Classical Notes: September 22, 2009 Archive

Boos at Met Opera's Opening Night

Posted at 4:22 AM on September 22, 2009 by Gillian Martin (0 Comments)

A preview piece in yesterday's New York Times predicted that "the Tosca that makes its debut tonight at the Metropolitan Opera is bound to annoy a least a few opera patrons." That proved to be an understatement.

The crowd was enthusiastic about soprano Karita Mattila in the title role, and had great applause for James Levine and the orchestra. But when Swiss stage director Luc Bondy and his production team came out to take their bows, the booing from the audience was so vehement that the management brought down the curtain.

Bondy's production replaced a traditional and much-beloved Franco Zeffirelli production that had been in the Met's repertory since 1985.

Read more about the new production and the audience's reaction to it here.

Read Mr. Zeffirelli's rather catty remarks about Mr. Bondy and his work here (registration required).

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