Metropolitan Opera coming to Megabox theaters

A scene from Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” is the backdrop of the poster for Megabox’s screening of the Meteropolitan Opera’s 2014 season.

By Do Je-hae

The biggest news at the Metropolitan Opera in recent months is the comeback of its longtime music director James Levine, who has been sidelined for two years taking care of some serious health issues.

Levine’s presence is expected to rejuvenate the theater, which is planning a year filled with rare productions, including Borodin's "Prince Igor" and Massenet's "Werther." Such works are hardly ever presented by local companies that focus mainly on Italian repertoire.

Megabox will screen the Met's major productions in selected theaters this year. The screening is part of the “The Met: Live in HD,” a project that has been transmitting live performances to 1,700 venues in 54 countries with subtitles in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. The screenings include live performances as well as interviews and commentaries by leading artists.

The highly successful “Met: Live in HD” is made possible by the distinctive production capacity and artistic excellence of the Met. It is a signature achievement of the Met’s general manager Peter Gelb who has been serving in that capacity since 2006. Gelb, an usher at the Met in his youth and former head of Sony Classical, has revitalized the Met by applying technology to bring classical music closer to the masses.

In addition, the “Met Opera on Demand” streaming service is now available as an iPad app in stunning high quality on a subscription basis. The Met also presents free, live streaming of performances on its website once a week.

Here's a preview of some of the Met's 2014 season that will be screened at Megabox:

Eugene Onegin (January)

This Deborah Warner production set to the gripping music of Tchaikovsky is currently playing in Megabox theaters. The 19th century tragedy of the lovestruck Tatiana and the heartless Onegin is a popular opera, but it has rarely been stage here. A highlight of the production is the snowstorm that provides the setting for the dramatic finale.

Anna Netrebko, one of the biggest stars of the Met at the moment, headlines the production. Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, who has been appearing more at the Met in recent years, is the conductor.

Falstaff (April)

Maestro Levine made his comeback with Verdi's last opera in December 2013. Levine has conducted the masterpiece 56 times at the Met. He leads Robert Carsen’s new staging, which has already won acclaim in London and Milan.

The story is taken from Shakespeare's plays "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and scenes from "Henry IV." The work has been admired for its melodic inventions and exquisite orchestration.

"If you put all the great human comedies together, 'Falstaff' is the creme de la creme," Levine said. The production stars Italian bass Ambrogio Maestri in the title role.

Prince Igor (June)

Borodin’s defining Russian epic recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against a tribal invasion in 1185. The production comes to the Met for the first time in almost a century.

The opera was left unfinished upon the composer's death in 1887 and was completed by a couple of Russian virtuosos Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. It was first performed in St. Petersburg in 1890.

With the founding of the Russian nation as the backdrop, Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production stars bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov in the title role, with Gianandrea Noseda on the podium.

Werther (July)

It is at the Met that French composer Massenet's mesmerizing adaptation of Goethe's tragic romance had its U.S. premiere in 1894.

Jonas Kaufmann, the German tenor who combines the highest level of singing and acting ability, stars in the title role.

The new production is directed and designed by Richard Eyre and Rob Howell, with Alain Altinoglu conducting.