New York - Season 2026 / 2027 - Aida

What an extraordinary season is coming up at the Metropolitan Opera! I'm still struggling to contain my excitement at the announcement of the 2026–2027 season: a perfect blend of great classics, bold new productions, and absolutely dazzling casts. It's one of those seasons that reminds us why we love opera so passionately.

From the very first moment, the curtain will rise powerfully with Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth, chosen to open the season. And what an opening it will be: none other than the magnificent Lise Davidsen as Lady Macbeth. Her powerful and magnetic voice promises an electrifying evening, full of dramatic intensity and Verdian fire.

Among the titles I'm most excited to see again is Verdi's Aida, with its lavish production that never fails to impress. I'm especially thrilled to know that it will feature the wonderful Anna Pirozzi, one of the great dramatic sopranos of our time. And, of course, discovering new Aidas and Amneris will be part of the pleasure: there's nothing more exciting than hearing new voices take on these imperial roles.

Another of my dream comebacks is Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème, always so moving and timeless. Each performance is an invitation to fall in love with Mimì and Rodolfo all over again.

And speaking of Puccini… Tosca! For me, the most fabulous opera he ever wrote. This season will be a true feast for Tosca lovers, with a variety of performers that makes each performance unique. That's the magic of the Met: different sopranos, each with her own style, her own fire, her own way of tearing at our hearts.

Among my favorites will be Aleksandra Kurzak, Sondra Radvanovsky, Eleonora Buratto, Natalya Romaniw, and the impressive Saioa Hernández, fresh from her triumph as Gioconda, who will be kicking off this series of performances. Drama, passion, and stage presence! These will be absolutely unmissable evenings.

I am also eagerly anticipating Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti, one of my favorite operas from the celebrated Tudor trilogy. And what a privilege to have the star Lisette Oropesa, who has already triumphed as the Queen of Scots in Madrid. Her bel canto sensitivity and dramatic intensity promise unforgettable moments.

In the French repertoire, Jules Massenet's Manon holds a very special place in my heart. Rediscovering it with the voice that captivates me, the marvelous Nadine Sierra, will undoubtedly be one of the season's highlights.

The season also shines with beloved titles such as Così fan tutte and the festive Christmas presentation of The Magic Flute, both masterpieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is always a gift to return to Mozart, and even more so in a home like the Met.

In the dramatic and monumental repertoire, we find Otello, Richard Wagner's Parsifal, Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, Camille Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila, and Luigi Cherubini's Medea: titles that demand stellar voices and extraordinary interpretive intensity.

And I can't fail to mention the new productions that bring freshness and variety, such as Kevin Puts's Silent Night and Missy Mazzoli's Lincoln in the Bardo. It's wonderful to see how the Met combines tradition and modernity, offering both the great pillars of the repertoire and contemporary works that broaden horizons.

The season also includes gems like Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa and La Fanciulla del West, another new Puccini production that promises to be captivating.

Honestly, I couldn't single out just one title: they all thrill me deeply. But what excites me most is seeing so many of my favorite sopranos together in roles I adore. Yes, the tenors and baritones are absolutely stellar, the cast is dazzling… but my heart beats especially strongly for these titles and for these great divas who will bring immortal characters to life.

The Met’s 2026–2027 season is shaping up to be fabulous, varied, and exciting. For those of us who love opera—and especially for lovers of Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, and Mozart—we are in for a treat.

Now there’s only one thing left to do: wait with bated breath for the curtain to rise. And enjoy, performance after performance, the unique magic of the Met.

There are seasons… and then there are seasons that feel almost providential. The 2026–2027 lineup at the Metropolitan Opera is not merely a calendar of performances—it is a radiant affirmation that opera, in the 21st century, is gloriously alive. For those of us who believe that opera is the supreme synthesis of human imagination—where music, poetry, theater, image, and raw emotion converge into something transcendent—this season feels nothing short of divine.

At the heart of my excitement stand the sopranos. The luminous, fearless, incandescent women who carry forward a lineage that stretches back through the most sacred names in operatic history. These are the voices of our century—artists who take the torch from legends and ensure that the flame burns brighter than ever.

Let us begin with Aida, Verdi’s monumental hymn to love, sacrifice, and destiny. This production, already famed for its splendor, becomes even more thrilling with the presence of the magnificent Anna Pirozzi. Pirozzi possesses a voice of blazing amplitude and bronze-like brilliance, yet she tempers that power with extraordinary sensitivity. Her high notes soar like sunlit banners over the Nile, while her pianissimi shimmer with heartbreaking vulnerability. In her artistry one feels the echo of the great Aidas of the past—Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry, Martina Arroyo—yet she is unmistakably, thrillingly modern.

And how wonderful to anticipate Angel Blue at the Met, whose voice combines velvety warmth with radiant steel. She sings with a sincerity that pierces the heart; there is an emotional truth in her phrasing that feels almost confessional. Hers is a voice that wraps the audience in velvet and then, in a single phrase, sets it ablaze. I'm so excited to discover Leah Hawkins' voice in Aida.

On September 22, 2026, there will be no place in the world where an opera lover should be but Manhattan. That night, the curtain at the Metropolitan Opera House will rise to open the season with an event already generating fervor in all operatic circles: Lise Davidsen's debut as Lady Macbeth.

The great Norwegian soprano, one of the most imposing, majestic and admired voices of our time, will take on for the first time one of the most feared and fascinating roles ever written by Giuseppe Verdi.

Lady Macbeth is no ordinary role. It is a vocal and dramatic abyss. Verdi, obsessed with expressive intensity, had the soprano from the Florence premiere rehearse more than 150 times. He wasn't looking for conventional beauty: he demanded character, ferocity, darkness, theatrical electricity. New York, as demanding as Verdi himself, expects exactly that.

And Davidsen has everything she needs to set the stage ablaze.mporada 

In Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti—the jewel of the Tudor trilogy—my anticipation is almost unbearable. This opera occupies a sacred place in my heart. I listen endlessly to the Tudor trilogy, especially as immortalized by Beverly Sills, whose queens remain benchmarks of bel canto artistry. And now, the role returns in triumph with Lisette Oropesa, a soprano of crystalline precision and expressive fire. Oropesa’s technique is immaculate, her coloratura like spun silver, yet what moves me most is her dramatic intensity. She does not merely sing Maria—she becomes the doomed queen, regal and fragile, proud and wounded. It feels like the continuation of a grand tradition. And oh—if only the Met would crown this Tudor journey with Anna Bolena in 2028! That would be operatic paradise.

Then there is Manon by Jules Massenet, one of the most intoxicating jewels of the French repertoire. How delicious to rediscover it through the voice of Nadine Sierra. Sierra’s timbre is pure satin, glowing and youthful, yet supported by impeccable technique and dramatic intelligence. She evokes the elegance and charm once embodied by Beverly Sills, yet she brings her own irresistible sparkle. Her Manon promises to be seductive, tender, capricious, and tragic—all in a single, shimmering arc.

And then—Tosca. Tosca by Giacomo Puccini remains, to me, the most theatrically perfect opera ever written. Passion distilled into three acts. And what a constellation of Toscas this season offers.

Sondra Radvanovsky, with her volcanic intensity and fearless dramatic commitment, channels the spirit of Maria Callas—not by imitation, but through a shared willingness to risk everything emotionally. Her voice can blaze like lightning and then break into the most fragile prayer.

Aleksandra Kurzak brings elegance and emotional immediacy, a silken line that can suddenly ignite into flame.

Saioa Hernández—currently triumphing as Gioconda—arrives with a voice of molten gold, expansive and thrilling, capable of filling the house with sumptuous tone while maintaining dramatic precision.

Each Tosca will be different. That is the miracle of the Met: the same score, yet infinite interpretations. We remember the towering legacies of Renata Tebaldi and Montserrat Caballé—voices that defined eras. And yet, these 21st-century sopranos prove that the lineage is unbroken. The torch passes, the fire remains.

The season’s grandeur extends further: Macbeth, Otello, Parsifal, Der Rosenkavalier, Samson et Dalila, and the magic of The Magic Flute—each title a pillar of the repertoire, each demanding voices of heroic scale and refined artistry.

But what moves me most is this: opera endures because of artists like these. Because new generations rise to meet the impossible standards set by the past—and then surpass them in their own way. Opera is, to me, the supreme art form. Cinema and theater are magnificent, of course. But opera is the ultimate human creation: the total artwork, where orchestra, poetry, stagecraft, light, costume, voice, and soul converge into transcendence.

As a French philosopher once suggested, if one can spend a couple of hours at the opera, life is already justified.

And with a season like this at the Metropolitan Opera—divine in its ambition, incandescent in its casting, resplendent in its repertoire—we are not merely attending performances. We are witnessing the continuation of greatness.

I am counting the days. And my heart is already in the opera house. 

Barcelona La forza del destino 9 / 19 Nov 2024 / 2025

The 2024/2025 season has already been revealed, we are delighted with the proposals, in my case, I couldn't be happier since I love everything that has been scheduled. Let's not forget that the theater has on its program these next few days and weeks, the operas la cenerentola by rossini, fidelio by beethoven, Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilèa, Roberto Alagna, Alesandra Kurzak return to liceu, what a thrill to see an opera with these two stars, I won't miss it. We also have Sonya Yoncheva , I won't miss it, and many more fabulous singers in a divine production not to be missed. And none other than the Valkyrie concert with Lise Davidsen, I think there are no more tickets left, You would have to consult with the theater, but it is logical that they have sold out, because it is going to be memorable, I would say that June 27 will be the day on which one should be there, Lise Davidsen, the best Wagnerian voice. The season will begin with Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, it was already given at the liceu years ago, I myself enjoyed this opera a lot, because I really like Sostakovich, although I prefer his ballet suites, in any case, this opera will be quite a show. Next comes Verdi's famous opera, La Forza del Destino, a production that premiered in Paris, and then came to Barcelona in 2012, it was a great success, many performances were scheduled, and I attended all the performances, and it was a great success, I remember that the choir was reinforced with the Girona choir, this time the beautiful Parisian production is repeated, so we will be there, none other than the fabulous Saioa Hernandez will sing, a wonderful soprano, an extraordinary voice, who I think, I'm not sure, that she has also sung the role of Leonora, I would say yes, in any case I have heard her in many Verdi roles, and it is a sensation, the great success obtained recently in a ballo in maschera demonstrates, or hers great success years ago at La Scala when she sang at the opening of the season at the Attila, caused a sensation. Her Gioconda is wonderful ,what a great Gioconda, in short, we are facing one of the best voices of the 21st century, so a wonderful force of destiny awaits us. Anna Pirozzi will sing the première of La forza del destino next 9th November and three more performances ,she got a great triumph in Paris Bastille in this role and she is going to be a wonderful Leonora in Barcelona , we can wait to listen her divine voice singing la vergine degli angeli and pace pace mio Dio ,the two most beautiful arias of the opera .Don Alvaro will be sung by the fabulous Italian tenor Francesco Pio Galasso who precisely sang Don Alvaro in the successful performances last February and March in Palma de Mallorca, so a sensational Don Alvaro awaits us, and  his wife sings as Leonora ,at the same performance !!! 😊👍I remember the same happened when the remembered Daniela Dessi and her husband were together at the same time in Montecarlo in la forza del destino ,it was magic , so these future performances will be a performance not to be missed, plus added emotion with real life husband and wife .

The North American Brian Jadge will come from New York, the city of his birth, to offer us his Don Alvaro. This tenor has already sung this role in London and New York, and he is an expert tenor and specially in laforzadeldestino that he knows so well ,Furthermore, his voice is very beautiful as his interpretation of the unhappy Don Alvaro ,so it will be wonderful to attend his performances with the Italian super star Anna Pirozzi . The truth is that these performances of the force of destiny attract me for two reasons: the opera itself, which is wonderful, and listening to these fabulous singers live in these roles. We will also have Don Carlo di Vargas in Artur Rucinski 👍✨💯who has obtained a great success in London in Lucia di Lammermoor and he will be a sensational Don Carlo di vargas in his duets that Verdi wrote with so much care and inspiration to be sung with the tenor, he will make those fabulous duets, which Curiously, there are several in this opera, for the two of them, Brian Jagde.They will sing together as Don Alvaro and Don Carlo . I would almost say that the baritone sings more with the tenor than with the soprano 😉. Only Verdi could create such an opera, only him ,such a masterpiece . Amartuvshin Enkhbat will sing the duets with Francesco Pio Galasso, the singers will leave the Liceu hall astonished, since Galasso's beautiful and expressive tenor voice plus that of this baritone who I have been told is magnificent, can give a memorable night of baryton tenor duets , I really think it is going to be a good verdian opera evenings kind of a verdian voices festival ,can't wait to see them all ,I have tickets for both castings . The Guardian father will be John Relyea and Giacomo Prestia. Preziosilla Szilvia Vörös and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya. The conductor of the orchestra will be the prestigious Italian Nicola Luisotti that got a great success in Madrid with Adriana Lecouvreur. Madama Butterfly will be given in December, also a unique performance of Die Fledermaus. La traviata returns to the liceu in January, the international super star Nadine Sierra will be Violetta. She will sing La Sonnambula by Bellini in April and May. So we're very lucky to have this unique and so beautiful voice twice in one season . Rusalka will be given in June and July. I think West Side Story will make its debut in this theater and it will be with Nadine Sierra and Juan Diego Flórez, Isabel Leonard will also come, which I think is her debut at the liceu, performances that should not be missed. 

La stagione 2024/2025 è già stata svelata, siamo contentissimi delle proposte, nel mio caso non potrei essere più felice perché amo tutto ciò che è stato programmato. Non dimentichiamo che il teatro ha in cartellone in questi giorni e settimane, le opere la cenerentola di rossini, fidelio di beethoven, Adriana Lecouvreur di Cilèa,Roberto Alagna, Alesandra Kurzak tornano al liceo, che emozione vedere un'opera con queste due star, non me la perdo. Abbiamo anche Sonya Yoncheva , non me la perderò, e tanti altri cantanti favolosi in una produzione divina da non perdere.e niente meno che il concerto delle Valchirie con Lise Davidsen, credo non ce ne siano altri biglietti rimasti, bisognerebbe consultare il teatro, ma è logico che siano esauriti, perché sarà memorabile, direi che il 27 giugno sarà il giorno in cui dovrebbe esserci una, Lise Davidsen, la migliore voce wagneriana. La stagione inizierà con Lady Macbeth di Mcensk, rappresentata anni fa al Liceu. A me quest'opera è piaciuta molto, perché mi piace molto Sostakovich, anche se preferisco le sue suite per balletto. In ogni caso, quest'opera sarà uno spettacolo . Poi arriva la famosa opera di Verdi, La Forza del Destino, una produzione che ha debuttato a Parigi, poi è arrivata a Barcellona nel 2012, è stato un grande successo, erano previste molte rappresentazioni e io ho assistito a tutte le rappresentazioni, ed è stato un grande successo , Ricordo che il coro si è rinforzato con il coro di Girona, questa volta si ripete la bellissima produzione parigina, quindi noi ci saremo, canterà niente meno che la favolosa Saioa Hernandez, un soprano meraviglioso, una voce straordinaria, che secondo me, Non sono sicuro che abbia cantato anche il ruolo di Leonora, direi di sì, comunque l'ho sentita in tanti ruoli verdiani, ed è una sensazione, lo dimostra il grande successo ottenuto recentemente in un ballo in maschera , o il suo grande successo anni fa alla Scala quando cantò in apertura di stagione all'Attila, fece scalpore. La sua Monna Lisa è meravigliosa, insomma siamo di fronte ad una delle migliori voci del 21° secolo, quindi ci aspetta una meravigliosa forza del destino. Anna Pirozzi aprirà questa serie di otto rappresentazioni offrendo la sua meravigliosa Leonora ,la prima sera sarà il nove novembre alle 19:30. Don Alvaro sarà cantato dal favoloso tenore italiano Francesco Pio Galasso che proprio ha cantato Don Alvaro nelle fortunate rappresentazioni dello scorso febbraio e marzo a Palma di Maiorca, quindi ci aspetta un Don Alvaro sensazionale, e se canta anche sua moglie, sarà un spettacolo da non perdere, con in più un'emozione in più. Il nordamericano Brian Jadge arriverà da New York, sua città natale, per proporci il suo Don Alvaro. Questo tenore ha già cantato questo ruolo a Londra e New York, ed è un esperto, inoltre la sua voce è molto bella, quindi sarà meraviglioso assistere alle sue esibizioni con Maria Agresta. La verità è che queste rappresentazioni della forza del destino mi attraggono per due motivi: l'opera in sé, che è meravigliosa, e ascoltare questi favolosi cantanti dal vivo in questi ruoli. Avremo anche il Don Carlo di Vargas in Artur Rucinski che sta avendo grande successo a Londra nella Lucia di Lammermoor e sarà un Don Carlo strepitoso nei suoi duetti che Verdi scrisse con tanto amore per essere cantati col tenore, farà quei duetti favolosi, che curiosamente ce ne sono diversi in quest'opera, per loro due, Brian Jagde. Direi quasi che il baritono canta più con il tenore che con il soprano. Solo Verdi poteva creare un'opera del genere. Amartuvshin Enkhbat canterà i duetti con Francesco Pio Galasso, i cantanti lasceranno stupiti la sala del Liceu, poiché la bella voce tenorile di Galasso più quella di questo baritono che mi dicono sia magnifica, possono regalare una serata memorabile. Il padre del Guardian sarà John Relyea e Giacomo Prestia. Preziosilla Szilvia Vörös e Vasilisa Berzhanskaya. Il direttore d'orchestra sarà il prestigioso italiano Nicola Luisotti. A dicembre ci sarà Madama Butterfly, anche un'esecuzione unica di Die Fledermaus, la traviata tornerà al liceo a gennaio, la super star internazionale Nadine Sierra canterà la Sonnambula ad aprile e maggio. Rusalka sarà data a giugno e luglio. Penso che West Side Story farà il suo debutto in questo teatro e sarà con Nadine Sierra e Juan Diego Flórez, verrà anche Isabel Leonard, che credo sia il suo debutto al liceu, spettacoli da non perdere.  

La saison 2024/2025 a déjà été dévoilée, nous sommes ravis des propositions, dans mon cas, je ne pourrais pas être plus heureux puisque j'adore tout ce qui est programmé. N'oublions pas que le théâtre a au programme ces prochains jours et semaines, les opéras la cenerentola de Rossini, fidelio de Beethoven, Adriana Lecouvreur de Cilèa Roberto Alagna et Alesandra Kurzak retournent au liceu, quel plaisir de voir un opéra avec ces deux stars, je ne le manquerai pas. Nous avons également Sonya Yoncheva et bien d'autres chanteurs et chanteuses fabuleuses dans une production divine à ne pas manquer., et nul autre que le concert Valkyrie avec Lise Davidsen, je pense qu'il n'y en a plus il reste des billets, il faudrait consulter le théâtre, mais c'est logique qu'ils soient complets, parce que ça va être mémorable, je dirais que le 27 juin sera le jour où il faut y être, Lise Davidsen, la meilleure voix wagnérienne. La saison débutera avec Lady Macbeth de Mtsensk, qui a été jouée au Liceu il y a des années. J'ai moi-même beaucoup apprécié cet opéra, car j'aime beaucoup Sostakovitch, même si je préfère ses suites de ballet. En tout cas, cet opéra sera tout un spectacle. . Vient ensuite le célèbre opéra de Verdi, La Forza del Destino, une production qui a été créée à Paris, puis à Barcelone en 2012, ce fut un grand succès, de nombreuses représentations étaient programmées, et j'ai assisté à toutes les représentations, et ce fut un grand succès. , je me souviens que la chorale a été renforcée par la chorale de Gérone, cette fois la belle production parisienne est répétée, donc nous serons là, nul autre que la fabuleuse Saioa Hernández chantera, une merveilleuse soprano, une voix extraordinaire, qui je pense, Je ne suis pas sûr qu'elle ait aussi chanté le rôle de Leonora, je dirais oui, en tout cas je l'ai entendue dans de nombreux rôles de Verdi, et c'est une sensation, le grand succès obtenu récemment dans un ballo in maschera le démontre , ou son grand succès il y a des années à La Scala lorsqu'il chantait à l'ouverture de la saison à l'Attila, ont fait sensation. Sa Joconde est merveilleuse, bref, nous sommes face à l'une des meilleures voix du 21ème siècle, donc une merveilleuse force du destin nous attend. Anna Pirozzi ouvre la série de huit représentations le neuf novembre le jour de la première la fabuleuse chanteuse va nous donner une représentation de luxe avec sa leonore merveilleuse ,la voix de cette soprano est très belle et fabuleuse ,j'adore . Don Alvaro sera chanté par le fabuleux ténor italien Francesco Pio Galasso qui a précisément chanté Don Alvaro lors des représentations à succès de février et mars derniers à Palma de Majorque, donc un Don Alvaro sensationnel nous attend, et si sa femme chante aussi, ce sera un une performance à ne pas manquer, avec en prime de l'émotion. Le Nord-Américain Brian Jadge viendra de New York, sa ville natale, nous offrir son Don Alvaro. Ce ténor a déjà chanté ce rôle à Londres et à New York, et c'est un expert. De plus, sa voix est très belle, ce sera donc merveilleux d'assister à ses performances avec Maria Agresta. La vérité est que ces représentations de la force du destin m'attirent pour deux raisons : l'opéra lui-même, qui est merveilleux, et l'écoute en direct de ces fabuleux chanteurs dans ces rôles. Nous aurons également Don Carlo di Vargas dans Artur Rucinski qui connaît un grand succès à Londres dans Lucia di Lammermoor et il sera un Don Carlo sensationnel dans ses duos que Verdi a écrit avec tant d'amour pour être chanté avec le ténor, il fera ces duos fabuleux, dont Curieusement il y en a plusieurs dans cet opéra, pour eux deux, Brian Jagde. Je dirais presque que le baryton chante plus avec le ténor qu'avec la soprano. Seul Verdi pouvait créer un tel opéra. Amartuvshin Enkhbat chantera les duos avec Francesco Pio Galasso, les chanteurs quitteront la salle du Liceu étonnés, car la belle voix de ténor de Galasso et celle de ce baryton qu'on m'a dit magnifique, peuvent donner une soirée mémorable. Le père Guardian sera John Relyea et Giacomo Prestia. Preziosilla Szilvia Vörös et Vasilisa Berjanskaya. Le chef d'orchestre sera le prestigieux italien Nicola Luisotti. Madama Butterfly sera donnée en décembre, également une représentation unique de Die Fledermaus, la traviata revient au lycée en janvier  la célèbre star internationale et une des meilleures sopranos au monde Nadine Sierra chantera aussi la Sonnambula en avril et mai. nous sommes fortunés de la pouvoir écouter dans ces deux chefs-d'œuvre .Rusalka sera donnée en juin et juillet. Je pense que West Side Story fera ses débuts dans ce théâtre et ce sera avec Nadine Sierra et Juan Diego Flórez, Isabel Leonard viendra aussi, ce qui, je pense, est ses débuts au Liceu, des performances à ne pas manquer. le Lac des Cygnes du ballet de Rome arrive bientôt 😉👍