BY KAREN BOSSICK
Live broadcasts from the New York Metropolitan Opera will begin on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Big Wood Cinemas in Hailey.
Vincenzo Bellini’s “Norma” will kick off the 10-opera season. And the Sun Valley Opera will celebrate with mimosas and muffins in the lobby of the theatre beginning at 10 a.m.
The screening will take place at 11 a.m.
The opera, which premiered in Milan in 1831, is set deep in a Druid forest in Gaul at the beginning of its occupation by the Roman Empire. It is a place where nature and ancient ritual rule, where all the characters are druids, or members of the Gallic priesthood, except for two Romans.
The story itself revolves around a powerful woman who compromises her ideals for love, only to find herself betrayed by her lover. Equally gripping is her relationship with the younger woman who is the new object of her former lover’s attention and in whom Norma sees both a rival and a second self.
The leading role, which demands a dramatic vocal power and agility, features Sondra Radvanovsky, who made her Met debut as Norma in 2013. She will star as the Druid priestess in the new production opposite Joyce DiDonato, who stars as her archrival Adalgisa.
The Metropolitan Opera calls the casting a coup for fans of belo canto, a style of singing popular in Italy during the 18th and 19th centuries because of its beauty of tone and florid ornamentation.
Tenor Joseph Calleja plays Pllione, Norma’s unfaithful lover. Calo Rizzi conducts.
Here’s the remainder of the 2017-18 lineup:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Die Zauberflöte.” 11 a.m. Oct. 14.
Thomas Adés, “The Exterminating Angel.” 11 a.m. Nov. 18.
Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca.” 11 a.m. Jan. 27, 2018.
Gaetano Donizetti’s “L’elisir D’amore.” 10 a.m. Feb. 10.
Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohéme.” 10:30 a.m. Feb. 24.
Gioachino Rossini’s “Semiramide.” 11 a.m. March 10.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte.” 11 a.m. March 31.
Guiseppe Verdi’s “Luisa Miller.” 10:30 a.m. April 14.
Jules Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” 11 a.m. April 28.
Dick Brown plans to offer pre-opera lectures for all but the first one. Tickets are $16, available for purchase anytime at the theatre.