been to the opera, you’ll know that the productions involve a lot of fights. So, to fulfill this requirement, the Met has an armory. It’s located at the back of the house. From its floor to the ceiling, the armory has weapons of different types and belonging to different eras. Among them are swords, cross bows, guns, and a wrecking ball from the medieval times.

2. There’s a climate-controlled archive inside the Met

In the mid-20th century, Mrs. John DeWitt Peltz entered the basement of the old Metropolitan Opera House. She was there as a volunteer. Upon entering the basement, she saw boxes of materials that had been lying there haphazardly for many years. She saved these boxes and organized them.

Among her finds were the minutes from the meeting of 1880. The board had decided to build a new opera house in the meeting. The Met established a department for archives formally in 1981. Robert Tuggle was given the responsibility to run this department.

The climate-controlled archives area stores artist ledgers, costumes and plenty of other items. The programs in the archives date back to 1883. The costumes are in boxes with large donations that came from the families of Kirsten Flagstad and Enrico Caruso.

The Metropolitan Archive has been working on the digitization of its archives in recent times. Led by the Director of Archives, Peter Clark, the Metropolitan Opera archives is located on level A.

3. The stage of the Met is among the world’s most technologically advanced

The stage of the Metropolitan Opera House is truly amazing! It allows for the most complex staging and productions. This stage even makes it possible to preset scenery and elevate it to different levels. It measures 80×101 feet and is one of the world’s most technologically advanced.

For the entrances and exits, there are 50 trap doors on the stage. It also allows for the appearance of scenery and props from below. The stage’s working areas on the side and the rear are equipped with wagons. They’re platforms that can go sliding onto the main stage with complete sets.

These sets can have a height of up to 30 feet. The rear wagon has a turntable with a diameter of 57 feet. While rolling forward, it can complete one revolution in two minutes. The fly system is located at a height of 110 feet above the stage. This is equivalent of a 10-story building.

At the stage level, the backstage measures 43,000 square feet. The side stages take up another 23,300 square feet.

4. The world’s largest repertory opera house

The renowned American architect, Wallace Harrison, was the one who designed the Metropolitan Opera House. He had also designed the Rockefeller Center. The Metropolitan Opera House Company was in favor of an opera house that had a more traditional design. The other architects of the Lincoln Center wanted a Modernist look. Harrison had to examine about 42 other possible designs.

The structure that finally resulted from this was, in fact, a combination of competing interests in the design. The Metropolitan Opera House has curved Modernist lines, which would remind you of the TWA Flight Center. This repertory opera house can accommodate more than 3,900 people.

None of the repertory opera houses in the world can accommodate so many people. Let’s take the Sydney Opera House as an example here for the sake of comparison. The Sydney Opera House can seat an audience of up to 2,679. So, now you have an idea of the seating capacity of the Metropolitan Opera House.

5. The original location of the Met was not Lincoln Center

The idea for the foundation of The Metropolitan Opera came from a group of affluent individuals. They were the Roosevelts, the Vanderbilts, and J.P. Morgan. The opera was an alternative to The Academy of Music. You can find the details of The Academy of Music in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. It was an exclusive concert hall for the elites of New York City.

The downtown was gradually becoming less desirable. The city’s industrial class wanted an opera house that was located close to their new mansions. They also wanted this new opera house to be welcoming to them. The Metropolitan Opera’s first house opened on the 39th Street and Broadway in the year 1883. This was right in the middle of the bustling theater district. This was truly an opulent opera house.

Its architect was Josiah Cleveland Cady. He was the one who designed the American Museum of Natural History’s south face. A fire occurred in the opera house, which led to a complete redesigning of the interior. This time, the design came from the famous American Beaux-Arts architecture firm, Carrere and Hastings. They created a golden auditorium with a proscenium. It was the largest in the United States at the time.

6. Reversed paintings of Marc Chagall

Inside the Met are two large paintings that hang above the Grand Tier level. One is The Sources of Music and the other is The Triumphs of Music. These paintings were the creation of Marc Chagall. He was commissioned to create these two murals. He was also given the responsibility of creating the design of the set and costumes. This was for the 1966 production of The Magic Flute by Mozart.

The two murals created by Chagall were hung in reverse placement accidentally. Jackie Wullschlager notes in her biography of Chagall that it was not what he had intended initially. Despite this, he liked the paintings in their reversed state. He, in fact, preferred it more than his original vision.

The post 6 Lesser Known Facts About the Metropolitan Opera appeared first on lastnightatthemet.com.